Kids book club – February

0-4 years
Goodnight Tiptoe
Polly Dunbar
9781406326161
£5.99
If reading a picture-book is part of your child's nightly routine, this might be a capital addition to your little library. For one thing it's all about the sleepy road to bedtime - the latest in Dunbar's Tilly and Friends series about six pals who live together in a little yellow house. This time out Tiptoe isn't in a sleepy mood at the end of the day even insisting on banging his drum instead, but his friend Tilly ensures that he nods off. Only problem is, then Tilly needs help getting off to sleep too. Now who can help? Not without reason, Dunbar is Booktrust's current writer in residence. Her illustration style, honed in the likes of Dog Blue and Penguin, is uncluttered yet inspired, and she's highly adept at engaging the tiniest readers.

4-6 years
The Big Bad Wolf and Me
Delphine Perret
9781402785719
£5.99
Translated from a French original, this takes the form of a comic strip in which a little boy meets the eponymous wolf of legend - except the wolf doesn't feel remotely big or bad these days. So the boy gives him refuge in his bedroom, and trains him back up to full operational scariness. Actually it's a sweet, leisurely tale of unlikely (and even imaginary) friendship, reminiscent of the innocent playground wisdom of Charles Schultz's Peanuts, all simple line drawings and whip-crack dialogue. It even reveals the wolf's real name...

6-8 years
Odd and the Frost Giants
Neil Gaiman
9780747598114
£9.99
British fantasy author Gaiman is something of a giant in his field - he's even penned a forthcoming episode of ‘Doctor Who’. Alongside his adult fiction, he's written extensively for children. This latest book draws on one of Gaiman's big preoccupations - myths and legends. For 'Odd' read 'Odin'; this is a tale of Norse gods, rendered as fallible, sympathetic characters - albeit trapped in the bodies of wild animals. It falls to Odd to fight the good fight and save the city of Asgard. Gaiman knows a good old yarn when he sees one, and how to spin a new one. Originally issued as a World Book Day title, this is fairly brief, but perfect for early readers in terms of accessibility - not to mention being an imaginative, funny, thrilling read.

9-12 years
The Memory Cage
Ruth Eastham
9781407120522
£5.99
Alex cares deeply about his Granddad, and will go to great lengths to help him. So when Granddad's memory starts to fail and he's at threat of being moved to a home, Alex tries to jog it by reminding him about the details of his long life. But this stirs up all kinds of forgotten experiences, including Granddad's life during World War II. And it turns out Alex has his own connection to a more recent war. Eastham's debut novel for young readers has already drawn comparisons with Michael Morpurgo, and it's easy to see why. Although this deals with some weighty subject matter, it possesses an admirable lightness of touch. The sense of unfolding mystery, and emotional charge, makes for an enthralling read, and mark Eastham out as a name to watch.