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.

Green Eggs and Ham

author: Dr Seuss

Great for: 1 year and up

Time it takes to read: approx 10 minutes

Favourite line: "Would you, could you, with a goat?"

Story line: "Sam-I-Am tirelessly tries to convince his friend to try Green Eggs and Ham, in every manner of presentation."

We say: A timeless classic for children and adults alike that doesn't stop being funny. An absolute joy to read with wonderful rhymes and hilarious situations. The illustrations are fantastic and practically tell the story themselves. Many say this is the best Dr Seuss book - which is certainly a discussion starter - but it should definitely be your first!

Big Red Bath

author: Julia Jarman Illustrator: Adrian Reynolds

Great for: 1 year and up

Time it takes to read: approx 5 minutes

Favourite line: "Bubbles in the bath... water on the floor.... but who's this scratching at the door...?"

Story line: "Ben and Bella are having such a lovely, splashy time in the big red bath that soon everyone wants to join in the fun! But will there be room for all the animals ...even Hippopotamus? A riotous story"

We say: A fantastic book with wonderful illustrations that come alive! Great rhymes and animals that children are familiar with. For the younger children, it's a wonderful way to get them interested in their bath time... for the older children, they can appreciate the rhymes and the fantasy style story telling. For the adults - a fun book to read!

Happy Dog, Sad Dog

author: Sam Lloyd

Great for: Birth  - 2 years

Time it takes to read: approx 1 minute

Favourite line: "Hot dog... cold dog!"

Story line: "Hot dog, hairy dog, wet dog - find out the opposites of these and more in this board book of doggy opposites."

We say: A great book for the youngest of children. Big bright pictures with easy to understand concepts! The final page has all of the story's pictures on it, so it also acts as a good 'find the dog' game.

The Gruffalo

author: Julia Donaldson illustrator: Axel Scheffler 

Great for: 1 year +

Time it takes to read: approx 5 minutes

Favourite line: "But now my tummy's beginning to rumble. My favorite food is – gruffalo crumble!"

Story line: "A mouse took a stroll in the deep, dark wood...To scare off his enemies he invents tales of a fantastical creature called the Gruffalo."

We say: You'll thank yourself for buying the board book version of this story as you'll be reading this one over and over. Such a fun book to read - especially creeping your fingers up the listeners back when you describe the purple prickles! 

Lovely illustrations, but a lot of text on each page for the under 1's. 

A great book that's worth the hype!

roo-joey.minti.com

Dear Zoo

author: Rod Campbell

Great for 0 years and up.

Time it takes to read: approx 2 minutes

Favourite line: So they sent me a (monkey). He was too naughty.

Story line: "A letter to the zoo asking for a pet results in a succession being dispatched - all of them containing highly unsuitable pets. All, of course, except the last one.".

We say: This is a classic book that really should be compulsory for all children to own. It's a cute story, the book has great hard-wearing flaps for the reader to uncover, and a wide range of animals that can be shouted out as they are uncovered... or we suggested making the noises!