A long time ago, when the world was quite new, a monkey sat watching the birds as they flew. Like feathery rainbows they flashed through the air. 'How come they're so pretty', he thought. 'It's not fair!' When a mischievous monkey discovers a paintbox, he has a brilliant idea, but things don't go quite as monkey has planned.

Every creature that the teeny weeny tadpole meets seems to be able to jump, except him. Then he meets the big bad fish, who can't jump - but he can swim very, very fast, and he eats little tadpoles... What is Tadpole going to do? By the bestselling illustrator of 'The Crunching, Munching Caterpillar' and 'The Very Lazy Ladybird'.

Far below the waves a little fish called Stanley lived with the rest of his shoal. They were the brightest, sparkliest fish in the whole of the deep, dark sea. One morning Stanley woke up rather late. Coo-ee! It's me-ee! he called to his friends as usual. But the reef was strangely quiet...

Dirty Bertie - the boy with nose-pickingly disgusting habits - is back another helping of comic chaos.

Bertie can be a bit smelly. When he trumps, it makes his mum cross, embarrasses his dad, upsets his gran and offends his sister. But they all have a secret - and Bertie knows what it is. Ages 3-7.

Deep inside the willow tree the last baby owl is born. He's so very small, a downy white ball. The other owls grow and learn to fly, but no matter how hard he tries, the littlest owl can't quite do it. 'I will', he says. 'Just you wait and see'. Then one night, a storm forces the owls from their home. Will the littlest owl make it to safety?

Baby Bear, Little Bear and Young Bear are scared of the storm. So one by one they climb into bed with their mum and dad. 'What scaredy-bears you are!' says Daddy Bear. But when there's a rat-tat-tat at the door and the lights go out, Daddy Bear is not quite as brave as he seems.

Rosie loves going home with Gran after school; Gran lives near a farm and Rosie can visit the feral cats that live there. Her favourite is a tiny kitten who she calls Ginger, because of his lovely orange fur.

One night Lily rescues a tiny mermaid who has been hurt in a terrible storm. The two become the best of friends, and Delphi shows Lily a magical world where mermaids play. But as Delphi gets better she must leave Lily and return to the sea...

Big Bear and Little Bear share a very special kind of love. It stretches as high as the mountain tops and to the very bottom of the sea. It's big enough to fill the whole world.

At bedtime in the burrow Moz is squished and squashed by sleepy rabbits. Crumpled and cross, he asks to go with his friend Albatross to the icy lands of the North Star. So off they fly, but when Moz gets lost he finds himself cold and lonely, and a long way from home.

Poor Little Pip is just too shy to join in the games with Milly and Spike. If only he had something to give them so that they would be his friends. Then Pip sees a rainbow. What a wonderful present that would be! But the rainbow is so far away and, as hard as Pip tries, he can't quite catch it.

Trace the smooth, sparkling trail of Incy Wincy Spider's web as he is blown from animal to animal in this hilarious rhyming story.

Peter is different. He only ever eats peas and they make him green and rather smelly! Then one day he is picked up by a spaceship full of aliens, who whisk him away to make him their king...

It's Christmas Eve and Father Christmas is taking Dolly and Teddy on an adventure. But oh no! Teddy loses his scarf, and when they chase after it, the sleigh leaves without them. Stranded in the dark woods, Dolly and Teddy must find their own way home.

Little Brown Mouse and Little Grey Mouse are the very best of friends. When, one night, they see a sparkling wishing star fall into the lake, they hurry down the river to find it. But there is only one star, and both mice want to make a wish.

When Ollie sees snow for the first time, he's amazed. It is wonderful. He rushes outside to play with his brother and sister, but then a huge, scary dog appears and the puppies scatter. Ollie runs and runs, and when at last he stops, he finds himself lost and alone. Will he ever find his way back to the warmth and safety of his family and home?

It's bedtime, but Spud can't sleep. His alien friends are in a real mess and they need his help to get ready for bed. So Spud jumps on to his rocket and zooms into space. What a hero.

Suitable as a Christmas gift, this collection features tales from a host of best-loved authors, includeing: Adele Geras, Julia Green, Karen Wallace, Elizabeth Baguley, Penny Dolan, Tanya Landman, Michael Broad, Caroline Pitcher, Malachy Doyle and Holly Webb.

The very greedy bee won't share his nectar with anyone. While all the other bees work hard, he spends all day guzzling pollen and gobbling nectar. But then one day the very greedy bee eats just a bit too much.