From hungry caterpillars and singing whales to comical witches and tigers who turn up for tea, these classic books will capture your child's imagination and make bedtime a real treat

Books for children aged 0-2

Dear Zoo
Rod Campbell, Macmillan Books
As it turns 21 years old in 2003, Dear Zoo will undoubtedly continue to delight a new generation of babies. This wonderful lift-the flap-book brings a valuable hands-on approach to books and introduces a host of animals.

So you want a pet but not sure what animal to get? What do you do? Ask the zoo of course! How about a lion? No, too fierce! A giraffe? No, too tall. Never mind, keep looking, there must be a perfect pet out there for you.

Have you read...
Creepy Crawlies
Oh Dear!

Peepo!
Janet and Allan Ahlberg, Penguin Books
Peepo is a popular game for all babies, and the Ahlberg's Peepo is an all-time favourite book. The little peepholes on each page are great fun and babies love putting their fingers through them.

Set in 1940s Britain, the activities and illustrations may be alien to many, but the rhymes and content are timeless. Babies love to see what's going on around them and there is definitely a lot to see in the pages of Peepo!

Each Peach Pear Plum
Janet and Allan Ahlberg, Viking Kestrel Picture Books
Winner of Kate Greenaway Medal 1978
Another favourite book for younger children, the Ahlbergs take the I-Spy rhyme and give it their own special treatment.

Nursery rhymes, fairy tales and humorous illustrations combine to create a spellbinding interactive book for under-twos.

Have you read...
The Baby's Catalogue
Starting School

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle, Hamish Hamilton Children's Books
A firm favourite on every child's bookshelf, this short, hopeful story moves along slowly and deserves to be read slowly - at about the pace of a fat caterpillar! Children adore the small little holes that show clearly where the greedy caterpillar has been; and Eric Carle's vivid, colourful illustrations - especially the 'beautiful butterfly' - make this picture book one of the most enchanting around.

Have you read...
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Draw Me a Star
The Mixed-Up Chameleon
The Bad-Tempered Ladybird

Owl Babies
Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson, Walker Books
What really happens when the lights go out? Active imaginations take over and bedtime can soon become frightening. When three little owls wake in the middle of the night to find that their mother is not close by, they begin to think - but not the worst!

In fact Owl Babies is very reassuring and goes a long way towards calming these all-too-common night-time fears.

Have you read...
Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?

Books for children aged 2-4

Where's My Teddy
Jez Alborough, Walker Books
Eddy's lost his teddy. He left him 'in the wood somewhere' and sets off in search of him. But 'it's dark and horrible in there' and Eddy gets a little scared - but he is not the only one!

A timeless classic that will be repeated over and over again, but not by you - very soon even the littlest ones will be reciting it word for word.

Have you read...
It's the Bear
My Friend Bear

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle, Picture Puffins
If you want your child to learn about colours, look no further than this. The repetition of the simple text is very reassuring for children and Eric Carle's glorious illustrations bring favourite animals to life. But it is the colours that really stand out, as each colour, with a variety of its different tones, is captured in these vivid tissue-paper collages.

Have you read...
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Draw Me a Star
The Mixed-Up Chameleon
The Bad-Tempered Ladybird

The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffer, Macmillan
The winner of the Smarties Book Prize 1999,
The Gruffalo was up against stiff competition for the Smarties Prize (see Clarice Bean That's Me), but the little mouse won through.

Is there such thing as a Gruffalo? Our smart hero didn't think so, but all the other animals in the forest - well, those who wanted to eat him for dinner - certainly did.

Julia Donaldson's beautiful, easy-to-read rhyme leads you effortlessly into the deep, dark wood where you'll discover what, if anything, really lurks there. A true classic!

Have you read...
Monkey Puzzle
The Smartest Giant In Town
Room On The Broom

The Tiger Who Came To Tea
Judith Kerr, Picture Lions
Still hugely popular 35 years after it first appeared, this whimsical story about a tiger who comes to tea and eats all the food and drinks all the drink, has lost none of its appeal. Children love it simply for the idea of it and no doubt many grown-ups wish they had been as inventive when they tried to explain why they hadn't done the shopping!

Have you read...
Mog the Forgetful Cat

Books for children aged 4-6

The Whale's Song
Dyan Sheldon and Gary Blythe, Red Fox Books
Kate Greenwaway Prize for illustration
Wow! The look on my children's faces said it all. Totally entranced, they sat open-mouthed in wonder as they listened to the story. With its hauntingly beautiful prize-winning illustrations and a tale so fantastic it could almost be true, The Whale's Song is a truly special book. Don't miss it!

Winnie The Witch
Korky Paul and Valerie Thomas, Oxford University Press
Winnie's house (and everything in it) is black, but so is her cat. One of them will have to change, but which one? A visual delight, Winnie The Witch is packed with fantastic details and every witch-loving child will laugh out loud as Winnie's spells cause chaos and mayhem.

Have you read...
Winnie In Winter
Winnnie Flies Again

Clarice Bean That's Me
Lauren Child, Orchard Books
Smarties Book Bronze Prize Winner 1999
Highly Commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal
The pandemonium of family life is brought beautifully alive by Lauren Child's swirling chaotic pages. Jammed full of quirky illustrations and with text that you have to follow round the pages, Clarice Bean That's Me takes an angle on family life that leaves you breathless. Funny, completely different and very insightful about families, it is an absolute must - especially for those with a smelly big brother, an irritating little brother or a big sister that only thinks about boys!

Have you read...
My Uncle is a Hunkle says Clarice Bean
What Planet Are You From Clarice Bean?

Books selected by Hazel Broadfoot at The Bookshop Dulwich Village, 1d Calton Avenue, Dulwich Village, London SE21 7DE