With his good intentions and humorous adventures, Paddington Bear has charmed readers for over 50 years. The small bear with the bright red hat and blue duffle coat set out on the adventure of a lifetime with nothing but a suitcase, several jars of marmalade, and a label around his neck that read 'Please look after this bear. Thank you.' He crossed the ocean heading for England and arrived in London's busy Paddington Station where he was discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Brown. As luck would have it, the Browns were just the sort of people to welcome a lost bear into their family, and their lives would never be the same. 'I was brought up by my aunt Lucy in Darkest Peru' he began. 'But she had to go into a Home for Retired Bears in Lima.' He closed his eyes thoughtfully and a hush fell over the room as everyone waited expectantly. The classic tale, beautifully illustrated in full page colour illustrations by R. W. Alley. Ages 4-8 years, 32 large pages 28cm squared approx.
Click YouTube icon to see this book come to life on video.

The creators of Curious George, one of the most treasured children's classics of all time, escaped Paris by bicycle in 1940, carrying their original manuscript which they published in America together with many stories for children including Spotty and Pretzel. Bibliophile is excited to have negotiated on two titles to collect, and the stories now have been filmed for Apple TV+. One morning in May, five little dachshunds are born. At first they all look exactly alike. But Pretzel keeps growing... and growing... and growing! He becomes the longest dachshund in the world! He easily wins a Blue Ribbon at the dog show, but winning Greta's heart is much harder. The little dachshund across the street simply doesn't 'care for long dogs'. It may be a stretch, but Pretzel is in love! Can he convince Greta that he's more than what meets the eye? And he really can make shapes like a pretzel! Beautifully drawn, full page colour artworks, ages 4-7 years, 32pp, 18.4 x 26cm. A companion to the sequel Pretzel and the Puppies code 94377.

This is the sequel to Pretzel code 94376 from the creators of Curious George. We meet once again the world's longest dachshund and his wife Greta. Picking up where the Pretzel story left off, after the birth of their five adorable puppies. In the collected comic strips, the Reys explore the drama and comedy of life as a family of seven, and what it means to have a daddy who's sometimes as silly as he is long. He becomes a toboggan in the snow, plays with balloons from the toy shop, goes fishing, makes himself into a bridge, and slides down the chimney coming out the sootiest dachshund in the world! The text of the book is hand lettered and make a lovely pair of titles for adult collectors of children's books or ages 4-7 years. 32pp, 18.4 x 26cm.

An ingenious doodle, fold and colouring in book from the great art publishers Thames & Hudson, use the slit in the front cover and draw through the holes, turn pages to find the surprises, turn the book around and upside down and on its side and follow the arrows and fold backwards and forwards. Fill your book with funny faces and add hats, glasses, big ears, and join Marcia having a cup of tea with Martians on a spaceship or fold the pages to make Mr Bee's nose grow. Draw what smells so good or other characters who live in the tree besides the owl and the squirrel. Fill in the speech bubble with words that Nathan and Natalie are nattering about and fill in the characteristics of identical twins Sam and Charlie and decide if they are boys or girls. We meet Princess Portia and her pooch and can draw in her jewellery and open the huge double double page spread to make noises and use your loudest colours as we tweet and woof and miaow with the animal characters. Best of all are the section of pages cut into three strips where you can mix and match faces and ideas and shapes and colours and hairstyles. 64 large pages, colour, ages three and up.

Far from fading with time, Kenneth Grahame's classic tale of fantasy has attracted a growing audience in each generation. Rat, Mole, Badger and the preposterous Mr Toad, have brought delight to many through the years with their odd adventures on and by the river, and at the imposing residence of Toad Hall. 192pp. Paperback.

A big, beautiful heavyweight tome with jungle green foil embossed leathering on a cutaway bright white decorated cover and with metallic green page edges and satin green pagemarker, here is the complete Jungle Book featuring all your favourite characters from Mowgli to Baloo and including both The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book. Mowgli's Country As Seen by Chil the Kite, How to Say the Names in this Book, A Glossary, The Cat Who Walked by Himself, Pussy Can Sit By the Fire and Sing, If - the Story of the Complete Jungle Book and Publisher's Note, all included in this beautiful volume. It is exquisitely illustrated by Stuart Tresilian who was commissioned by the publishers Macmillan during the 1930s and whose sharp line drawings we all remember from our first copies. Tiger! Tiger!, Rikki-Tikki Tavi, Kaa's Hunting, and Mowgli's Brothers, here is the youth, beauty and culture of many Indian villages, their people, manners and customs. From the 1902 Macmillan edition of Just So Stories is The Cat Who Walked by Himself and of course If - is Kipling's most famous poem, 470 very large quality pages including rare material from Macmillan's historical archive around the publication of the stories and Kipling's home and study in rare photographs and original jacket designs and cover art. Beautiful big green edged pages, exquisite colour artworks and woodcut illustrations, foreword by Katherine Rundell.
Click YouTube icon to see this book come to life on video.

A parody of the popular seafaring narrative of his time, Jonathan Swift's masterpiece was written 'to vex the world rather than divert it.' Lemuel Gulliver, English surgeon turned ship captain, embarks on four fantastic voyages, each a clash with strange beings and cultures, from the eccentric to the odious. Island by island he meets the savage but tiny Lilliputians, the hideous Yahoos, a stable of talking horses, a race of decrepit immortals, and the ghosts of Julius Caesar and Homer. This very much abridged introduction is for little tots ages 5-8, and much of the enjoyment is from the full page beautiful colour artwork which is especially attractive even to adult collectors of children's books. Slim softback, 48pp.

Jack and the Beanstalk, The Magic Bird, The One-Inch Prince, The Billy Goats Gruff, The Brave Little Tailor, Hop-On-My-Thumb, Theseus and the Minotaur, The Giant Princess, The Princess and the Ogre, and The Valley of Diamonds retold by Sam Baer and others for preschoolers. Bursting with funny and fantastic characters from all around the world including stomping giants, angry ogres, a very greedy troll and a snorting, snarling minotaur lurking in a labyrinth. Boldly coloured appealing new illustrations decorate every page with text wrapped around in fairly large print on bright white quality heavyweight paper in an impressive and collectable hardback of 144 pages with satin pagemarker. Ages 5-8.

The extraordinary, effervescent Clarice Bean is back with her trademark heart and humour in this beautifully illustrated story by former Children's Laureate Lauren Child, a delightful summer read for the whole family. 'Nothing ever happens except for sometimes. And only on rare-ish occasions, which is hardly ever. I mainly always find something to do even if there is nothing going on, which might be cutting up things and turning them into something else.' But one day in the holidays that began as a nothing day everything happened. Absolutely nearly everything. The unforgettable Clarice Bean finds herself escaping the danger of boredom when she meets an actual real-life DOG who will not scram! From one of the most distinctive comic voices of children's literature, with dancing text and elegant, light-hearted illustrations, some line art, much in colour. Ages 7-11 years, 176pp.

Olive, Betsy, Mable - give your new dolly a name as you stroke her very soft plush velveteen skin and sit her upright, long legs extended, on your armchair as you meet and greet your new friend. Beautifully dressed in a lace-trimmed embroidered and patterned fine cotton dress with lacy collar, velvet decorations in their hair, stitches for bootees, the 'hair' is a contrasting textured fabric. She has smiling closed eyes, little tiny pink cheeks and a huge flat round head, floppy arms and legs and big round white bottom! That makes the dolly sit upright very easily. There is no choice of colours, we have available a dolly dressed in blue, pink or yellow. Each measures a generous size 40cm tall and has a little label attached to one arm which must be removed before gifting. CE safety approved.