'I have no doubt that discovering Barbara Jones was one of the more important things that happened to me,' says Sir Peter Blake. This facsimile edition of a book first published in 1970, written and illustrated by the prominent 20th-century artist, tells the story of two young owls determined to seek adventure in a hot-air balloon of their own making. The slightly updated text is quite sophisticated, with unusual vocabulary, but also very funny, so it is perfect for reading aloud. Age 3+

The onion trapped in this remarkable activity book from an award-winning illustrator is destined for the Big Fry, but 'there's a way out for an onion who challenges, questions and doubts'. As the reader helps their new friend by writing or drawing their answers to such conundrums as 'Can someone bad do something good?', they tear along the perforations on each page until the vegetable is free at last in the form of a three-dimensional paper model. Age 5+

The French illustrator Tomi Ungerer is a much-loved children's author. This classic from 1962, reissued by art publisher Phaidon, contains very few words but features a series of dazzlingly bright and inventive illustrations that all include, somewhere, the curled pattern of a snail's shell. Age 2+

First published in 1947 as I Saw Esau: traditional rhymes of youth, this was Peter and Iona Opie's first collection of children's rhymes - the nonsense, riddles, insults, repartee and games that have the 'oomph and zoom' peculiar to school playgrounds. In 1992 Iona Opie revised the collection and Maurice Sendak illustrated it in his inimitable style to produce this exuberant and, for many, nostalgic book of rhymes.

Fresh from his adventures on CBeebies, and still trying to 'Do it right', Mike the Knight and his wizard-in-training sister Evie are the heroes of seven more stories from the Kingdom of Glendragon. With his enchanted sword and shield, Mike tackles the challenges of the Fluttering Favour, the Mighty Shield, the Invisible Monster, the Great Gallop, the Wizard's Treasure, the Scary Dragons and Trollee in Trouble.

The Egyptian pharaoh, King David, Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, Jezebel, Belshazzar and Esther: Mary Hoffman retells the Old Testament stories of the kings and queens of Israel and surrounding kingdoms, while Christina Balit's colourful illustrations bring alive the countries and characters of the ancient Holy Land.

A Scottish story (The Lonely Boatman) for Hallowe’en, a Russian story (The Winter Cabin) to mark the first snowfall, and Christmas Eve in Austria with Schnitzle, Schnotzle and Schnootzle ... This collection of eight traditional and modern stories for winter is illustrated with colourful paintings and patterns by Helen Cann. Age 8+

The simple poems in this book, written by prolific children's author Charlotte Zolotow (1915-2013), are themed by season. Each is accompanied by a large, colourful illustration incorporating pencil sketches and mixed media, so there is plenty to look at as you read the poetry with a child. Age 3-6

This title in the bestselling How to Train Your Dragon series presents everything Hiccup knows about these mysterious creatures. He includes all the gory details about each species, their habitats and strategies, plus how to track dragons, ride them and look after their newly hatched babies. The pages are packed with facts, figures and fun illustrations. Felt-tip mark on lower trimmed edge. Age 7+

When Cat leaves her kittens under a city bridge and goes to investigate a nice fishy smell, then gets shut in the fish van, it seems all must end in tragedy. Along comes an old, scruffy dog and the story takes a most unexpected turn - to the seaside. 'There's a whole wonderful world out there,' says Dog. 'Yes, and a sea full of fish,' says Cat. Age 4+

The projects in this volume demonstrate how wheels reduce friction and how they work with axles to change force and motion, whether in simple devices such as trolleys and skateboards or in the more complex arrangements found in gearboxes. Age 7-9

Springs store the energy that powers machines such as the Romans' giant war catapults. The projects in this book show how stretching, squashing and bending springs reveal their key properties, and how rubber bands can be used to make moving toys. Age 7-9

What is the difference between a ramp and a wedge? How are they used, and why do they work? These straightforward experiments strikingly reveal their power to move heavy items more easily and cut through air and water more efficiently. Age 7-9

Looking back to the origins of screws in machines designed to press olives and raise water, this book explains how to create screws that make it possible to transport marbles along a tube and lift a plank of wood with just one finger. Age 7-9

With these explorations of the properties of pulleys, the budding engineer can learn how to use them to change the direction of a force, and how to create a pulley belt that alters the speed of movement. Age 7-9

When we play the piano, use scissors or operate bicycle brakes, the task is made easier by the levers they contain. The instructions in this volume show how to use household items to make a simple pair of scales and explore different types of lever. Age 7-9

Ben has a wobbly tooth and is trying to sleep when, one by one, his room fills with a succession of noisy visitors, from a mouthy tooth fairy and a singing Sandman to a feeble ghost and the Thing-Under-the-Bed. The simple, funny text and bright illustrations make this book perfect for young readers. Age 3+

A great way to get children excited about learning a new language, the pages of this large-format book are packed with colourful illustrations of everyday objects and situations, such as the body, school, the garden, animals, food, colours and transport. Each one is labelled in both French and English, introducing more than 500 new words. Developing French series. Age 7+

Zot is a small alien from a colourless world, who arrives in his spaceship to see all the colourful wonders of Earth. In a thoughtful story told through delicate illustrations and brief prose, he steals all of our colours, only to realize that he cannot head for home and leave behind a grey planet. Age 3+

Little Nutbrown Hare just cannot explain how much he loves Big Nutbrown Hare; and Big Nutbrown Hare always has a way of loving him more. Then, when he is almost too tired to think and about to fall asleep, the little hare is inspired by the Moon. Here the timeless tale is accompanied by an animated version that features a voiceover by Kevin Whately. 1 DVD 5mins

Rhythm, repetition and hilarious illustrations will all grab the attention of children in this fun picture book. Foo Foo is a wicked rabbit intent on causing mischief in the forest, but the Good Fairy, a granny with a brolly, is equally determined to stop him. The accompanying animation is narrated by Lewis star Kevin Whately. DVD 3mins. Age 4+

Anita Ganeri introduces the medieval period to young readers by describing the life of children: what were their houses like? What did kids eat, and wear? How did they have fun - and did they have to go to school? The book ends with a quiz and a glossary, while illustrations include photographs, paintings, engravings and tapestries. Age 7-9

Part of A Child's History of Britain, this book introduces Tudor history from a child's viewpoint with illustrations and simple text on topics such as clothes, food and drink and school. Age 7-9

This book is ideal for children who want to know how the frogspawn or tadpoles they have seen in the wild turn into frogs. Simple, expert text explains each step in the amphibian's life-cycle, supported by high-quality, close-up photographs. The book ends with a glossary and suggestions for further reading. Animal Life Stories series. Age 6-8

The obvious next step for a child obsessed with dinosaurs, this picture book brings an extinct giant back to life. Photographic reconstructions and informative text give details of the woolly mammoth's environment, behaviour and physical features, as well as explaining how the species eventually came to die out many thousands of years ago. Ice Age Animals series. Age 5-7

This engaging book enables young readers to imagine themselves living in Stuart Britain. It focuses on what life was like for children, where they lived, what they wore and ate, what they learned at school and where they might have worked. Contemporary illustrations, a glossary and a quiz are included. A Child's History of Britain series. Age 7-9

One morning Henrietta lays her very first egg, but the crafty Red Fox offers to trade it for a juicy worm. Poor Henrietta takes the worm, not knowing that the egg is so precious. When the other animals find out, they help her outwit the fox and get it back - and now it's Red Fox who looks very silly. Age 3+

Richard Collingridge's picture book is a magical journey through one boy's dream world. We follow our young hero into the furthest reaches of his imagination as, lost in his favourite book, he sets off into a snowy, welcoming world of snowmen, fairies and elves, the Queen of the Poles and a giant reindeer. Age 3+

With its swishing and squelching and tiptoeing in the dark, children will love the suspense of this adventure. It was first published in 1989, when the Smarties Book Prize judges gave it top marks. Age 3+

From monster trucks to sail-powered ocean liners, this book presents the most extraordinary, technologically advanced or eccentric vehicles on land, sea, air and in space. Each colourful, entertaining page contains a montage of photographs, fact panels, tales of amusing and extraordinary feats and information boxes explaining technologies such as jet propulsion and the internal combustion engine.

There's a huge surprise - and clean socks - for Sir Charlie Stinky Socks at the end of The Tale of the Wizard's Whisper, but all three stories in our special bundle have good surprises. Is that a Coconut? Yuck! (by Tony Bradman and Katharine McEwen) could have ended very badly, but Mama monkey gets to the 'coconut' just in time; and in Jane Fearnley's Harry and the Jaggedy Daggers, Harry gets a hero's reward after paddling to the rescue in his teacup. Three books. Age 3+

These 150 pages are full of ogres, princesses, grandmas, giants etc - the stuff of fairy tales for you to make up some new ones.

Donald Duck takes the part of Ebenezer Scrooge, Mickey is Bob Cratchit and Pluto is Marley's Ghost in this Disney version of A Christmas Carol. Dickens's classic tale is retold for children, with big colourful, 3D pictures - and the 3D glasses to view them. Age 3+

Introducing the concepts and techniques of art as well as the work of some of history's most celebrated artists, this book is a triumph of paper engineering, using flaps, pop-ups and 3D models to demonstrate key ideas. Including a separate activity book, the set is ostensibly aimed at older children but is an entertaining look at the history of art for people of any age. Age 9+

As well as 18 different dinosaurs (from Allosaurus to Velociraptor) this book has simple three-or-six-step instructions for drawing all sorts of 'cool stuff' - pirates, parrots and the jolly roger, trains and boats and planes, lots of different fish, cartoon characters, monsters and superheroes. Altogether there are 404 things to draw. Age 5+

'In a very noisy house in a very noisy city lived three noisy foxes'... They do try to find somewhere quiet to live in the countryside, but nothing quite suits them until they meet a helpful mouse who shows them the perfect place. Full of whispering and shouting and all sorts of noises, Amy Husband's clever tale and lively pictures are tremendous fun. Age 3+

Published in the Looking Glass Library series of children's classics, this is E Nesbit's sequel to Five Children and It. Robert, Jane, Cyril and Anthea find a magical egg which hatches into a phoenix and takes the children on a series of fantastic adventures. First published in 1905. Reprinted with HR Millar's original illustrations and an introduction by Bruce Coville. Age 8+

Jam-packed with doodles, colouring, drawing activities, mazes, puzzles and quizzes, this activity book will entertain all young dinosaur lovers. Including dot-to-dot dino, dinosaur wordsearch, and do-it-yourself dinosaur cartoons, this seriously silly book will leave your young ones laughing while they learn and have fun.

In this madcap race through Paris, an unlucky family tries to make it to the airport through a chain of catastrophe. With no taxis to be found, a crashed pink limousine, an escaped elephant and a diversion down a sewer, will they catch their plane in time? The brightly coloured illustrations and outlandish events are sure to appeal to crazy kids everywhere. Age 3+

What colour is your world? If you lie in the grass, the world is green; if you turn over and look at the sky, it's blue. With its bold illustrations and entertaining narrative, this book, originally published in the 1960s, encourages children and their parents to think about colour and look at the world in a new way.

A great way to learn about art, this book introduces the life and work of Alexander Calder, then explores six of his paintings, looking at the original and letting you try out your own version on the opposite page. By arranging the re-usable stickers, you can experiment with colours, shapes and compositions to recreate Calder's original or create your own masterpiece. With 6 sheets of stickers.

A great way to learn about art, this book introduces the life and work of Arcimboldo, then explores six of his paintings, looking at the original and letting you try out your own version on the opposite page. By arranging the 70 re-usable stickers, you can experiment with colours, shapes and compositions to recreate Arcimboldo's original or create your own masterpiece.

When Ramzi and Shaima get Auntie Urooj a suitor from the Truly Deeply Muslim online marriage agency, the 'match' becomes a case for the Black Cat detectives in this very funny novel for children. Age 7+