The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
A tiny mouse lies his way through a forest, and the verse is so tight you could set a clock by it.
The Again List / Ages 3 to 5
The best books for 3, 4 and 5 year olds
This is the golden age of being asked for "again". They can follow a real plot, they love knowing what is coming, and they are starting to get jokes. Rhythm and repetition still rule.
The Girl, The Lights & The Prince
Kisszu
A girl who heals the world by dancing, told in rhyming poems and rhythmic prose.
I Want My Hat Back
Jon Klassen
A bear politely asks about a missing hat. The ending is the funniest crime in picture books.
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Mo Willems
For once, the child is the grown-up in the room, and they take the job extremely seriously.
Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak
The best book ever made about being furious at your mum.
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury
Less a book than a piece of theatre you put on in your own living room.
Room on the Broom
Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
A witch keeps saying yes to one more passenger, and it turns out that was a good idea.
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Judith Kerr
A polite tiger eats everything in the house, and absolutely nobody panics. Perfect.
Giraffes Can't Dance
Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees
Every child who has ever felt clumsy deserves to meet Gerald.
Press Here
Hervé Tullet
A paper book that behaves like an iPad, and it is better than an iPad.
The Rabbit Listened
Cori Doerrfeld
What to do when your child is upset, in one short picture book, for both of you.
The Paper Bag Princess
Robert Munsch & Michael Martchenko
A princess rescues a prince, he complains about her outfit, and what she says next is one of the best endings in the genre.