The importance of family and family support is also shown throughout the book which can open discussions with the children. Grandma Nan is no ordinary Grandma – she goes on adventures, canoes and lives in a log cabin – and Big Sky Mountain is beyond anything Rosa, a young city girl, could fathom. With immersive short descriptions, maps and illustrations, this is an exciting and easy-to-read nature story that will appeal to children reading chapter books for the first time. Read our full review. Happy Families is a British children's television series made in the late 1980s based on the Happy Families series of books by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. Happy Families ran for two series, 24 episodes in all (since each story was split over two episodes), and was shown on Children's BBC in 1989 and 1990. A charming and heart-warming story about Alan and Bertram, who live next door to each other. Both seem to have something missing in their lives and are brought together in a clever ending – despite their different personalities – through Bertram’s cat Pierre. There are lots of discussion points for KS1&2 PSHE – how to compromise, how to respect each other’s differences, and how to find happiness; and the simple and effective character descriptions are ideal to explore in KS1 literacy lessons. Art teachers will see lots of opportunities to inspire pastel work using the illustrations as an impetus.

A magical picture book, with few words, where naughty frogs fly on magic lily pads to surprise people in all sorts of unexpected ways. Incredible artwork makes this an ideal year 2 book for imaginative storytelling, especially with emerging readers. Could you choose between the Land of Birthdays and the Land of Toys? This is a classic and captivating story set in a magical land. Suitable for very independent year 2 readers, or perfect to read aloud to a class in storytime over a couple of weeks, this is a useful book to inspire imaginative ideas for writing.

Allan Ahlberg was born on 5th June 1938 in Croydon. Allan and his wife, Janet Ahlberg, worked together for 20 years creating many children's books, including picture books, before Janet passed away in 1994. Allan wrote the stories while Janet illustrated them. The cast played several different characters throughout the series with many recurring roles for the main cast including Milton Johns, Annette Badland and Elizabeth Estensen.

Throughout my younger years I have read them all. Each and every one of them was a joy to read. Mrs Wobble the Waitress is my younger sister's favourite book of the series, so I decided to re-read it and then write a review. There is no doubt that wobble is a great word to repeat over and over again. Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble! Ahlberg wrote his first book when he was thirty-seven, after a decade of teaching - a profession that he maintains is "much harder" than being a writer. He says that if he hadn't become a writer, he would have loved to be a soccer player. He was married for many years to fellow children's author Janet Ahlberg, with whom he often worked. Their daughter, Jessica Ahlberg, is also a children's author.Possibly the most evil teacher in the world gets her comeuppance in style thanks to Junkyard, Pencil and Spider, who come up with a cunning plan. This fun story with short chapters and rich language works well as a year 2 class reader or a read-aloud for the end of the day.

Janet and Allan Ahlberg's Happy Families series is full of wonderful and funny books, perfect for children learning to read. This new, bigger, edition means that even younger children can enjoy the stories. Look out for Mr Biff the Boxer, too!

Babar, an elephant, escapes from hunters by travelling to the city, where he learns a lot. On his return to the forest, he is crowned King of the Elephants. A great easy reader book for Year 2 pupils. A fun and engaging story about a lion who just wants to thank the villagers for feeding him – only for chaos to ensue. Beautifully illustrated in pen and ink. A classic picture book, and ideal for independent or paired reading in year 2.