Clancy the Courageous Cow

author: Lachie Hume

Great for: 3 years and up

Time it takes to read: approx 10 minutes

Favourite line: "Several retired cows trained Clancy and taught him their favourite holds and manoeuvres."

Story line: "Being different to other Galloways was not easy for Clancy. He was treated differently, too, by them. They could not imagine what it would be like to be different either. But by being different, Clancy was able to grow into a very powerful contender for a competition with the Herefords, a competition the Galloways before had never been able to win."

We say: A story using children's language always goes down well. Clancy is a real hero and this book gives the message that it's okay to be different, in a fun and clever way.

Oscar's Half Birthday

author: Bob Graham

Great for: 2 years and up

Time it takes to read: approx 10 minutes

Favourite line: "Oscar frowns up against the light - six different expressions on his face in the time it takes a leaf to fall."

Story line: "The day Oscar turns six months old, Mum, Dad and Millie decide to celebrate. They take coat-hanger fairy wings, three tuna sandwiches and a chocolate cake with half a candle, and set off across the city for a picnic in this warm, gentle story of a family celebration on an urban, autumn day."

We say: A beautiful story about a 'real' family. Oscar's family life in an apartment block and need to walk past factories and under train bridges to get to their park, but it makes Oscar's half birthday celebration even more fun as most children can relate to some form of city life.

I like it when...

author: Mary Murphy

Great for 1 year and up.

Time it takes to read: approx 1 minute

Favourite line: I like it when you hold my hand. (my daughter presses her hand into mine... heart melting!)

Story line: "A little penguin with a big personality... it cleverly captures all that is exciting and comforting about a toddler's perfect day".

We say: It's a quick book with short one-liners about what toddlers do each day, from reading to 'helping' to going to sleep.

It's a cute book, nice for bedtime.

More Pants

author: Giles Andreae & Nick Sharratt

Great for 1 year and up. Also comes in a hard back version - good for little uns.

Time it takes to read: approx 4 minutes

Favourite line: Yummy pants, mummy pants, Sucking on your thumby pants, Tickling your tummy pants and matching bra!

Story line: "You can never have enough pants, can you?"

We say: It is really hard to express just how great this book is. It's SO much fun to read (try out some crazy accents or tunes - it's got a great beat), and so much fun to listen to. The illustrations are superb too, but it's gotta be the rhyming that makes this book what it is.

Oh - and the subject... a book all about Pants! It's hard to go wrong, and they've done it SO right!

Hippo has a hat

author: Julia Donaldson & Nick Sharratt

Great for 1 year and up. It has extra thick paper - perfect for toddlers.

Time it takes to read: approx 2 minutes

Favourite line: 'Toad's tracksuit is too big, these jeans are tight on pig'

Story line: "There's chaos in the clothes shop when the animals gon on a glorious shopping spree"

We say: Great pictures, memorable lines, and lots of animals to shout out names / noises when the pages are turned.

It always ends with my daughter calling for 'more' or 'again'. We've read it near on fifty times, and the pictures of a pig trying to squeeze into jeans too small still gets a snigger.