Böcker i Collins Big Cat-serien

A non-fiction, photographic picture book about the different parts of an oak tree and the creatures that live in its roots, trunk, bark, branches and leaves. The photographs and life-like illustrations answer the repeated question: 'Who lives...?'

The book reveals how castles were built, not only for people to live in, but also to keep enemies out. Detailed illustrations show the materials that were used and special precautions that were taken to ensure castles would provide adequate defence. Photographs show several examples of castles and castle remains that can still be visited today.

What makes a ball bounce? How is a football made? Children will find the answers to these, and more, questions about different types of balls in this fun instruction book. With a colourful combination of photos and artwork, it gives information on all kinds of balls and activities, such as how to juggle.

At Good Fun Farm, the animals are fed up. The sign says Good Fun Farm, but they never have any fun. Then the smallest duckling makes an interesting discovery. Soon everyone on the farm is having fun ... find out how.

A poor stone cutter who wished he was a rich man has his wish granted. He then keeps changing his wish, and each wish is granted. Finally he wishes himself back as he was at the start of the story.

An informative picture book that presents a larger-than-life look at the fly and explains that flies can be very useful - despite their capacity to carry germs and cause disease! The humorous cartoons, captivating photographs and informative captions provide a fascinating insight into this common and pesky insect.

There was once a woman who baked the best cakes in the whole world. The fairies loved her cakes. But they didn't want to buy them and the woman was far too clever to let anyone steal them. So the fairies decide to steal the cake-maker instead! What follows is a hilarious account of how the woman manages to escape the greedy fairies' clutches.

Far, far away, in deep, dark space, was a star. A tiny twinkle. But it was Star Boy's home. Star Boy lived there all alone, with only his robot, Ace, for company. And although Ace was fun to play with, he was just a robot. For his birthday, all Star Boy wanted was a surprise - but how could a robot think of a surprise?

Do you look forward to the annual cheese-rolling? Or have you taken part in a dragonboat race? Perhaps you have danced in the street as part of a big street carnival. All around the world people take part in traditions that might seem unusual, but are great fun for everyone who joins in! Find out about all these and more in this information book.

This unique persuasive text takes the form of a fictional holiday to Mars, presenting factual information about the red planet. The text draws comparisons between Earth and Mars, and considers aspects of space travel such as weightlessness and the lack of oxygen.

Walking through the forest one moonlit night, Buzz and his dog Bingo find a sign pointing to a Monster Party. It sounds like fun - but first they have to find their way through the Monster Maze, meeting Count Dracula, a werewolf, a troll and a mummy along the way.

The Pet Detective faces a special challenge when Kara's pet tortoise, Rocket, goes missing. Has the tortoise been squashed on a motorway? Eaten by a hungry goat? Chewed up by a dog? The Pet Detective follows the clues to find out what's happened.

When Buzz and Bingo went down to the woods one day, they got a big surprise! They met a charming prince, a big bad wolf, seven little men and an old woman. But where was the beautiful girl that every one was looking for? Children will enjoy spotting the familiar characters and plot changes as the traditional stories are skillfully woven together.

Find out lots of fascinating, mouth-watering facts about ice cream, including what it is made from, how it is made, and when people first ate it.

The Pet Detective has his work cut out when his favourite football goes missing. With his dog, Rooney, he sets out to follow the clues; an open window; a missing football; a dirty big footprint; a bubblegum wrapper and a rustle in the bushes. It isn't long before the Pet Detective has located the culprit.

How does a yo-yo climb back up its string? Why does a boomerang come back to you? And how does a kaleidoscope work? These and other mind-bending questions are answered in this explanation text about how toys work.

This is a non-fiction information book about Kim, who tells us about the location of her school. The book shows the exact whereabouts of Kim's classroom within her school, and then expands to locate her school in her city, country and the world. Illustrations include labelled photographs, simple maps, aerial maps and an image of the Earth.

Jodie loves to juggle - plates, oranges, anything! But his mum isn't so keen as Jodie has lots of 'accidents' when practising his skills. She'd rather Jodie played something less destructive, like football. Will she persuade Jodie to swap his juggling for football? And will Jodie the footballer be less accident-prone than Jodie the juggler?

Morris wants to eat his kitty biscuits, but his mother sends him off to play hide and seek instead. When it's Morris's turn to hide, he finds the perfect place: the food cupboard, where the kitty biscuits are kept!

The colourful photographs in this non-fiction recount demonstrates different ways of pushing and pulling through photographs taken in a children's playground, using swings, roundabouts and climbing frames and simple captions.

Collins Big Cat is a guided reading series for ages 4-11 edited by Cliff Moon. Top children's authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that your children will love to read, banded to help you choose the right book for every child. Practical ideas for guided reading are included at the back of each book.

The renowned children's writer Michael Morpurgo has written this vivid account of a child's stay at a farm, told in the form of letters home and illustrated with photographs of animals and children on location at the farm. Humorous and engaging, it conveys the fun and excitement of working closely with animals.

When a young girl adopts Harry the spider as her new pet, no one is very impressed - not Mum, not Dad, and certainly not her big brother (could it be that he's afraid of large, hairy spiders?)... But when Mum needs to go to the dentist and no one can find the car keys, Harry saves the day.

This book helps children identify different types of car by colour using simple, repetitive text which reinforces common colour words. Cars are shown both in close-up and in action in its surroundings, driving in the city, off the road or tearing around a Grand Prix circuit.

Sam the big, bad cat isn't feeling well. Tom wants to take him to the vet. Sam doesn't want to go, and finds a variety of hiding places to escape. Tom pursues him, getting more and more bedraggled in the process. Finally Tom goes to bed, leaving Sam - who is feeling much better - to enjoy a snack.

A humorous story featuring two whacky scientists building a robot. They assemble the robot carefully with each body part, but where is the head? In this simple text, each body part is named as it is added, and as the different parts are used, a repeated reply of thank you reinforces the phrase.

Open the door and see who is there: a cat in a hat, a fox in socks, a dog and a frog; and they all want to play! But the final visitor is not so welcome - a dinosaur - ROAR!

Kind Emma lives all alone in her little cottage by the wood, with no one to talk to. But one snowy night Emma hears a knock at her door, and a tiny voice asking for help. When she takes pity on the little thing at the door and gives it shelter and food, she finds that her whole life is changed - and she at last has a friend to talk to.

This picture story follows Granny's race against the clock. It's two o'clock and Granny has just one hour to reach her destination. As the minutes tick by, the story shows Granny's increasingly imaginative modes of transport, from skateboard to jet pack, before revealing why she is in such a hurry - it's her grandchild's birthday tea.

Tec the detective has found a hole in the ground - but who dug it? Children follow Tec as he trails his suspects, until he finds the vital clue that leads him to the guilty party!