When George wonders aloud "Who am I?" in the story of the same title, he is answered by a grumpy water-boatman, "Who are you? You're a dot, you're a spot, you're a jelly-belly tot. You're an inky-pinky blot In the dark, dark pond." George is sad because it seems like he can't do anything, until that is he gets bigger and has the last laugh. Young children will love the energy of these simple, charming animal stories including Jasper's Jungle Journey, a lovely story using clever and funny rhymes in which the little elephant finds lots of surprises. The Star that Fell is a delicate short story which describes the uses that animals find for a bright star that falls to earth. In The Great Rabbit Race curious little rabbits learn about the world outside from their mother and learn to recognise danger and gain their grown-up names. This way Little Badger follows Little Badger as he finds his way in and out of trouble and into a scary hole, as he hasn't yet learned to like the dark like other badgers. This gorgeous-looking hardcover storybook is bright, lively, lots of fun and great value. --Rachel Ediss

 

There are 144 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2000 by Penguin Books Ltd .

Judith Nicholls is one of England's best-known children's poets. She has written over fifty poetry collections and her work is regularly broadcast on BBC Radio for Schools. Judith has three children and six grandchildren and makes her home in Wiltshire. Karen Hayles is the author of several picture books. Karen lives in Bath with her family. Charles Fuge made his picture book debut with BUSHVARK'S FIRST DAY OUT, which won both the Macmillan Prize and the Mother Goose Award. Since then he has illustrated more than thirty picture books, including SOMETIMES I LIKE TO CURL UP IN A BALL, which was highly commended by the judges of the 2001 Kate Greenaway Medal. He lives in Dorset. VAL BIRO's many books include The Donkey That Sneezed, The Magic Doctor, and Jack and the Robbers, all published by Oxford.