The Boy and the Dog Tree by Fiona Wood illustrated by Judy Watson

"You desire to know why I have come to you. It is simply this: when called upon by a child in need I emerge from the tree ... Your sadness and fears called me. .... You await the return of your parents and fear for their safety. You are tormented daily by your enemy."

Begin with the title. The boy - his name is Mitch. The Dog Tree. There is a tree in the bushland behind gran's house that looks, well a little, like a dog. Mitch loves dogs. He has wanted one his whole life. He also loves this tree. Climbing the tree after he and his sister move in with Gran, he makes a wish that will change his life and help him adjust to the complex challenges and changes in his life.

Characters:

Mitch is unhappy about moving to a new city - Sydney to Melbourne. He is worried about fitting in at a new school. He desperately misses his parents who are overseas shooting a movie. And all he has ever wanted is a dog - a dog of his own. 

Mitch has a fantastic younger sister named Regi. I love the way her personality is totally the opposite of Mitch and yet he has no resentment about this. 

Gran is also wonderful. She is a scientist but I was entirely wrong about her reaction to Mitch's story about the arrival of his dog and I cheered over the scene where she meets Argos. Gran is also, and I love this discovery, a fantastic cook. 

Dido is a great friend. She understands the dynamics of the peer group and is also brave enough to help Mitch (spoiler alert) when he needs help to rescue Argos.

Argos has lived many lives. He has a delightful formal and old-fashioned way of speaking. He uses words like 'tarry not'; 'twas upon a platter'; and 'thus do I know'. He is also very wise and of course a truly loyal friend. "Mitch could name a hundred dog breeds, but he'd never seen anything quite like this wild, majestic creature. ... It was a bit like a wolfhound, but more solid. Fur as black as liquorice, tanged and long. Up on its hind legs it would tower over the tallest of men." Argos also makes a couple of very astute comments about adults and their use of mobile phones! He also smells wonderful. 

Seb Anders is the class bully. If you have encountered bullies in other books be warned Seb is among the worst. He takes every opportunity to taunt and hurt Mitch. There is an early scene in the book where Seb takes Mitch's lunch box and he tips everything into the dirt and then stomps on the food. 

Ms Zwerger their teacher has decided the class will live 'unplugged'. Such a terrific idea. You will enjoy reading about the activities she sets her class. 

I feel so very lucky to have read this book a few weeks before it is due to be released (3rd March). Huge thanks to Gleebooks Kids for entrusting me with an advance reader copy of The Boy and the Dog Tree. I know it is early in 2026 but I am going to predict this book will be devoured by young readers aged 9+ and it surely will be selected as a 2027 CBCA Younger Readers Notable title - YES it is THAT GOOD.

Bookseller blurb: Magical. Whimsical. Wild. This exceptional middle-grade novel about the special bond between a boy and his dog will set your heart free.

'So, are you my dog?' Mitch asked, in a whisper.

'No,' said Argos. 'But you are my boy. For a time.'

Mitch's life has been uprooted. Instead of the whole family moving to a new city, Mitch and his sister are staying with their gran, while their parents have been delayed working on other side of the world. He's struggling to fit in at school, with the resident Grade Five bully picking on him. The one thing that would make his life better is a dog, if only he could persuade his parents. Then Mitch discovers an old oak tree that seems to ... growl. And one night, a huge, strange dog-like creature emerges from the trunk. His name is Argos. He has been bound in the tree by 'history, mystery, magic and chance', and he is here, for a time, to help Mitch find his way. But being different can be dangerous, especially for a wild and wilful beast like Argos ... While at first Mitch looks to Argos for friendship and protection, there comes a time he must stand up for this magical creature who has changed him forever. A heart-lifting tale of friendship, courage and belonging by three-time CBCA Award-winning author Fiona Wood.

It was wonderful read that Mitch is a boy who is 'allowed' to express his emotions:

"When he was as high up as he could go and settled in a comfortable crook (of the tree) he let himself cry. This was quite the year of crying. He had honestly expected to be crying less as he got older not more. These days he cried because of how he felt ... In the categories of crying, today was a simple hold-it-together-all-day-then-let-it-out cry. It didn't last long and he felt much better afterwards."

UQP have some excellent teacher notes and discussion questions to use with The Boy and the Dog Tree including suggesting students could research the names Argos; Calliope; and Ceberus. 

The teachers notes list all these themes for The Boy and the Dog Tree: 

• Friendship 

• Belonging 

• Confidence 

• Courage 

• Compassion 

• Integrity  

• Loyalty  

• Perspective 

• Prejudice 

• Bullying 

• Magic 

• Dogs

I am not usually a fan of endorsements but Peter Carnavas is SO right when he says: ‘A beautiful book, filled with courage, magic and a huge ancient dog to wrap your arms – and your heart – around.’

I was interested to read an interview sent to me by UQP with the author Fiona Wood (she previously has won the Older Readers category in CBCA Book of the Year Awards for Wildlife; Cloudwish; and Take Three Girls). She says her inspiration for her middle grade book came from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis; Five Children and It by E Nesbitt; and her first encounter with a magical tree was The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. As I read The Boy and the Dog tree I also thought of another classic - Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce. 

"The genesis of this story was an old oak tree whose trunk was gnarled into a shape that reminded me of a dog. Every time I walked past it, I wondered when, how and why a dog - or the spirit of a dog - might be trapped within the tree."

Companion books:

One Dog and His Boy

The eyes and the Impossible

Elf Dog and Owl Head

A Different Dog

Talking to Alaska

The Hounds of Penhallow Hall

The Dream Dog

The issue of bullies looms large in this book. I appreciated the way Fiona Wood gives her readers a small glimpse into why Seb might behave like this in the scene where we witness the actions of his mother the Mayor but she doesn't 'reform' or 'redeem' him. Please note some of these books below contain confronting scenes of bullying and are intended for an older audience:

Swashbuckler

The Night Bus hero

The Truth as told to Mason Buttle

Running my own race

Chapter 39 has a tender scene where Mitch thinks about the time his dad helped him overcome his fear of the dark. I know this is a picture book for younger children but I immediately thought of this favourite:

Martin Waddell

And the scene (sorry another spoiler) when the family go to the dog home or rescue centre is sure to remind you of this classic Australian picture book:

Let's get a Pup

Ark in the Park by Wendy Orr illustrated by Kerry Millard

"But every night, Mr and Mrs Noah wished one impossible wish - they wished they had grandchildren."

"Sophie's mother and father came from a country a long way away and Sophie did not have grandparents or aunts and uncles to visit. She did not have cousins to call on the phone or visit on holidays."

Sophie lives in a busy family. Mum and Dad have to go to work, and they are also juggling twin toddlers. Sophie lives near a large park but to get there she has to cross a busy road. Notice that word - busy. The road is busy and mum and dad are too busy to take Sophie across to the park. Why does she want to go there? Because - well take a look at the title of this book. There is an ark in the park. How can there be an ark? What is an ark? Is this in any way connected with the person called Noah? And of course, does the ark have anything to do with animals?

Yes - is the answer to nearly all of these questions. Mr and Mrs Noah live and actually built a ship like an ark and it is in the park. It is their home of course but it is also a pet shop with seven different levels or decks. The animals are pets not wild jungle animals such as elephants. There are dogs, cats, birds, some tortoises and even a deck for snakes. 

Mr and Mrs Noah do not have any children and that is a sadness but now that they are quite old what they would really love is some grandchildren.

I guess you have "joined the story dots".  Sophie is lonely. Sophie lives near the park. Is there a way they all can meet?

For her birthday Sophie asks mum and dad to take her to the park. She has been watching the ark from her apartment window, and she knows it is a curious place, but she has no idea how this visit will change her life, change the lives of Mr and Mrs Noah and even help her mum and dad find their own welcoming place in the community. 

There is one of those little street libraries near my house. I often walk past on my way back from shopping. Today I spied Ark in the Park. I first read this in 1994 and even though that is now thirty years ago the story lingered with me. Listen to an audio sample here from chapter 2. 

The magic of getting what you wish for is told in graceful prose full of gentleness and whimsy; the beguiling line drawings are full of amusing details that invite closer scrutiny, especially as they work their way in and out of the text. Satisfying and most charming. Kirkus 

Ark in the Park won the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Younger Readers in 1995. I am thrilled to see there are copies still available but if you are reading this in 2024 I suggest you will need to act very quickly. This heavily reduced price makes me think this online supplier will have limited stock. It is sad that here in Australia our award winners are so rarely reprinted. My copy from the street library is not in very good shape but I will gift it to a young reader who has just finished her first year of school - I am certain she will enjoy this easy chapter book and I think she will also love the lively pen illustrations by Kerry Millard.

See more books by Wendy Orr here. Here is a Q&A with Wendy Orr from 2012. I was thrilled to read she loved Rumer Godden as a child - me too!

POST UPDATE: Here is Wendy Orr's reply to my Instagram post:

I am so thrilled to have Ark in the Park coming out as an audiobook on Dec 12 and available for pre-order now, from Audible or Blackstone Audio. Huge thanks to Robert Hart for the audio production and narration tips, and to @sarah_bacaller of Thrive Audio for reaching out, producing and organising things. Here are the covers for its print editions, with the original cover art (and internals) done by Kerry Millard. This book is very special to me; it came straight from the heart and my memories of being a child in a foreign country and desperately wanting grandparents like my friends had. It was one of the first books I wrote, and knowing nothing about the rules of getting published, I just wrote it at the length and format as it appeared to me - so it had a lot of rejections! Finally I sent it to @cathiebooks, who was then at HarperCollins - her attitude was that nothing else was being published at that length - 3000 words - so let’s start doing it! It took several years and finally came out in 1994, winning Australian CBC book of the year in 95 and being shortlisted for many American awards.

Wendy Orr shared this audio version of Ark in the Park which has (I think) just been released with Wendy Orr herself as the narrator.  And here are some editions in other languages - some of these are still in print. I think the title of the Japanese version translates as Sophie's Wish. Wendy told me it is unlikely the English edition of Ark in the Park will ever be reprinted. 

To Greenland by Pip Smith illustrated by Beau Wylie

"It's alright,' Lewyn said, 'let's go on, let's persist, we can't quit just because Greenland doesn't exist!' But how would the three of them know where to find a country seen only inside Ellie's mind?"

Lewlyn Sylvester meets an elephant - a green elephant. He is green because he has just returned from Greenland. In Greenland he has seen the most marvelous things - jellyfish lights, ice cream hills and cottages made from chocolate pies. 

The world of Lewlyn Sylvester is so dull. No colour and no excitement. Lewlyn heads over to the zoo to talk to Ellie (the green elephant). 

"I'm sorry for doubting your story so far. I'd love to see Greenland, but I don't have a car."

Lewlyn climbs onto his elephant friend, and they head off across the outback, then over to the coast, across the ocean to arrive at the equator where they are stopped and told they need to fly. Luckily an eel arrives with a small sailing boat. And so their journey continues across the ocean until the arrive on a shore. But is this really Greenland? And if it is not the place of their dreams, what can they do?

"Would you like to visit the land of your dreams? Where hats can be boats, and eels sell ice-creams? I'll turn out the light, tuck you in, shut the door. Close your eyes, are you ready? One two three ... four!"

The final page (which might shock or surprise or puzzle you) made me think of these books:

A house for Wombats

The journey feels little like the famous Lewis Carroll poem - the Hunting of the Snark. 

So much care has gone into the design of this book. It has interesting end papers which are sure to be terrific discussion starters. Extra money has been spent to include green foil on the cover. The way the partial view of the elephant is seen to be marching forward is the perfect invitation to open this book and discover more. 

The illustrations early in the book reminded me of The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan. There are charming extra details inside the emerald igloo such as a train in a bottle, a deep diving helmet, a world map and a pair of skis – all icons of an adventurous explorer. Turning the elephant’s hat upside down is reminiscent of the umbrella Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers. There are also some very clever nods to Dr Suess. 

The word play is such fun – Gator Keeper, Ellie Phant and the eel deal. I love the images of ice cream cones when they construct Greenland. Food used this way reminded me of War and Peas by Michael Foreman. There are so many layers to this story which means it will be appreciated across a range of ages. The page turns add drama and suspense. The messages of wonder and dreaming, of teamwork and perseverance, and the rewards of a community working together are very worthwhile. Even though the rhyme is uneven (I suggest you practice before reading this book aloud to a group of children), I do like the rich word choices. This book celebrates imagination and special friends. The ending is funny and unexpected. Share this book with children aged 6+.

You can see Beau Wylie's quirky art style on his web page here. Scroll down to see illustrations from To Greenland. Click to see an image of Beau painting his green elephant. 

Pip Smith is a novelist, poet, songwriter and children’s author based in Sydney. Her critically acclaimed first novel, Half Wild, was published by Allen & Unwin in 2017, and her first collection of poetry, Too Close for Comfort, won the inaugural Helen Anne Bell Poetry Bequest Award in 2013.

In the end, the hodgepodge group meets a happy ending, proving the importance of teamwork and how communities can work together to make their dreams a reality. Books and Publishing

To Greenland! is an enchanting picture book about the power of the imagination and a tribute to the adage that ‘the journey is more important than the destination.’ Its themes include friendship, teamwork, and persistence. Wylie’s illustrations and Smith’s text are equally divine and work together beautifully. The narrative is written in playful rhyming couplets, and the stunning whimsical artwork appears on single and double-page spreads. The monotone endpapers are compelling and a great talking point. To Greenland! is highly recommended for an audience aged 5 years and older. This talented author and illustrator team are also the creators of the picture book Theodore the Unsure, published in 2019. Buzz Words

Sidney makes a Wish by Lisa Thompson illustrated by Jess Rose

The books from the series Little Gems are gems - in this one Sidney seems to have lost his friend. Billy is now more interested in Austin and poor little Sidney is left on his own at school.  

One morning Sidney discovers an old wishing well. His mum explains how they work. 

"When I was little, I threw a penny into the well and made a wish ... 'Did your wish come true?' Sidney asked."

Sidney gathers four coins and each day for four days he closes his eyes, makes a wish and tosses his coin in to the well. 

"He felt a little tingle in his toes, and he grinned. The wish must have worked!"

Sidney wishes for a trampoline then Billy could come around and play and then "Billy would think that Sidney was the BEST friend in the world."

Sadly this wish does not work. Next Sidney wishes for an ice cream machine. If he had an ice cream machine he could invite Billy over and they could eat delicious ice cream and be "best friends forever". Alas there is no ice cream machine in the kitchen when Sidney arrives home. And the next day the robot dog he wanted is not there either. Is the wishing well broken?  

While all of this has been happening a new girl called Carrie has been watching Sidney and Carrie's dad and Sidney's mum have begun to form a friendship. Can you guess the real wish and how it does come true just not in the way Sidney would ever have expected.

Read this review from Just Imagine:

The book offers lots of opportunities to discuss how children feel when someone doesn’t want to play with them or is unkind to them. It also shows children who may have behaved like Billy what impact that might have had on others.

Here is the web site for Lisa Thompson. I have previously talked about Goldfish Boy.

The Witchling's Wish by Lu Fraser illustrated by Sarah Massini

Publisher blurb: The Little Witchling lives alone in her mountain top and more than anything else, she wishes for a friend. So, when her spell-book tells her that the secret ingredient is the fur from a little girl's favourite teddy, she knows what she must do. But the teddy belongs to Lily, who can't bear to part with him. Will the Little Witchling give up her dream of a real friend? Or just maybe, is there a way for her and Lily to make the wish come true, together?

Over the last two years I have read over 400 picture books in my role as a Children's Book of Australia Book of the Year judge (Picture Book and New Illustrator).  We were sent lots of books with stories told in rhyme and so many of them were unsuccessful. I highly recommend reading this article:

Do you control the verse, or does the verse control you? by Michelle Robinson

I am so pleased to read a book with an appealing rhyme - a rhyme and story that are sure to appeal to your young reading companion - aged 4+. Here is a video by Bloomsbury of the whole book. 

Kirkus agree: Friendship stories aren’t new, but this sweet British import, told in lively verses that scan well, will find a receptive audience.

Companion book (very sadly this gem is long out of print):

Little Big Feet

I have previously mentioned Sarah Massini:

Star in the Jar

The Little Prince

Here are some other books by Lu Fraser - I had added them to my "to read" list. 

Due for publication mid 2023

The Three Wishes by Anthony Browne

A new book from Anthony Browne - hooray! On the cover we have three chimp children sitting on a lounge and the light seems to give the scene a glow reminiscent of the light from a television. And yes as we read on the children are sitting on their lounge watching TV. Is it significant that there are three of them? The scene also looks like a stage play with the large curtains you can see on the sides. Turn to the end papers which are filled with (as you might expect from Anthony Browne) bananas. On the back cover we see the TV and the rest of those red curtains. 

And as you turn more pages you will find them filled with so many of his trademark illustrations including the television on the title page which I think I've seen previously in Piggy Book. I need to check this. Later you will see wall paper which reminded me of Bear Hunt. And of course you will recognise Anthony Browne's icon lounge chairs and bananas. 

Our three siblings are named Lambert, Hilda and Ros. I just knew young Ros would be the hero of the story but I did not anticipate quite how this would work out. As the youngsters watch the TV a blue fairy steps out of the screen. She grants them three wishes and then she disappears.

Be careful what you wish for ...

Look a little more closely at the cover. The 'i' of wishes is a banana skin and young Ros is wearing a sweater patterned with bananas. 

My favourite part of this book is not the outcome of the wishes or the solution to their enormous problem but the quiet wisdom of Ros (I told you she was a hero) when she makes this suggestion early in the story when the Lambert wants to change the TV channel but Hilda says no.

"Well' said Ros, 'we could turn the TV off and do something else. Maybe we could go outside?"

It is interesting that the fairy in this book is blue - it reminded me of The Blue Fairy Book of 1889 which I now discover does contain the story of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp which is of course a quintessential wishes story. 

Here are a few questions you could use when you discuss this book with a group of children:

There are three children and three wishes - did you expect them to share the wishes? Why or why not?

From the early pages of the book where we meet Lambert, Hilda and Ros what do you think about their personalities? Which of these three would you like to be your friend and why?

Lambert didn't actually use the words "I wish" - do you think it is unfair - Lambert says "I didn't know that would count as a wish ... That's not fair."  

Hilda has a very strong reaction to the disaster. She calls Lambert a fool - is this helpful? Why do you think she reacted this way? 

How do you feel about Ros's decision to help Lambert?

Is their floor rug a magic carpet? Why is this significant?

My own favourite Anthony Brown books are the Willy books, Bear Hunt, Through the Magic Mirror, Knock knock who's there, Piggybook, The Tunnel and Kirsty Knows Best. 

Billy Miller makes a Wish by Kevin Henkes

"When Sal had told him that Mr Tooley had died, Billy thought that it was his fault because of the wish he'd made. The world - including himself - had seemed to shift and unravel, to dissolve into a million pieces. And, now, just like that, everything had come back into place, into focus. Billy felt steady again. Solid. He felt like a normal eight-year-old boy."

I am getting ahead of myself with this quote but I just wanted to share these sentences which hopefully allow you to read and hear the delightful way Kevin Henkes expresses his ideas.

Here are the opening sentences of Billy Miller makes a Wish: "When Billy Miller blew out the eight candles on his birthday cake, he made a wish. He wished something exciting would happen."

Something does happen but perhaps this is not the kind of excitement Billy anticipated. An ambulance and police car arrive in Billy's street. His elderly neighbour Mr Tooley has sadly died. Billy is wracked with guilt. Did his innocent wish cause this terrible event? 

It is the summer holidays and when school returns Billy will move from the comfort and security of second grade up to grade three which Billy is sure will be filled with huge kids and frightening teachers. For now, though, Billy and his sister are at home with their mother and father enjoying every day activities. Billy is kind to his little sister Sal but she can be a handful. One of the best presents Billy is given for his birthday is a huge set of fifty deluxe markers. Sal is desperate to use them but Billy knows she won't be careful and all of his fears are realised when Sal uses the markers to copy the butterfly tattoos she has seen the legs of their mail carrier. This is a small thing perhaps but at the same time it is a very realistic family disaster. This story is filled with tiny incidents like this - tiny family dramas, all seen though the sweetly innocent voice of Billy. 

One aspect of the writing in this book that really appealed to me is the way Kevin Henkes references our senses:

"He got a T-shirt with a bat printed on it ... the shirt smelled new. Billy repeatedly pulled the shirt up, buried his face in it, and inhaled deeply."

"Billy smelled his soccer ball the way he'd smelled his shirt. It, too, smell new. And it looked new - the white parts were so white. And it felt new - smooth and shiny and polished."

"When he finally breathed normally, he realised that Mr Tooley's house smelled like the old fashioned hardware store with creaky floors that Papa liked to shop at. It was a good smell."

"The basement was the coolest place in the house. Billy could feel the temperature change as he walked down the stairs. He went up and down a few times just to feel the sensation. It was like magic."

"The warm night air felt like a blanket of softness. All around the trees were dark, like a border hemming the sky. It seemed to Billy that the day had been a long one - it felt like a year. And it seemed as if Papa had been gone forever."

The other delight that comes from reading this book is the way Mama reacts to every 'disaster'. Her good sense and patience just made me sigh with happiness. After the butterfly marker pen incident Mama says:

"Well, ... we'll do a little scrubbing. Maybe a lot. Don't worry." 'Will it hurt?' asked Sal. 'No,' said Mama. 'Will there be a happy ending?' asked Sal. Mama smiled. 'Yes."

"He felt the weight of Mama's hands on his shoulders and he somehow knew that everything would be okay."

I also enjoyed the tiny moments of tension in the story - anticipating Sal getting her hands on Mama's old letters for example. Sal is very keen to deliver mail in their street and Mama is a little distracted.

The events of this book take place over just a few days when Papa is away at his art camp. I like to think that Papa is really Kevin Henkes himself!  

Henkes’s phenomenal ability to tap directly into the hopes, fears, and annoyances of an eight-year-old boy with beautiful clarity make this not only relatable for young readers, but for adults as well ... the laugh-out-loud antics of his little sister Sal make this a darling addition to early middle grade collections for most libraries. School Library Journal

Full of heart and depth. Kirkus Star review

I feel as though I have had this book on my to read list for years and years so when I embarked on a long (12 hour) train journey last week this was the first book I opened on my iPad. I loved every reading moment. 

The way Billy Miller makes a Wish focuses on small everyday events made me think of this quote from Max by Bob Graham. 

"Let's call him a small hero doing quiet deeds. The world needs more of those."

Billy Miller makes a Wish can stand alone but I highly recommend you look for the first instalment.

The Year of Billy Miller

Christmas is coming to Australia read Rain for Christmas

Many of us here in Australia know this second stanza of this famous poem by Dorothea Mackellar:

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of droughts and flooding rains.

Rain for Christmas

Rain for Christmas, like the book from yesterday - Applesauce and the Christmas Miracle - explores our harsh climate and frequent natural (and man-made) disasters through a Christmas story. In our book today, as the title implies, it is a time of extreme drought. In the rural setting, beautifully painted by Wayne Harris, you will see a parched landscape where the grass looks like tall stalks of straw.

Here are a few text quotes to give you a flavour of this book:

"That Christmas was smack in the middle of the driest, hottest, summer anyone could remember."

Santa speaking - "Eureka! I've got it! We can take a giant snowball to Australia."

"Three times round the moon they flew, faster and faster and faster until the snowball burst into a million sparkling pieces, sending tiny fragments of glittering ice tumbling slowly down towards the earth."

This book might also make you think of the song Six White Boomers. 

Rain for Christmas was published in 1989 so it is long out of print.  Thank goodness the publisher (Cambridge University Press) used really good paper for this book. I have a second hand copy which looks as new as the day it was printed. Back in the 1980s and 1990s publishers produced books like this which are halfway between a picture book which usually has 32 pages and books like this which are longer and have more text than a picture book but with lots of terrific illustrations. These books could be described as larger sized junior novels. I do hope you can find a copy of Rain for Christmas to enjoy with your family this year even though here in my part of Australia we have actually had a very rainy start to summer.

Richard Tulloch is the author of several books (and some terrific plays) which I enjoyed sharing with classes who visited my school library - Danny in the Toybox illustrated by Armin Greder; and Cocky Colin from the Solo series.  I think Rain for Christmas might have been his first book.

Wayne Harris is the illustrator of these books:

I mentioned the larger sized junior illustrated novels of the 1980s and 1990s.  If you are curious about this format your school library might still have copies of books like Thing by Robin Klein; Birk the Berserker also by Robin Klein; The Extradordinary magics of Emma McDade by Libby Hathorn; Paolo's Secret also by Libby Hathorn; One night at Lotties House by Max Dann; and from the UK the original edition of Jeremiah in the Dark Woods by Allan Ahlberg.