Grouped in four progressive levels, Read and Share books - available individually for the first time - are specially selected for qualities that encourage literacy skills and a love of reading.Sixteen top-quality books with notes for extending reading fun inspire the confidence parents and children need to experience the joys of reading . . . together. Plus an informative Parents' Handbook!What is Read and Share??An expert selection of sixteen high-quality picture books by superb authors and illustrators, featuring a multicultural array of subjects, including poetry and rhymes, traditional songs, stories, and information books ?Four progressive levels - Beginnings, Early Steps, Next Steps, and Taking Off - each including four fabulous picture books?Two full spreads inside each book offering suggestions and activities inspired by the story, designed to help parents and children get the most out of each book - and build a foundation for reading success?A separate 24-page, full-color Parents' Handbook providing extensive practical information and detailed answers to many of the questions parents ask about encouraging their children's literacy

    Mog always seems to be in trouble because she is such a very forgetful cat. She forgets that she has a cat flap and she forgets when she has already eaten her supper. But one night, when an uninvited visitor turns up at the house, Mog's forgetfulness comes in very handy!

    And what a world it is! On the surface, it looks like an ordinary city block, but as we meet Madlenka's neighbors -- the French baker, the Indian news vendor, the Italian ice-cream man, the Latin American grocer, a retired opera singer from Germany, an African American school friend, and the Asian shopkeeper -- and look through die-cut windows to the images and memories they have carried from old country to new, we can see that Madlenka's block is as richly varied as its inhabitants. And why is Madlenka going around the block, jumping for joy? Her tooth is loose, and she wants everyone to know!Madlenka is a 2000 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year. This title has Common Core connections.

    But one day the three little bears start to wonder: How do Mommy and Daddy know this is true? And even more worrisome to each sibling: What if my parents like my brother or sister better than me? From the team who brought us the beloved Big and Little Nutbrown Hare comesa tale that answers a timeless question with the ultimate reassurance — and offers the perfect way for parents to remind their own little cubs how very much each one is loved.

    The Cat slices up the pumpkin, the Squirrel stirs in the water, and the Duck tips in just enough salt. But one day the Duck wants to stir instead, and then there is a horrible squabble, and he leaves the cabin in a huff. It isn't long before the Cat and the Squirrel start to worry about him and begin a search for their friend. Rendered in pictures richly evoking autumn, Helen Cooper's delightful story will resonate for an child who has known the difficulties that come with friendship. Included at the end is a recipe for delicious pumpkin soup.

    "The effect human beings have on the landscape around them is the theme of Baker's most recent tour de force....The artist's multimedia collage constructions are, as ever, fascinating in their realistic detail and powerfully convey the dramatic message.."--Horn Book.

    Max will fly away with your heart!As the son of legendary superheroes Captain Lightning and Madam Thunderbolt, Max is destined to join their ranks - once he learns to fly, that is. But despite his parents’ valiant coaching and encouragement from his grandparents and friends, Max can’t seem to get off the ground. Will he ever learn to leap over tall buildings in a single bound?With quintessential quirkiness, award-winning author Bob Graham has created a mighty tale about the ups and downs of mastering your potential - all in your own good time.

    All ends well as the Bad Baby learns to say 'Please' and his mother makes pancakes for everyone.Elfrida Vipont worked as a teacher, singer and writer. She wrote over 30 books and won the Carnegie Medal in 1950 for Lark on the Wing. Raymond Briggs has produced wonderful children's books including the classic titles The Snowman, Father Christmas and When the Wind Blows - all made into immensely successful films. Raymond lives in Sussex.Look out for these other titles by Raymond Briggs:The Snowman; The Elephant and the Bad Baby; Father Christmas; Fungus the Bogeyman; Raymond Briggs's Christmas Little Library; The Father Christmas it's a Bloomin' Terrible Joke Book; Jim and the Beanstalk; Father Christmas Goes on Holiday

    She has gorillas on her bedside lamp and even on her box of cereal. Hannah loves gorillas and longs to see a real one, but her father is always too busy - or too tired - to take her to the zoo. Then, on the night before her birthday, something extraordinary happens - and Hannah’s wish comes gloriously true.

    He's found a monster in the back garden, but his mom and dad are just too busy to notice. So Bernard tries to befriend the monster. . . and that doesn't go quite to plan.

    Ten-year-old Jenny's new foster mother dosen't live up to her expectations until Jenny discovers that there are more important things in life than lavish gifts and fancy homes.

    My name is George, and I’m Ted’s second-in-command: Ted is is centre-forward of the Junior XI at King’s School in Otterbury and a first class chap. He’s the leader of our company, and the story began with our battle against Toppy’s company. We were so worked up in the excitement of victory that Nick Yates kicked a football through the big window of the classroom next to the Headmaster’s study.“Poor old Nick! When the Head said he’d have to pay for it he looked like a puppy with distemper: he’d no hope of raising £4 14s. 6d. in a week than of going to the moon. So we signed a Peace with Toppy’s company and planned Operation Glazier to get the money for Nick. And if you want to know how it worked, and what happened after it was over, you'd better get cracking on Chapter 1.”

    By the time she’s seven, the tireless girl can even outskip the fairies and is rewarded with a gift of rare and lasting value. Can she use it many years later to save the children’s fabled skipping grounds from a greedy, factory-building lord? Charlotte Voake’s exuberant art pairs with Eleanor Farjeon’s unforgettable tale for a match made in picture-book heaven.From the Trade Paperback edition.

    The doll family are owned by two sisters, Emily and Charlotte, and are very happy, except for one thing: they long for a proper home.

    The adventures of those splendid fellows Bunyip Bluegum, Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff, the penguin bold, and of course their amazing, everlasting and very cantankerous Puddin'.