Kids book club – January

0-4 years
Big Bear, Little Brother
Carl Norac / Kristin Oftedal
9780230016842
£5.99

It's enough to make you nostalgic about the snow. In expansive Arctic wastes, a lumbering polar bear comes to the rescue of a little boy who's in danger. At first the two of them are very wary of each other, but they quickly strike up a firm bond of friendship. Just as well, too, as the storm's getting worse and they'll need to stick together. On top of which, hunters are on the prowl. From an acclaimed Norwegian writer-illustrator team, this is really gorgeous to look at - precise line drawings within endless acres of white. It's deceptively simple stuff, with a gentle, zen-like pace and big life lessons to impart. Plus, who doesn't love polar bears?

4-6 years
The Story of the Little Mole - Sound Book!
Werner Holzwarth / Wolf Erlbruch
9781843651321
£12.99

A new, souped-up edition of a modern classic - to give it its full title, The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it Was None of his Business. If you're not familiar with it already, the tale opens with the titular mole pushing his head above ground only for something unsavoury to drop on him. At this point first-time readers are likely to be wondering 'surely that can't be what I think it is?' Oh yes. The mole sets off investigating which of his fellow animals can have brought forth this stinky little gift. In the end, he even follows suit on the perpetrator. Children, of course, think this is absolutely hilarious - and now this version has the added allure of a sound effects button, so each animals’ doings has his own distinctive electronic noise, ranging from 'plippety- plop' to 'kersplosh' and, um, 'pling'. It's all far more sweet and engaging than it sounds. It's even educational... in its own peculiar way. Mostly, though, it's just very, very funny.

6-8 years
The Giant Jam Sandwich
John Vernon Lord / Janet Burroway
9781849413442
£5.99

Another reissued classic, this time of a 1972 picture-book which lurks fondly in the memory of generations of readers but which has been out of print for many years. Written entirely in nimble rhyme form, it concerns the little town of Itching Down, upon which one summer a plague of wasps descends. When all else fails, the townsfolk concoct a highly unorthodox plan - to bake a massive loaf of bread, and make the king of all jam sandwiches to trap the pests. It's a big operation that requires the whole town to work together. Though rarely cited in official lists as some big perennial favourite, our customers have been know to buy handfuls of copies of this, quite literally, such is the affection in which people hold it. It's bright, daft and instantly memorable - think The Archers as scripted by Spike Milligan. The stylised, technicolor illustrations are like a little slice of the 70s in your hand, and today's children will simply respond to a rollocking contemporary fairy story.

9-12 years
Shadow
Michael Morpurgo
9780007339594
£12.99

Morpurgo is one of Britain's leading children's authors. A one-time Children's Laureate, his books such as War Horse and Private Peaceful are fast becoming standards for young readers. He has a particular knack of telling stories featuring animals - always appealing to young readers - but which deal with gritty scenarios, like a neatly sugared pill. This time out, Shadow is a stray springer spaniel in war-torn modern Afghanistan. He's taken in by young Amam and his mother, who are hiding out in a cave. He becomes their trusty companion on a complex, epic trek far away from the conflict to safety in Manchester. The issues might be meaty, but in the tellling Morpurgo makes this a clear, focused story anchored in character, about a child and his pet fighting for survival in a hazardous landscape, using simple, accessible language to tell an enthralling yarn.