Julia Donaldson's books, illustrated by Axel Scheffler, can be read early and last a long time. They have been on our shelf for four years, and the collection is constantly updated. A minimum of text, in verse, full-page illustrations. Each book is a complete story, but minor characters - all sorts of cats, dogs, birds - travel from book to book, and children rejoice every time they meet old acquaintances. All books were translated by Marina Boroditskaya. She translated it in such a way that the original loses to the translation, although both the form and the spirit of the original are conveyed very accurately. The Gruffalo and "Riding the Broomstick" have also been made into wonderful short cartoons - be sure to check them out.
