Poetry

Celebrate 30 years of of A Squash and a Squeeze, the first ever picture book written and illustrated by the bestselling partnership of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, with this special anniversary edition featuring the much-loved classic story plus special content.

“Wise old man, won’t you help me, please? My house is a squash and squeeze.”

A little old lady lives all by herself in her house but she’s not happy – it’s just too small, even for one. Whatever can she do? The wise old man knows: bring in a flappy, scratchy, greedy, noisy crowd of farmyard animals. When she pushes them all out again, she’ll be amazed at how big her house feels!

A Squash and a Squeeze 30th Anniversary Edition features the classic story from the creators of The Gruffalo with a stunning foil cover as well as extra-special content including a letter from the author and some early sketches from the illustrator to celebrate the anniversary year.

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A brilliantly illustrated collection of 366 hilarious poems to keep you laughing all year round!

The Times Children’s Book of the Week

Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2023

A wonderful gift for all ages, this beautifully produced anthology is rib-ticklingly funny to wryly witty, each poem in this uplifting collection is guaranteed to put a smile on your face! Whether it’s a poem about socks or spaniels, eggs or elephants, this bright and brilliant collection will bring you cheer and laughter every day. Perfect for reading aloud, sharing even more side-splitting hilarity with family and friends.

The spectacular range of poems for children includes work by John Agard, Maya Angelou, Hilaire Belloc, Brian Bilston, Lucille Clifton, Wendy Cope, Roald Dahl, Edward Lear, Spike Milligan, Ogden Nash, Grace Nichols, Jack Prelutsky, Michael Rosen, Christina Rossetti, Benjamin Zephaniah and many more.

“Laughter is definitely the top priority here in this bright, lively and uplifting poetry anthology for children” – Lucy Bannerman, The Times

“There are a myriad of ways to enjoy this collection… This makes the perfect gift… a whale of a time is guaranteed”- Gemma McLaughlin, The National

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A brand-new storybook in the perennially popular Amazing Machines series from Tony Mitton and Ant Parker – over 1 million copies sold to date!

Patrol the streets with some cool animal drivers in this cheerful picture book all about police cars. Lively wordplay, vibrant art, plus a visual dictionary, make this title a must-have for bookshelves everywhere.

This book is filled with humorous rhyming text by the award-winning poet Tony Mitton, which perfectly complements Ant Parker’s bold, bright illustrations. A picture dictionary identifying police car parts builds vocabulary and makes learning about police cars exciting and fun.

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Little ones can push, pull and slide the tabs to join in the celebrations in Busy Chinese New Year! Make the Lion and Dragon dance, enjoy a family banquet and watch the spectacular fireworks.

Perfect for toddlers who like to play as they read, they will love this bright and colourful board book with lots to spot, a gentle rhyme and wonderful illustrations by Ilaria Falorsi.

Discover the seasonal Busy Book titles such as Busy Party, Busy Halloween and Busy Christmas.

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Push, pull and slide the tabs to play in the Busy Football match! Block the ball from entering the net, pass to your teammate and score the winning goal. Meet 12 famous football heroes too, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Hugo Lloris and Lucy Bronze!

Young children will love playing with this bright and colourful board book with gentle rhyming text, lots to spot and talk about, and wonderful illustrations by Jayri Gómez.

Discover more activities in the Busy Book series: Busy Bikes, Busy Swimming and Busy Baking.

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Push, pull and slide the tabs to learn about looking after Busy Pets! Feed the dog some treats, watch the hamster turn in its wheel and visit the bunny in the garden.

Young children will love playing with this bright and colourful board book with a gentle rhyme and wonderful illustrations by Louise Forshaw, which is part of the Busy Book series. Busy Pets has been endorsed and recommended by Dr Amanda Gummer’s Good Toy Guide.

Discover more in the Busy Book series: Busy Farm, Busy Party and Busy Zoo.

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Two books in one!

A colorful, soothing bedtime story to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and a bumper 16 pages of activities.

The all-time favorite bedtime lullaby has been joined by a large collection of vehicles including diggers, helicopters, submarines, emergency rescue vehicles, racing cars and monster trucks.

With a story that journeys through the day to evening and bedtime, it is the perfect way for your little one to wind down before bed.

And for active day-time minds, there are also a bumper 16 pages of vehicle activities (answers at the bottom of each page) to develop key pre-school skills from identifying colors and shapes, to counting, comparisons and more.

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Lift the flaps to join in the fun at the seaside with Frog’s Day Out, a story in the bestselling Tales from Acorn Wood preschool series by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo.

All aboard for a fun day at the seaside! Lift the flaps to help Frog and his friends pack their sunhats, buckets and spades, then head to Acorn Wood station to board the special steam train to the beach.

With sturdy flaps on every spread and rhyming stories that are a joy to read aloud, Frog’s Day Out joins the bestselling Tales from Acorn Wood which have been delighting parents and children for over twenty years.

Enjoy more lift-the-flap adventures from Acorn Wood: Cat’s Cookbook, Badger’s Band and Mole’s Spectacles.

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When Granny gets a sprout stuck up her sneezer, the whole family goes ABSOLUTELY CRAZY as they try to unwedge the veg from her nose. But the more they help, the more Granny yelps and the more festive foods disappear.

Will that pesky sprout ever leave Granny’s snout? Find out in this rib-tickling rhyming picture book from best-selling children’s author Becci Murray.

Perfect for fans of:

• Julia Donaldson books

• Hairy Maclary

• Dr Seuss books

• Poo in the Zoo

• Giraffes Can’t Dance

Great for parents who are looking for:

• children’s books for Christmas

• stories about grandparents

• Christmas picture books

• books that rhyme

• funny Christmas books

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Greg the Sausage Roll stars in this hilarious twist on everyone’s favourite Christmas rhyme!

Greg, Gloria and the mini sausage rolls are rounding up all their friends –

11 elves a-wrapping,
8 reindeer munching,
6 six baubles bouncing . . .

Join the festive countdown as they get ready for Christmas Eve – and the best Christmas party EVER!

Packed with laughs and festive silliness, this sturdy board book is the perfect gift for Greg’s youngest fans, introducing little learners to their first numbers in a fun and entertaining way. With colourful illustrations throughout and a surprise gatefold ending, this book is a joyful addition to the Greg the Sausage Roll Christmas collection!

Developed and written by the social media phenomenon that is LadBaby – the king and queen of Christmas and of sausage rolls – and creators of the hilarious No. 1 bestsellers Greg the Sausage Roll: Santa’s Little Helper, Greg the Sausage Roll: The Perfect Present and Greg the Sausage Roll: Wish You Were Here

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A playful picture book that urges readers to bop, bounce, and shake from the author of Fraidyzoo

There are so many ways to dance! You can jiggle or wiggle or stomp. You can bop or bounce or go completely nuts. You can dance at the market or the bus stop, with your fingers or your face. You can dance because you’re happy or even because you’re sad.
But, what’s the best way to dance?
Exactly how you want to!
In How Do You Dance?, author-illustrator Thyra Heder explores dance in all of its creativity, humor, and―most of all―joy, in a picture-book celebration of personal expression that will inspire young and old readers alike to get up and get moving.

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The timeless Christmas classic from the iconic Dr. Seuss! Read this favourite story of joy, love and acceptance anytime, anywhere!

“The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason…”

With a heart two sizes too small, the Grinch is the meanest creature you’ll ever meet. He hates Christmas and the whole festive season. But when he hatches a dastardly plot to steal Christmas, he’s in for a big surprise!

With hilarious rhymes and beautiful illustrations, this classic seasonal story has become a favourite for good reason and teaches readers the true meaning of Christmas.

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Relive the magic of Bob Marley’s most beloved songs in this newest picture book adaptation!

Is this love? Is this love that I’m feeling? Bob Marley’s music has captured the hearts and souls of families around the world. This sweet adaptation of one of his best loved songs is a heartwarming tale of an older child’s love for a younger sibling. From the moment she sees her baby sister, big sister knows just what she’s going to do: love her and treat her right, every day and every night. Playing together, watching over her, standing by her through thick and thin . . . big sister does it all, because yes, this is love that she’s feeling.

Adapted by Cedella Marley, Bob Marley’s eldest child, and exuberantly illustrated by Alea Marley, Is This Love is a joyful ode to the unshakeable love shared by all those who call one another family.

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Let’s count all the fun things Peppa and her friends learn at playgroup. What will everyone do today?

Encourage children to practise saying the numbers from 1 to 10 in order and listen to the rhythm and rhyme of the story to build early counting and language skills. As they count, can they find the matching numbers on the number line? What else can they spot and count on the page?

Learn with Peppa: Peppa’s Counting Rhyme is a fun rhyming story that explores the different activities that Peppa and her friends do at playgroup and gently teaches first numbers from 1 to 10.

– Peppa and her friends take centre stage in this brand-new series of interactive learning board books
– With a number line and simple counting question on every spread for early maths practice
– Rhyming story supports sound awareness and pre-phonics skills
– Each Learn with Peppa board book has been developed by educational experts
– Access additional resources and guidance on the Learn with Peppa website

Let Peppa support your little ones on their early learning adventure in Learn with Peppa.

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Let your imagination run riot and laughter fill your belly as you explore traditional poems, rhymes with a twist, and subversive playground favourites in this playful treasure chest of verse.

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Little ones can join in the fun On the Farm by pulling out the sliders, moving the animals and making all the different noises! Quack along with the ducks, moo with the cows and neigh with the horses.

Young children will love playing with this bright and colourful board book with gentle rhyming text and beautifully illustrated by the award-winning Axel Scheffler. On the Farm has been endorsed and recommended by Dr Amanda Gummer’s Good Toy Guide.

Discover more animal books from the illustrator of The Gruffalo with In the Jungle and Lizzy the Lamb.

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The author led many a childhood with unforgettable characters, stunning illustrations, and of course glorious.

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This Pet themed anthology of poems is written by various authors. The anthologies in this series are updated and revised versions of previously published titles, each with several brand new poems in them. There’s an anthology for every place and topic. Make sure you’ve always got a verse rehearsed! Roaring dinosaur rhymes, silly school rhymes: even some revolting rhymes to get you groaning. You can rap or rhyme them, mime them out or tackle fiendish tongue-twisters. Heaps of rib-tickling rhymes to send you poetry potty, and it all supports the school curriculum. A matching Teacher Resource Book, written by Paul Cookson, features workshop-style lessons based on different poetry types/genres. Each lesson focuses on a specific poem from one of the anthologies.

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Lift the flaps and join in the winter fun with Squirrel’s Snowman, a story in the Tales from Acorn Wood preschool series by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo – perfect for sharing at Christmas!

It’s snowing in Acorn Wood, and Squirrel wants to build a snowman. Will she and her friends find everything they need to build? Lift the flaps to find out in this wonderful wintry tale.

With sturdy flaps on every spread and rhyming stories that are a joy to read aloud, Squirrel’s Snowman joins the bestselling Tales from Acorn Wood which have been delighting parents and children for over twenty years.

Enjoy more lift-the-flap adventures from Acorn Wood with Dormouse Has a Cold, Mole’s Spectacles and Badger’s Band.

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