Here are 100 books that The Baby's Catalogue fans have personally recommended if you like
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Mary Hoffman is not exactly an expert on babies but she has had three of her own and five grandbabies. The youngest is two and Mary has made colourful blankets for each one. The four-year-old still takes hers everywhere. Mary is very good at sending babies to sleep, which Mog might have appreciated, but she has never fed any of them avocado. Mary has been making up stories for babies and children for as long as she can remember, long before she had any of her own. She does this because what she liked best herself as a small child was stories and she would have loved to have any of these books read to her when she was little.
The baby in this book won’t eat anything he’s offered – a situation most parents will identify with – until, in despair, his mother finds an avocado in the fruit bowl. From then on he has a favourite food – and it turns him into an immensely strong superhero!
The Hargraves want their new baby to grow up big and strong. But the puny mite will hardly eat a thing. One day Mrs Hargraves finds an avocado in the fruit bowl and the baby gobbles it up. Soon, the strangest things start to happen...
A gay retelling of the classic fairy tale--a scrumptious love story featuring ungrateful stepsiblings, a bake-off, and a fairy godfather.
Cinderelliot is stuck at home taking care of his ungrateful stepsister and stepbrother. When Prince Samuel announces a kingdom-wide competition to join the royal staff as his baker, the stepsiblings…
Mary Hoffman is not exactly an expert on babies but she has had three of her own and five grandbabies. The youngest is two and Mary has made colourful blankets for each one. The four-year-old still takes hers everywhere. Mary is very good at sending babies to sleep, which Mog might have appreciated, but she has never fed any of them avocado. Mary has been making up stories for babies and children for as long as she can remember, long before she had any of her own. She does this because what she liked best herself as a small child was stories and she would have loved to have any of these books read to her when she was little.
“Mog loves babies!” says the poor cat’s owners but this is not strictly true. Mog just wants to snooze undisturbed but a visiting baby soon puts paid to that. Her expressions are brilliantly done as the baby takes more and more liberties. When Mog escapes out the window, the baby follows, with almost catastrophic results in the road outside. But Mog saves the day - and the baby - and is rewarded with a gigantic fish.
Mary Hoffman is not exactly an expert on babies but she has had three of her own and five grandbabies. The youngest is two and Mary has made colourful blankets for each one. The four-year-old still takes hers everywhere. Mary is very good at sending babies to sleep, which Mog might have appreciated, but she has never fed any of them avocado. Mary has been making up stories for babies and children for as long as she can remember, long before she had any of her own. She does this because what she liked best herself as a small child was stories and she would have loved to have any of these books read to her when she was little.
It’s a family of badgers but Frances has some very human emotions about having a baby sibling. She is not outright hostile but does pack a rucksack with snacks and runs away – as far as under the dining table. Her very understanding parents handle it in an exemplary fashion and Frances sees there are advantages to being the older sister, since babies can’t eat chocolate cake.
One of a reissued series about the Badger family. With a new baby in the house, Frances thinks that no one pays much attention to her any more. So she decides to run away, but not so far that she won't be able to hear how much she'll be missed - even by baby Gloria.
I’m pretty sure I’m about to die in space. And I just turned twelve and a half.
Blast off with the four winners of the StellarKid Project on a trip to the International Space Station and then to the Gateway outpost orbiting the Moon! It’s a dream come true until…
Mary Hoffman is not exactly an expert on babies but she has had three of her own and five grandbabies. The youngest is two and Mary has made colourful blankets for each one. The four-year-old still takes hers everywhere. Mary is very good at sending babies to sleep, which Mog might have appreciated, but she has never fed any of them avocado. Mary has been making up stories for babies and children for as long as she can remember, long before she had any of her own. She does this because what she liked best herself as a small child was stories and she would have loved to have any of these books read to her when she was little.
Two great talents came together to produce this classic story of a bored baby who annoys his parents by drawing on the walls. Only their home is a cave. In the night, he is whisked away by a mammoth, which could be terrifying, but the great beast just wants the baby to paint animals on his cave walls.
A hairy mammoth takes a cheeky little baby on a thrilling ride through a moonlit landscape populated by a sabre-toothed tiger, a leaping hare, a laughing hyena and even, just maybe, by a big brown bear . . . But where are they going? And what has it to do with the baby's scribblings on the cave wall?
Created by the critically acclaimed author Julia Donaldson and Kate Greenaway medal winner Emily Gravett, Cave Baby celebrates the messy creativity of babies!
Lots of us rely occasionally on technology to help us entertain a young child, but the connection we form when looking at a book together cannot be beaten. I have found, both personally and professionally, that great books are born when a kind of magical mix-up is created in a child’s imagination between the words you read and the pictures they see. It feels so wonderful when this happens that they want to revisit the book again and again. I have written many books for young children over more than 20 years, and I am always striving to help cast that magical spell.
At some point, every child is in a situation, maybe just for a few seconds, where they are not totally sure that their parent is coming back. I can still remember the look on my kids’ faces on their first day at nursery school! That feeling is no different for the young owl siblings in this story, left alone in the dark woods when their mother flies off in search of food.
I love the simplicity of this tale, and the language is beautiful. We often turned to it at bedtime in our house, and no matter how many times I read, “Soft and silent, she swooped through the trees to Sarah and Percy and Bill,” it never got old.
A special 25th anniversary edition of a modern classic, Owl Babies reassures young children that Mummy will always come home.
"The perfect picture book" Guardian
A special 25th anniversary board book edition of a bestselling modern classic, Owl Babies is a comforting read for any toddler who has ever worried about mum leaving them alone, or any child starting pre-school for the very first time. Sarah, Percy and Bill the baby owls wake one night to find their mother gone. And as the darkness gathers and they perch patiently on their branch waiting for her return, oh how they worry!…
Lots of us rely occasionally on technology to help us entertain a young child, but the connection we form when looking at a book together cannot be beaten. I have found, both personally and professionally, that great books are born when a kind of magical mix-up is created in a child’s imagination between the words you read and the pictures they see. It feels so wonderful when this happens that they want to revisit the book again and again. I have written many books for young children over more than 20 years, and I am always striving to help cast that magical spell.
You may have seen the movie, but, for me, there is absolutely nothing to compare to Beatrix Potter’s classic original tale. This story about a family of rabbits has been on my bookshelf since my mother introduced Peter Rabbit to me as a young child. Her copy has been read to my children, who I hope will pass it on again.
Even though this book was written well over a century ago, I think it really stands the test of time. Mrs. Rabbit is a busy single mom with three good-as-gold daughters and a naughty son called Peter. I find the intricate illustrations unrivaled–open the book to be transported straight into an English country garden.
"Now run along, and don't get into mischief," Mrs. Rabbit tells her bunnies. But frisky Peter runs straight to Mr.. McGregor's tasty garden and sneaks under the gate! This beloved classic is once again available in an 8x8 format, now with beautifully remastered artwork.
For those who enjoy fantasy adventure, the Faerie Tales from the White Forest series offers a new twist on the traditional faerie tales so loved by young readers.
From devastating curses to death-defying quests, Brigitta and her growing collective of misfit friends face greater and greater challenges when destiny calls…
Lots of us rely occasionally on technology to help us entertain a young child, but the connection we form when looking at a book together cannot be beaten. I have found, both personally and professionally, that great books are born when a kind of magical mix-up is created in a child’s imagination between the words you read and the pictures they see. It feels so wonderful when this happens that they want to revisit the book again and again. I have written many books for young children over more than 20 years, and I am always striving to help cast that magical spell.
This story is full of drama and laughs. I loved the detail in the artwork and the wit–the four beetles that patrol the garden are called . . . Ringo, John, Paul and George!
I had never really thought how much every tiny seed growing in our garden or in the park has to face before it grows up! There are worries and dangers around every corner, but, like a child, if that seed is nurtured and protected by friends and family, it can grow tall, bloom, and reach for the sky whilst grounded by strong roots we cannot see. Bud is a tale that brings tears to my eyes.
Lots of us rely occasionally on technology to help us entertain a young child, but the connection we form when looking at a book together cannot be beaten. I have found, both personally and professionally, that great books are born when a kind of magical mix-up is created in a child’s imagination between the words you read and the pictures they see. It feels so wonderful when this happens that they want to revisit the book again and again. I have written many books for young children over more than 20 years, and I am always striving to help cast that magical spell.
This bold, punchy book was an absolute winner in our house. The pages are BIG, giving space for the striking illustrations, and the story is deliciously gasp-worthy!
The large, loud Shrimpton family just loves to be noticed, apart from Maude, who feels invisible in this houseful of flamboyant extroverts. We read this book a lot and gasped a little every time. Especially when it turned out to be a very good thing for Maude that she did blend in with her surroundings!
Maude was published in 2013 when my daughter was 8. She is 18 now and still loves it! But now she notices different things – how stylish the characters are and how striking the Shrimpton’s beautiful home is. Even the wallpaper is gorgeous!
Lauren Child teams up with a debut illustrator to tell a cautionary tale about the surprising perils of craving constant attention.
Meet the Shrimpton family — so talented, so eccentric, so larger than life, you couldn’t miss them if you wanted to. Mrs. Shrimpton wears flamboyant hats, and Mr. Shrimpton’s moustache makes quite a statement. The youngsters each have a stand-out quality: beauty, dancing, singing, a sense of humor that’s a laugh a minute. Indeed, the Shrimptons live to be noticed — all that is, except Maude, who prefers to blend into the wallpaper. But when Maude receives a ferocious…
I was raised in middle-class America by a strong woman and an alcoholic. I survived an abuser when I realized that I was the answer to my problems. I write about tough subjects but am an eternal optimist who believes a strong spirit will always ensure a happy ending.
A coming of age story – for a fourteen-year-old who’s discovered she’s gay, her inadequate mother, her severely autistic younger sister, and a reclusive, distant older man and his dog.
The protagonist is the doer of the family who refuses to give in to poverty and give up to allow her sister to be institutionalized. What one determined soul can do when she refuses to give up.
I love stories that resolve in a happy ending, despite facing seemingly hopeless odds.
Fans of Mark Haddon, Mitch Albom and Alice Sebold will love this remarkable, moving story about family and the many forms this can take by Richard & Judy bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.
'A smashing read and left me feeling so positive about human nature' -- ***** Reader review 'An absolute joy to read' -- ***** Reader review 'Beautifully written' -- ***** Reader review 'Fantastic' -- ***** Reader review 'Catherine, you've done it again. Another awesome read that will stay with me' -- ***** Reader review 'A page-turner' -- ***** Reader review ********************************************************************************************************* WHAT IF THE FAMILY YOU NEED ISN'T…
Floretta- the story of an old woman who discovers life beautifully anew thru the helping hands of a child. The chakra colors of dawn and twilight are woven through the pages as the cycle of life is magically composed. The subject of “heaven,” has the potential to open discussions with…
I’m an award-winning biographer and critic. My essays and reviews appear regularly in the London Review of Books and the Times Literary Supplement, and I teach literature and creative writing at King’s College London. I’ve always loved stories about the lives of great writers – stories that seek to illuminate genius, without ever explaining it away.
This is a magnificent autobiography, a work of intricate self-portraiture that takes in everything from the author’s dental troubles, through his relationship with his father, to his reaction to his cousin’s murder. Amis’s comic energy and stylistic brio are on sizzling display throughout, but so are qualities that aren’t often associated with his fiction: gentleness, generosity, emotional vulnerability…
In this remarkable work of autobiography, the son of the great comic novelist Kingsley Amis explores his relationship with his father and writes about the various crises of Kingsley's life, including the final one of his death. Amis also reflects on the life and legacy of his cousin, Lucy Partington, who disappeared without trace in 1973 and was exhumed twenty years later from the basement of Frederick West, one of Britain's most prolific serial murderers.
**ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY**
