Brilliant books for kids that adults will also enjoy

Mr Bear cannot sleep: Mrs Bear is snoring, Baby Bear is pretending to be an aeroplane and the clock's ticking has become beyond the bounds of human/bear endurance. . . This book is a bona fide classic, first published forty-five years ago, with exceptional illustrations readers of all ages will enjoy. Children will love the recognisable noises, repetition and the amusing denouement as Mr Bear finally manages to fall asleep approximately three minutes before his alarm clock goes off. Grown ups will love giving children and nearby adult snorers side-eye as they read, and the catharsis that comes from having your sleep-deprived reality acknowledged (through the medium of bears). 

The ending of this book makes me hoot with laughter and my son gasp in (fascinated and slightly thrilled) horror. It is genuinely laugh out loud hilarious throughout and great fun to read aloud. I like really to ham it up as the young narrator, an underappreciated, some might say thwarted, creative genius inspired by all around him: socks, the contents of the fridge, the cat. His mum, sadly, seems rather less keen on his creations ("where I see A Window to the World, my mum sees A Hole in the Wall"). How can he bring her round? This clever book brilliantly and anarchically celebrates creativity and the joy of expression whilst also very neatly suggesting that it's probably not a great idea to draw all over the walls.

This is a very silly, very funny story told entirely through dialogue, as Albert relates to his dad the recent dramatic events that led to the house being in such a mess. His increasingly eccentric and surprising explanation is the real appeal here so I don't want to give too much away but safe to say it involves a goose that wants to take over the world and a secret agent dog, and is obviously all made up. . . isn't it? It's the follow up to Where Has All the Cake Gone? (which I also love).

There are lots of great details, in-jokes and 'Easter eggs' to spot in this book within a book within a book within a book within a book, meaning that grown up readers will also get something new from it each time, even on the fifteenth go. Charlie Cook is reading a book about a pirate captain, who is reading a book about Goldilocks, who is reading about a knight, who is reading about a frog . . . The slightly meta concept is entertaining for adults and unusual and surprising for kids. 

Rabbit gets out a book from the library to learn more about wolves. Unfortunately, through the act of reading Rabbit somehow manifests a real wolf, which makes its way out of the pages just as Rabbit gets to the section on what wolves like to eat. . . But don't worry everyone, this is just a harmless work of fiction. Right? Emily Gravett's debut picture book features a beautiful mix of stunning illustrations and collage, and is full of dark humour, akin to that of Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back. It's also ingeniously self-referential in a way that's sophisticated and witty enough that adults will genuinely appreciate it but which in no way excludes children from the joke. No wonder it won both the Macmillan Prize for Illustration and the CILIP Kate Greenaway Award.

Yeah, this dress is pretty and everything, but where am I supposed to put all my stuff? At the Fabulous Fashion Store, there are dresses to suit just about everyone except, it seems, those who seek practicality alongside aesthetics. With evocative illustrations and a satisfying rhythm which children will love, the book's underlying message (that there is no one or 'right' way to be – girls can be adventurous and covered in mud and want to wear dresses – and neither you, nor anyone else, have to adhere to other people's expectations) is delivered with a light touch. It offers a helpful way in to related conversations – with boys and girls – in an age appropriate and understandable way.

Some insider publishing information for you: I can exclusively reveal that Brenda is not, in fact, a sheep. I know. But don't worry, the rest of her flock haven't realised yet either, and are unperturbed by her large teeth and ongoing mint sauce preparation. If you're after the humour of Wolves but suspect the child in your life would prefer it if no-one actually gets eaten, then Morag Hood's mischievous and ultimately uplifting book is for you.