Item category 2: Picture books for older readers

Little Billy doesn't believe his mother's stories about all the monsters living in the wood, so he is easily tempted to go and see for himself. He doesn't find any Whangdoodles or Knigs, but the Gruncher who does chase him is even more terrifying.

Cartoon strip re-tellings of famous Charles Dickens works.

This collection of short animal tales by Joan Aiken has an ambience of ghostly backgrounds to give a richness of content to the elusive magic. The book includes a selection of her poems not previously published in Britain.

The Emperor of China has a marvellous palace, yet visitors say the loveliest thing of all is the song of the nightingale, that he has never heard. When he manages to get a nightingale he is enchanted, until he gets a mechanical nightingale. Will he realise in time the value of what is genuine?

Richly comic, earthy, colourful, The Canterbury Tales is the greatest narrative poem in the English language. This selection contains seven of the most popular tales retold in lively prose, making them accessible to today's children.

The Story Giant has spent centuries gathering every story known to human kind. But one story is missing, which has eluded him for thousands of years. In a last attempt to track down this lost tale, he draws four children into his castle while they sleep to exchange their culture's tales.

This is a classic story which encourages us to tumble, bump and bounce through each page alongside the rabbit. As he journeys from Christmas stocking to nursery to forests, losing bits of tail and whisker on the way, he finally learns what it means to be loved.

In this retelling, Britain's legendary King Arthur and the tales surrounding him are viewed from the perspectives of the women at his court. They drive the Camelot story through love, hate, intrigue, enchantment and tragedy.