Short Stories

First Reading” series, based on an African folktale and part of the “Usborne Reading Programme”. It is aimed at children who are beginning to read. Anansi, King of the Spiders, is given a bag of wisdom to share but selfishly decides to keep it for himself. But can he carry it up to his secret hiding place without dropping it?

Animal Stories has a new 5-minute tale for every day of the week! Discover 7 tales about lions, penguins, owls and more!

Young readers will welcome the return of Alfie, the lovable bear cub, who first made his appearance in When will it be Spring?.

In this stunning picture book, Richard Jones’ enchanting illustrations sensitively depict each stage of life and the journey of transformation that we undergo as we grow up.

Badger and friends are enjoying a glorious day in the warm summer sun when they discover the stream has run dry! Badger has a plan to find water, but the journey will be long, hot and hard. Can the friends find water before it’s too late?

Little children everywhere will love this exciting, new tale of rescue, courage and friendship! The sequel to best-loved Badger and the Great Storm, this heart-warming picture book celebrates creativity and the values of being resourceful, kind, and helpful to others.

Badger and the Great Storm is a warm and touching tale of friendship, courage and new beginnings. With gently humorous illustrations from Caroline Pedler (Don’t Wake the Bear, Hare! and There’s No Such Thing as Monsters!), it’s the perfect book for sharing with children.

A snuggly collection of 7 short bedtime stories that you can treasure together.

Doctor Foster Went to Gloucester A hilarious retelling of the classic nursery rhyme, specially written for beginner readers and accompanied by humorous illustrations. Doctor Foster is off on his rounds. But wherever he goes, the weather always seems to cause him problems! How will his eventful tour end?

Fox and Stork are friends but Fox can’t resist playing tricks. When he invites Stork to dinner, there’s sneaky surprise in store. This lively retelling of the classic Aesop’s fable has easy-to-read text and fun puzzles to try after the story.

A retelling of an Indian folktale about a time when elephants could fly…but flying elephants can mean big trouble!

The traditional tale retold for beginner readers ready to tackle slightly more complicated storylines and sentence structures. The King has a secret. He has donkey’s ears! But when he tells the barber his secret, it surely can’t be a secret for long…

Little Miss Muffet is in for a surprise – a great big spider wants to join her picnic! A charming extended version of the classic nursery rhymes specially written for beginner readers ready to tackle more complicated storylines and sentence structures.