Stories for babies with pictures

Jack and the Beanstalk

Fairy Tales

Browse our collection of fairy tales including those made famous by The Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen

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Jack and the Beanstalk

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Goldilocks

Harold's Fairy Tale

Little Red Riding Hood

The Three Little Pigs

Three Little Pigs

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Once upon a time, a boy named Jack got himself into the biggest, most humongous heap of trouble ever. It all started when Jack’s mama asked him to milk the old cow. But Jack decided he was tired of milking cows. “No way, no how. I’m not milking this brown cow now,” said Jack, and he decided to sell the old cow, so he’d never have to milk it again! Jack was on his way to market to sell the cow when he came across a peddler. “Hi, Mr. Peddler,” said Jack. “Where are you headed?” asked the peddler. “I’m going to sell my cow at the market,” Jack answered. “Why sell your cow?” asked the peddler. “Trade her for beans!” “Beans?” asked Jack. “Not just any kind of beans,” said the peddler, “magic beans.” “What do they do?” asked Jack. “They do magic!” said the peddler. “Magic? Sold!” said Jack, and he traded the cow for three magic beans. Jack got home and told his mama he had sold the cow so he wouldn’t have to milk her anymore. “Oh dear, you did what?” Jack’s mama asked. “I sold her for magic beans,” said Jack. “You sold a cow for magic beans?” Jack’s mama couldn’t believe what Jack was telling her. “There’s no such thing as magic beans,” she said as she threw the beans out the window. “Well, I did make them disappear, but that still doesn’t make them magic!” Suddenly, the ground rumbled and began to shake. A magic beanstalk grew up right before their eyes! Jack saw it and immediately began to climb the tall beanstalk. “Get back here this instant!” called Jack’s mama, but Jack wasn’t listening. Jack climbed up and up and up and up the beanstalk. At the top of the beanstalk, Jack found a giant castle. He walked up to the giant door, cracked it open, and went inside. Inside the castle, Jack saw the most amazing thing he had ever seen. It was a goose. But it wasn’t just any old ordinary goose. This goose laid eggs made of gold! “That is so cool,” thought Jack. “Think of all the things you could do with golden eggs!” And then, Jack got the worst idea he’d ever had—he was going to take the goose! Jack lifted the goose off of its perch. Just then, the biggest, most fearsome, and only giant Jack had ever seen came into the room. The giant saw that his goose wasn’t in its usual spot! “Fee fi fo funch, if you took my goose, I’ll eat you for lunch!” “Oh no,” thought Jack. “That giant’s going to eat me! I’ve got to get out of here without him seeing me!” Quietly and carefully, Jack took the goose and made his way toward the door. He was almost out of the room when—honk! The goose cried out and the giant spotted Jack! “Fee fi fo fummy, give that back or I’ll call my mummy!” roared the giant. “Ahhh!” screamed Jack. He ran toward the beanstalk. Jack ran as quickly as he could down the beanstalk, but the giant was following close behind. Just as Jack put his feet back on the ground, the giant picked up Jack in his enormous hands. “Fee fi fo fummy, I bet you taste yum yum yummy!” said the giant. Just as the giant was about to eat Jack, the ground began to shake, and there, standing right behind the giant, was an even bigger, taller, more humongous lady giant! “Two giants!” thought Jack. “They’ll eat me now for sure!” “Put that boy down, Willifred,” the giant mama told her son. The giant put Jack back down on the ground. “Now what have I told you?” she asked. “Don’t eat other kids,” said the giant sheepishly. “That’s right, we don’t eat other kids,” said the mama giant. “But he took my goose!” cried the giant. Just then, Jack’s mama came out of the farmhouse. “What on earth is going on here?” she asked. “Well,” Jack began, “there was this castle, and inside was the coolest goose ever—it lays golden eggs! As I was taking it, this giant kid came in and was all ‘fee fi fo fum’ and then I—” “You mean you took this boy’s goose?” Jack’s mama interrupted. “Yeah, but it lays golden eggs!” Jack paused and thought about it. “Huh. Now that you mention it, I guess that wasn’t very nice,” said Jack. Jack looked at the giant. “I’m sorry I took your goose. I know I shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to me.” “That’s OK. I suppose I should’ve asked you to give me back the goose without trying to eat you. I’m sorry too,” said the giant. “Hey, do you want to play baseball?” Jack and the giant became good friends, using the beanstalk to visit each other whenever they wanted. “You know,” Jack said, “if it weren’t for those three magic beans, I never would have learned how to play giant baseball.” “You’re right,” said the giant. “I’d say the whole adventure was a giant success!”

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The best picture books for children

Filled with witty, uplifting stories and brilliant illustrations, these children’s picture books are sure to become storytime favourites.

Picture books for babies and toddlers

Dear Zoo

by Rod Campbell

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'I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet . . .' Celebrate forty years since the first publication of Dear Zoo with this special gold foiled edition of Rod Campbell's classic picture book. Young children will love lifting the flaps to discover the animals the zoo has sent – a monkey, a lion and even an elephant! But will they ever manage to send the perfect pet? Dear Zoo is a must for every child's bookshelf, and the thick card pages, chunky cased golden cover and sturdy flaps make it perfect for small hands.

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It's Time to Sleep, My Love

by Nancy Tillman

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Bestselling artist Nancy Tillman provides stunning illustrations and soft verse that celebrates the wonders of the natural world, and the bonds of family. As children prepare for bed, the world around them is also settling down for the night. Animals – who live in the jungle, the forest, the sea – all whisper to their babies a soft refrain: "It's time to sleep, my love." Read with little ones to wind down for bedtime with It's Time to Sleep, My Love – a book for toddlers that is both comforting and warm. 

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Odo: The Egg

by Odo

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Odo is off on another adventure with his friends at Forest Camp! Join the little owl, based on the preschool animated series on Milkshake, as he and his friends look after the rock eggs, and get more than they bargained for! Designed to be read and discussed with young readers, Odo: The Egg has bright, engaging pictures that will help toddlers learn about the wonderful wildlife they can encounter in the forest. Fans of Odo can continue to adventures with Odo: Super Owl!

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The Odd Egg

by Emily Gravett

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This fifteenth anniversary edition is complete with extra content from the multi-award winning Emily Gravett. All the birds have eggs to hatch, except Duck. But when Duck finds an egg of his own to look after he's delighted.  But all the other birds think it's a very odd egg indeed – and everyone's in for a BIG surprise when it finally hatches. A beautifully illustrated and cleverly formatted tale with a surprise ending, toddlers will love The Odd Egg. 

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On the Farm

by Axel Scheffler

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From the illustrator of classic children's book The Gruffalo, On the Farm is a bright and colourful board book with gentle rhyming text that little ones will love. Kids can join in the fun on the farm by pulling out the sliders, moving the animals and making all the different noises; quacking along with the ducks, mooing with the cows and neighing with the horses!

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Dear Santa

by Rod Campbell

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With bright artwork, engaging words and a chunky board book format, Dear Santa is the festive favourite from the beloved creator of Dear Zoo, Rod Campbell. Toddlers will love lifting the flaps to open the presents and find out what Santa has sent. Will he send the perfect present in the end? With gold foil cover, flaps to lift on every page and a touch-and-feel surprise ending, this festive favourite is the ideal Christmas gift or stocking filler for preschoolers.

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Cars Cars Cars!

by Donna David

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Fast cars, slow cars, ready steady go cars . . . which are your favourites? Fifty colourful cars travel along along a road – up, down, around and back. Cars Cars Cars! has a shiny foil cover and is crammed with counting and spotting fun, plus the rhyming text has been specially developed to boost pre-school reading skills. You'll find reading tips for parents and carers at the end.

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We Wish You a Merry Christmas

by Floella Benjamin

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Enjoy a family Christmas singalong with Baroness Floella Benjamin, including favourites such as 'We Wish you a Merry Christmas', 'Jingle Bells' and 'Ding Dong Merrily on High'! This stunning gift book features 15 familiar Christmas songs to enjoy and has sturdy tabs, making it easy to find your favourite. You can also learn about Floella's own Christmas memories and traditions, and join her in some festive fun with every song.

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The Littlest Elephant

by Kate Read

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The Littlest Elephant's bright and richly illustrated pages full of jungle creatures will entrance any child as they follow the littlest elephant on her way to the pool for a swim. At first, she is too excited to notice the chaos she is causing, but then she realizes that by slowing down and helping others, everyone can join in the fun. This beautiful and heart-warming book from the creator of One Fox, will help little ones to learn empathy for others and the joy of helping those who may need it.

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Time for Bed, Panda

by Jo Lodge

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 A perfect bedtime story for babies, this colourful board book teaches little ones simple words about their bedtime routine. Babies and toddlers will love the bright illustrations and googly eyes on the cover.

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Fruits

by Valerie Bloom

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This award-winning picture book for toddlers is a fun and educational counting poem from Valerie Bloom, with beautiful illustrations by David Axtell. How much fruit can one little girl eat? Count from one to ten, learning the names of different Caribbean fruits. The rhyming text helps little ones learn to count while exploring the Caribbean’s many delicious fruits.  

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Freddy the Frog

by Axel Scheffler

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Follow Freddy the frog as he squelches in slime, races his friends and croaks all day! Little ones will love this colourful board book with sliders to pull, tabs to push and a gentle rhyming text to enjoy together.

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We're Going on a Lion Hunt

by David Axtell

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Full of David Axtell’s beautiful illustrations of magnificent animals, this picture book adventure through the African savanna is a rendition of a well-known children’s poem. Two sisters go looking for a lion that lives on the African savanna. They go through swishy swashy long grass, a splishy splashy lake and a big dark cave – but when they finally meet the lion they have to run, run, run all the way home. 

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It's Mine!

by Rod Campbell

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From the creator of beloved pre-school classic, Dear Zoo, Rod Campbell's It's Mine! is a hide-and-seek story that little ones will love. Packed full of bright, bold illustrations and exciting jungle animals, the best is saved for last with its surprise pop-up ending, and its thick card pages make it the perfect baby book for children who love to explore through touch.

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Beyond the Burrow

by Jessica Meserve

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Take a hop, skip and a jump into the big wide world with this beautifully illustrated picture book for babies and toddlers. Telling the tale of a brave bunny who ventures out beyond his safe burrow, this is a story all about the fantastic adventures you can experience when you step out of your comfort zone. 

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Black History

by Campbell Books

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In Black History, young children can read about the lives of inspirational Black people from around the world, from Maya Angelou to Stormzy and from Rosa Parks to Nelson Mandela. This pre-school read features push, pull and slide scenes, and punchy bright illustrations by Jayri Gómez.

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New In Town

by Marta Altés

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The uplifting new picture book from award-winning illustrator Marta Altés, this a story about the challenges and excitement of moving somewhere new. Starring a friendly dog who can't wait to start his life in his new town – and make lots of new friends – this is a great book to read with children ahead of a move to a new school, house or neighbourhood.  

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Picture books for children aged 3 - 5 years

Dig, Dig, Digger

by Morag Hood

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Award-winning Morag Hood offers bright colours and witty text in Dig, Dig Digger. It's a normal day for Digger –she spends her time digging down into mud, dark and worms. Until she decides she's tired of digging into darkness – why can't she dig up instead? And so, with some ingenuity and balloons, Digger sets off on a grand adventure. But adventures aren't as fun without friends, so Digger must dig her way home. Complete with a finger trail for little ones to follow, Dig, Dig, Digger is perfect for young children and adults to read together. 

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A Squash and a Squeeze

by Julia Donaldson

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A Squash and a Squeeze is the first ever picture book written and illustrated by the unparalleled partnership of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. A little old lady lives all by herself in her house but it's too small - even for one. Luckily, the wise old man knows what to do: bring in a crowd of farmyard animals. When she pushes them all out again, she'll be amazed at how big her house feels! This tenth anniversary edition features the classic story plus extra content from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, making it the perfect gift. 

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The Grumpus

by Alex T. Smith

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The Grumpus has a Dastardly, Dreadful Christmas Plan. Inspired by The Krampus and with a hint of The Grinch, The Grumpus is a heartwarming story that celebrates the true meaning of Christmas. From Alex T. Smith, bestselling author of the Claude series and How Winston Delivered Christmas, comes a fantastically festive Christmas adventure about this gorgeous grumpy character, that you won't want to miss.

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The Gruffalo and Friends Advent Calendar Book Collection

by Julia Donaldson

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This alternative advent calendar includes twenty-four mini books based on classics by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, all enclosed in a beautiful presentation case and tied up with a ribbon – the perfect present for kids to explore in the run-up to Christmas. With songs, rhymes, colouring, drawing and activity guides, there's plenty of festive family fun to be enjoyed! 

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What the Ladybird Heard at Christmas

by Julia Donaldson

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What the Ladybird Heard at Christmas is the latest title in this beloved series and the perfect book to read with little ones during the festive run-up. In a big old house, the ladybird is visiting her friend the spider for the festive season. But those two bad men, Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len, are up to no good again. The clever little ladybird has overheard their devious plan - to steal the children's Christmas presents, and she has a cunning plan to make sure they don't get away with it! 

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Colours, Colours Everywhere

by Julia Donaldson

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Follow a little girl as she paints her own adventure with her bright blue tree frog companion. With luscious green trees to climb and red hot air balloons to sail away in, children will delight in the rhyming text, vibrant artwork, flaps to lift and holes to peep through. Written by Julia Donaldson, the bestselling author of The Gruffalo, and illustrated by Sharon King-Chai, Colours, Colours Everywhere will keep little ones entranced.

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Room on the Broom

This bestselling story of a witch and her cat, and the medley of creatures that hitch a ride on her broom isn’t just for Halloween! The witch loses her hat, bow and wand which are returned by a dog, a bird and a frog, all eager for a ride on her broom. It’s the more the merrier until the broom snaps under its heavy load - and there’s a greedy dragon looking for a snack . . .

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I Love Me!

by Diane Ewen

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Each morning we take a look in the mirror with Daddy, and say words together to make us feel proud and strong. Full of positivity and good feelings, I Love Me! is an engaging and powerful book for young children, with affirmations, uplifting statements for each day of the week, and enjoyable routines to help with nursery and school. There's also a fold-out section at the end with additional tips for carers and parents.

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Five Bears

by Catherine Rayner

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Bear is walking through the forest, minding his own business when he comes across another bear. The Other bear is different. The two bears wander along, thinking different thoughts, and looking in different directions. Soon the two bears come across another bear and then another bear and eventually find a bear stuck in a tree. The bears realise that perhaps they aren't that different after all and perhaps they could be friends?

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What the Ladybird Heard

by Julia Donaldson

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Lydia Monks’ bright, bold illustrations and Julia Donaldson’s trademark rhymes combine in the What the Ladybird Heard picture book series. Following the story of a crime-fighting ladybird and her animal friends, these books would make an excellent gift for children who love The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom. Fans of the Ladybird will love these books and activities based on What the Ladybird Heard. 

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Teapot Trouble

by Morag Hood

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Teapot Trouble is a silly, hilarious and totally original favourite from Morag Hood. What is living inside Duck's teapot? And more importantly, how can he get them out? Luckily for Duck, Tiny Horse is here and she's equipped with a trampoline, a magnificent hat and a stick of celery. What more could anyone need to save the day? A laugh-out-loud story with a message about kindness, follow the adventures of Duck, Tiny Horse and their teapot troubles! 

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Robin Robin

by Daniel Ojari

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The heart-warming story of Robin Robin and her adopted family of mice is the perfect Christmas read from the creators of the Robin Robin film, created by Aardman for Netflix. Meet the mouse family and their newest addition, Robin. Keen to fit in, Robin tries her best at sneaking crumbs for the family without disturbing the dreaded house cat and generally trying not to be a noisy, clumsy bird.  This picture book version of the story, beautifully illustrated by Briony May Smith, is perfect for sharing with young children.

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How Winston Came Home for Christmas

by Alex T. Smith

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Join Winston the mouse as he sets out on another heart-warming Christmas adventure! Discover gorgeous, colourful artwork and lots of Christmassy activities in this festive sequel to the much-loved How Winston Delivered Christmas. With only five days to go until Christmas, Winston has a Very Curious Mystery to solve. Promising Oliver that he'll be back in time for Christmas, Winston travels around the world in search of a mysterious, half-remembered mouse that he knows is very important to him. 

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Grace and the Christmas Angel

by Lucinda Riley

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Grace and the Christmas Angel, created by bestselling author Lucinda Riley and her son Harry Whittaker, is a reassuring, timeless story and the first book in the Guardian Angels series. The tree is decorated, the presents are wrapped and it's a big day for Grace on Christmas Eve. She's singing in the nativity, and her fisherman father has promised to come and see her. But when a big storm appears at sea, Grace teams up with Hope, the Christmas Angel, to get him back safely for Christmas morning. 

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Squirrel's Snowman

by Julia Donaldson

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Another addition to the Tales from Acorn Wood preschool series from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, perfect for sharing at Christmas! It's snowing in wintery Acorn Wood, so Squirrel and her friends set out to build a snowman. But this is no easy feat, as they'll have to find everything they need to built it first! Discover this festive story with sturdy flaps on every spread and rhyming stories that are a joy to read aloud.

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The Christmas Bear

by Ian Whybrow

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When Santa sets off in his sleigh to deliver his presents, poor Bear is left behind. This charming and very funny picture book by Ian Whybrow follows Bear on his travels as he tries to get to Tom’s house in time for Christmas morning. Young children can join in the festive fun and lift the flaps on every page, as Bear chases Santa's sleigh through icy seas and snowy forests, all the way from the North Pole to Tom's cosy bedroom. Beautifully illustrated by Axel Scheffler, this is a Christmas book full of fun.

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The Rhyming Rabbit

by Julia Donaldson

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This special edition of the witty rhyming picture book from the bestselling partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks includes previously unseen artwork, a special letter from Julia and a shiny foil cover. The Rhyming Rabbit loves to make up poems, but the other rabbits don’t appreciate his talent. Will he ever find someone who wants to share his poems? 

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Coming to England

by Floella Benjamin

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Baroness Floella Benjamin travelled from Trinidad to London with her older sister and two younger brothers when she was just ten years old, as part of the Windrush generation. This is her inspiring true story. Arriving in England to be reunited with the rest of her family, cold and unfriendly London wasn’t quite what Floella expected. This beautifully illustrated and powerful true story about overcoming adversity is full of Floella’s trademark optimism and joy.

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Just One of Those Days

by Jill Murphy

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Fans of Jill Murphy’s classic picture book Peace at Last will love this new story featuring Mr Bear, Mrs Bear and Baby Bear.Mr and Mrs Bear wake up late, and it’s raining. The Mrs Bear breaks her glasses and Mr Bear spills his coffee. It’s just one of those days, but the Bear family muddle through, and there’s even a surprise for Baby Bear at the end of the day.  

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Counting Creatures

by Julia Donaldson

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This stunning picture book is a fun, interactive counting book with peep-through pages, fold-out flaps and bright, beautiful artwork. From a leopard with her cubs, to a frog and its tadpoles, young readers will love comparing the creatures, exploring their habitats and learning the proper names for all the baby animals. Perfect for gifting, this book was included in The Telegraph's Best Children's Books of the Year. 

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The Little War Cat

by Hiba Noor Khan

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This beautifully illustrated picture book was inspired by a true story. A little grey cat is caught amongst the bangs and crashes of the humans in boots who have changed the city of Aleppo into one she struggles to recognise. But then an unlikely friend appears and shows her that there is still plenty of kindness in the world. And soon the little grey cat realises how she can make a difference too. 

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M is for Melanin

by Tiffany Rose

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This joyful and empowering alphabet book teaches children their ABC and celebrates Black children, encouraging all kids to love the skin they’re in. Each letter of the alphabet contains affirming, positive messages, from E is for Empowerment, to L is for Lead to W is for Worthy.

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My Dad Is A Grizzly Bear

by Swapna Haddow

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Could Dad be a grizzly bear? He has fuzzy fur, big paws and he loves the outdoors. He sleeps a lot, and he ate all the honey. What else could he be? Sometimes, when it's scary at night, there's nothing better than a big bear hug.

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Starbird

by Sharon King-Chai

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Starbird is an original fable about freedom and love, stunningly illustrated by Sharon King-Chai. Starbird’s songs delight all who hear them, but when the Moon King traps Starbird in a cage as a gift for his daughter, all the colour and life in his voice begins to drain away. With beautiful illustrations and shiny silver foil throughout, this stunning picture book is an exquisite gift for any child or adult.

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Kiki and Jax

by Marie Kondo

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Kiki and Jax is a charming picture book story from tidying superstar Marie Kondo about how tidying up can spark joy in the lives of young children. Kiki and Jax are best friends – Jax enjoys sorting, but Kiki enjoys collecting and gathers lots of stuff. When Kiki’s home becomes too full of things for the friends to play in, Jax teaches Kiki how to sort everything, and to only keep those things that spark joy!

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I Am Perfectly Designed

by Karamo Brown

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This empowering picture book about loving who you are comes from Karamo Brown, star of the hit Netflix series Queer Eye, and his son Jason. Follow a boy and his father as they spend the day in the city together, talking about all the ways they are perfectly designed for each other.

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The Gruffalo

by Julia Donaldson

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Have you met the Gruffalo? With his terrible tusks and terrible claws? Join the quick-witted mouse as he takes a stroll through the deep dark wood and avoids being a tasty meal for a fox, an owl, a snake and even the Gruffalo! The Gruffalo is an undisputed modern classic with gentle rhyming words that will improve your child's phonetic skills. Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's children's picture books are loved around the world.

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I'm Actually Really Grown-Up Now

by Maisie Paradise Shearring

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Meena wants to join in when the adults have a party, but only grown-ups get to stay up late. So the next day Meena decides, “I’m actually really grown-up now!” She has lots of fun planning her own grown-up party, going to work and experimenting with fashion, but she soon finds out being a grown-up isn’t as easy as it seems.

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Picture books for children aged 5+

Aziza's Secret Fairy Door and the Mermaid's Treasure

by Lola Morayo

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Aziza is excitedly packing her suitcase ready to go on holiday when she finds sand and seashells from the fairy door all over her room! Before long, she is stepping through the door and out onto Shimmerton’s beach, where naughty fairies are causing havoc by accidentally awakening an ancient shell-walker who has been asleep for many years under the sand. Inspired by creatures from world mythology, Aziza's Secret Fairy Door and the Mermaid's Treasure is the fourth title in the magical adventure series from Lola Morayo, illustrated throughout in black-and-white.

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Black and British: An Illustrated History

by David Olusoga

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From award-winning historian and broadcaster David Olusoga comes this stunning visual journey through Black British history for young readers. Offering answers to thought-provoking questions such as: when did Africans first come to Britain? And who are the well-dressed Black children in Georgian paintings? Black and British: An Illustrated History is an introduction to 1800 years of Black British history, from the Roman Africans who guarded Hadrian’s Wall, all the way to present day.

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Journey to the River Sea: Illustrated Edition

by Eva Ibbotson

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Rediscover Eva Ibbotson's award-winning, bestselling classic adventure with this gorgeous gift edition. Maia, an orphan, can't wait to reach her distant relatives a thousand miles up the Amazon. She imagines a huge, loving family with whom she will share great adventures. Instead, she finds two spiteful cousins who see the jungle as the enemy and refuse to step foot outdoors. But the secrets of the rainforest more than make up for the horrible twins in this joyous Amazon adventure . . . 

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Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

by Lewis Carroll

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This beautiful edition presents Costa Award and Kate Greenaway Medal winner Chris Riddell's gorgeous new visual interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s classic story. Featuring a foiled jacket, head and tail bands and a ribbon marker, and with lavish colour illustrations throughout, this gorgeous hardback will be treasured for years to come. This is a picture book every Alice fan should have on their bookshelves.

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One Day in Wonderland

by Kathleen Krull

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This joyful celebration of Lewis Carroll’s love of language is a wonderful introduction to his life and the origin of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Award-winning author Katherine Krull uses many of Carroll’s own words, from brillig and uglification to frumious and chortle, to tell the story of a man who’s legacy continues to delight children today. One Day in Wonderland is strikingly illustrated by Júlia Sardà, making this a book to treasure.

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Long Walk to Freedom

by Chris Van Wyk

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Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela is the amazing story of a true hero; his famous biography has been specially adapted for children in a beautifully illustrated picture book. Discover how a little boy whose father called him "troublemaker" grew up to fight apartheid, become South Africa's first black president and campaign for freedom and justice throughout the world.

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Mowgli A fairy tale with pictures » For children and parents

A long time ago, a tiger named Shere Khan lived in the jungle. Everyone was afraid of him - he was cruel and spared no one.

On the day this story began, the smell of prey brought him to the river bank. Making his way through the thickets, he saw a crying child. "A man-cub!" exclaimed Shere Khan.

But just as he was about to pounce on the child, three angry wolves blocked his way. "One more step, Shere Khan, and you will die," they said. "This is our territory. Get out!" With three wolves, the tiger could not cope and he retreated, vowing revenge. Meanwhile, the wolves were looking at the child. "Poor thing! He'll die alone in the jungle!" - said the mother wolf. Turning to the other wolves, she added: "I would gladly take him into my family."

Adopting a human cub is not easy - such decisions are not made overnight. Each wolf had to express his opinion at the Great Council of the Wolf Pack. At night, when the full moon was over the jungle, the whole Flock gathered on Council Rock. In addition to wolves, there were Bagheera the panther and Baloo the brown bear. He spoke first: "I agree that the human cub stays with us. It will not harm anyone."

"Be careful!" Bagheera said. "What if he cheats on us later? When he grows up, he can return to the people and bring them here to hunt us." - "We need to make him love us," answered the mother wolf. "I will take it upon myself." "I'm in favor". So, the Great Council decided to accept a human cub into the Pack. The mother wolf gave him the name Mowgli.

Several years passed. The mother wolf could be proud of her adoptive. Mowgli grew up with the cubs - he became smart and strong and loved wolves like his brothers, but he was terribly curious and wandered through the jungle, unaware of the danger that lurks at every step. “If you stumble upon Shere Khan, you will not be in trouble.” “But I have you, Bagheera,” replied Mowgli. “What should I be afraid of?”

"Monkeys are not your friends," Baloo told him. As soon as he said this, a monkey appeared among the branches. She plucked a coconut and threw it straight at Baloo's head - bang! In a moment there was no trace of her, and Mowgli could not help laughing.

The next day the monkeys reappeared. Now there were a whole bunch of them. They came to Mowgli. "Come with us," they told him, "you'll like it here. Do you want to visit our palace?" Mowgli thought - doubts overcame him: "What if Baloo is right, and this is a trap?" But curiosity turned out to be stronger - after all, to visit the ruins of an ancient Indian city where monkeys lived was his old dream. And, forgetting the instructions of Baloo, he set off.

Noticing the disappearance of Mowgli, Baloo immediately guessed that the monkeys still managed to lure the boy into their lair. The bear rushed to look for Bagheera. "Together, - said the panther, - we can not cope with them. There are too many monkeys. I see only one way out - to ask for help from Kaa." Kaa was a huge snake - a boa constrictor. He was terribly voracious and climbed trees like monkeys, so they were mortally afraid of him. Kaa, without hesitation, agreed to help Bagheera and Baloo.

They found Mowgli in a deep snake pit at the entrance to an ancient Indian city. "The monkeys deceived me," Mowgli complained. "I'm hungry and bruised. They wanted to make me their slave and threw me here. " Cobras writhed at his feet. "I'm already tired of fighting off this poisonous people," he added, throwing another cobra away. "I'll deal with them," said Bagheera. "But we must hurry before the monkeys gather their strength."

"That's my concern," said Kaa. And then a terrible fight began. Mowgli's friends turned out to be stronger. Only flight could save the monkeys. But they had only two options for this: either jump into the water, where Bagheera was waiting for them, baring their terrible fangs, or trying to slip past Kaa, who opened his terrible mouth. Few of the monkeys managed to escape the jaws of a huge boa constrictor.

So Mowgli was saved. The excitement has been left behind. "Well," said Bagheera, "I hope the lesson will do you good this time. Just think how much trouble you've given us three!" Ashamed, Mowgli lowered his eyes. But Kaa, who knew nothing about moralizing, objected: "Ah, in my opinion, everything was just right. We had a good time - I'm satisfied. And my stomach, even more so." - "Thank you, glorious Kaa," said Mowgli. "I will never forget this."

Bad news awaited Mowgli in the Wolf Pack. Old Shere Khan reappeared in these places. But even worse was that he managed to sow discord among the wolves. The old wolves were on the side of Mowgli, but the young ones believed that he should leave the jungle and return to the people. They did not know that Shere Khan wanted to tear Mowgli to pieces at the first opportunity.

But Bagheera knew that. And she suggested to Mowgli what to do: "Go to the people and do not return until you get the Red Flower!" In the language of animals, fire is called the Red Flower - only this formidable weapon could scare off Shere Khan. With the onset of night, Mowgli went to the village. There, unnoticed by anyone, he obtained a whole pot of burning coals and brought them into the jungle.

Mowgli summoned Shere Khan to the Great Pack Council. Raising the burning torch high, he called out to him: "Sher Khan, I'm not afraid of you! Get away and remember: next time I will come to the Grand Council with your skin!" The tiger took to flight. But this did not reconcile the wolves, on the contrary, it became another reason for contention between the old and the young. And then Mowgli decided to go to the people.

At first life in the village amused Mowgli. Never before had he heard so many ridiculous stories about the jungle and the animals that lived there. At first, he tried to dispel human delusions, talked about the secrets of the forest, about how wolves raised him. But no one believed him, and, in despair, he fell silent. More and more often he dreamed of returning to the jungle. Separation from friends and mother-wolf was hard for him.

People assigned him to herd a herd of buffaloes. Mowgli took advantage of this and drove the animals to the very edge of the pasture, where the jungle began. There he once met two young wolves. "You were right," they told him.

So Mowgli realized that he could return to the jungle, to the life he loved. "Call Shere Khan here," he suggested to the wolves. "Tell him that I'm alone, and that he can easily devour me. And I'll take care of our meeting." The wolves exactly fulfilled his request. In less than a day, a tiger appeared at the edge of the forest. Deciding that Mowgli was really defenseless, the tiger prepared to jump, but the boy launched a herd of buffaloes right at him.

Confused, Shere Khan ran away, and Mowgli chased his buffaloes with loud cries. The tiger was agile and fast, but obstacles interfered with it - large boulders, fallen trees ... But nothing interfered with the buffaloes - they rushed ahead. Shere Khan was doomed. The herd overtook him and trampled him. Shere Khan was dead and the kites were already flocking to him. There was nothing left of him, except for the skin and eyes bulging in deathly horror.

Mowgli returned to his Pack as a real hero. Bagheera, Baloo and the wolf brothers were proud of him, and this filled his heart with happiness. On the day of his great victory, he vowed never to leave the jungle again.

Translation by Alina Kuberskaya, artist V. Gul

END

Russian folk tales, fairy tales for children read online with pictures

Tales

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To read Russian folk tales means to join the culture of the people, to one's roots, to begin to understand its past and foresee the future. The tradition of reading bedtime stories to children has not disappeared. It is fairy tales that teach children to distinguish good from bad, truth from lies, good from evil. Ivan Tsarevich, Baba Yaga, the Frog Princess, the cunning fox and the simpleton wolf remain with us for the rest of our lives.

Russian folk tales

Russian fairy tale - a gift to the whole world. A. N. Afanasiev

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin Russian fairy tales

Ivan Bilibin's fairy tale brush

Folk and literary tales

Tales of Hans-Christian Andersen. Danish Tales

— Andersen is the love of my life! - admits Lyudmila Braude, translator. — His fairy tales are for everyone — both for children and adults... Continued

King of fairy tales. A story about Andersen under the heading "Life of wonderful children"

Tales of Charles Perrault. French fairy tales

Fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. German fairy tales

Real fairy tales should be a little scary and very alluring. Like a gingerbread house in which a terrible witch lives. In winter, it's time to re-read the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, in which Hansel and Gretel show miracles of resourcefulness, getting out of the gingerbread house! Continued

Tales of Wilhelm Hauff. German fairy tales

German folk tales

English fairy tales

Swedish fairy tales

Tales of Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl. Russian fairy tales

Tales of Leo Tolstoy. Russian fairy tales

Tale of Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak.

Tales of Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky

Tale of P. P. Ershov. Russian fairy tale

Tales of Maxim Gorky. Russian fairy tales

Tale of A. Pogorelsky. Russian fairy tale

Tales of Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky. Russian fairy tales

Tales of Astrid Lindgren. Swedish fairy tales

Tales of S. Topelius. Finnish fairy tales

Tales of Mikhail Mikhailovich Prishvin. Russian fairy tales

Tales of Gianni Rodari.

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