The blue, Belgian community-dwelling cartoon characters can only reach a maximum height the equivalent of three crab apples but have made an enormous cultural impact with their own comic books, television series, music career, films and computer games

. Adapted again and again as an animation, film, stage play and television series, Kenneth Grahame’s story, which afforded the wildlife human characteristics, brings themes of friendship and morality to children’s books.Buy The Wind In The Willows

The Snowman Sound Book by Raymond Briggs (Puffin, £6.99)So powerful were Briggs’ illustrations and so evocative was the music in the animated film that it is easy to forget that this classic children’s story is told only in pictures. Here, Briggs

books and watching movies which tweak real life and make it magical and quirky. The french film Amelie is a real favourite of mine. Not only does it look beautiful, I like the way the world is presented. It’s real, yet unreal at the same time. I think

and rips it to shreds and arranges it in her bed like it’s a collage. And I think Lucy Locket was once a very famous film star but is now in retirement! Characters in the book seem to have descriptive/straightforward names e.g. Mr and Mrs Shinyshoes

on as the warped fun unravels. A glorious celebration of children’s books. 88The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien HarperCollins, £6.99 (first published 1937) Long before the blockbuster films, Tolkien’s fantasy series had legions of fans old and young. The Hobbit