Pip the Gnome

Pip the gnome plays happily with his woodland friends, the mouse, robin, wren and spider. Follow them through spring, summer, into autumn and then winter. The colourful illustrations and simple words introduce very young children to the seasons, with bright green leaves in spring, warm sunshine in summer, blustery wind in autumn and snowfall in winter. Perfect for bedtime, the story ends as we look up at the stars and say good night to Pip.

The Helpful Elves

When the lazy people of Cologne go to sleep, the helpful elves do all their work. They measure and saw for the carpenter, knead and mix for the baker, carve and chop for the butcher, taste and pour for the winemaker, and snip and sew for the tailor. But no one ever sees them. Until one day the tailor’s wife becomes curious.

This classic picture book is based on a poem by August Kopisch (1799–1853), who specialised in re-telling popular legends. It is brought to life with humorous illustrations by Beatrice Braun-Fock (1898–1973).

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

When Goldilocks goes to collect flowers in the wood she gets lost and stumbles upon a pretty house in a clearing. She looks inside and sees a table with three chairs: a big chair, a medium chair and a little chair, and in front of each chair is a steaming bowl of porridge. The porridge smells so good, and Goldilocks is so hungry, that she opens the door and walks inside. But this house belongs to three bears: a big daddy bear, a medium mummy bear and a little baby bear — and they’ll be back soon.This is a beautiful interpretation of a classic story. Gerda Muller’s timeless, intricate illustrations offer wonderful extra detail for children to enjoy. From the very first page, she includes big, medium and little versions of birds, squirrels, mice, plates, umbrellas, slippers, and more. Children and parents will notice new things each time.

Hannah on the Farm

Hannah the hen spends a whole day on the farm looking for a quiet place to lay her eggs, so that she can have chicks of her own. The pigs grunt too loudly, the lambs are too playful, the cows are too clumsy…Will Hannah ever find a nice quiet place where her eggs will be safe?

Little Fairy Can’t Sleep

Faith, the little fairy, can’t get to sleep. It’s a lovely summer’s night and magic is in the air, so she flies off to see who else is still awake. Faith meets a mother fox and her young cubs, who can’t get to sleep, an elf father whose children can’t get to sleep, and the sandman who is filling sacks with magic dust to help children everywhere get to sleep. Finally the little fairy meets a moth-fairy prince who takes her to the source of the night’s magic – a wonderful Midsummer Night’s party – where she dances until she is so tired that she finally falls asleep.This magical, dreamlike tale makes perfect bedtime reading.

Magic Wool

Activities with unspun sheep’s wool, also known as magic wool, offer a wide range of creative possibilities for both children and adults. In this book Dagmar Schmidt and Freya Jaffke combine their talents and experience, and show how to create beautiful pictures, as well as table-top scenes featuring figures and animals. They explain the process of carding and dyeing unspun wool to make ‘magic wool’. They focus on making pictures with wool, including scenes from several well-known fairy tales and festivals, before showing how to make simple dolls and animals, building up to an entire nativity scene. Detailed instructions, diagrams and colour photographs are provided throughout.

Magic Wool Fairies

Unspun sheep’s wool, also known as magic wool, is a warm vibrant material, perfect for making these beautiful soft figures. Christine Schafer includes detailed instructions on making fairies and angels for every occasion: flower fairies for a seasonal nature table, fairies for birthday celebrations, guardian angels to watch over a crib and, of course, a range of Christmas angels. This book includes step-by-step instructions, colour photographs and diagrams which clearly show the reader the basics for making simple figures, progressing to detailed instructions for making more elaborate versions.

Milon and the Lion

Young slave Milon starts his journey at home in Athens. When he sets sail on a ship bound for Italy his adventures really begin. He narrowly escapes with his life in Pompei as the great volcano Vesuvius erupts and destroys the town; he experiences the colourful life of the metropolis of Alexandria in Egypt, and he faces a battle for life and death in the Colosseum in Rome. When he meets a small community of Christians in Rome, he finally gains his freedom and finds a purpose in life. At the centre of the story is Milon’s relationship with a wounded lion who he bravely helps. Will the lion remember him and return the favour when Milon faces death at the hands of the mighty Roman emperors?