Storytime feeling repetitive? These are the books kids will swap their favourites for

Too big? Too fierce? Too grumpy? Millions of children have loved discovering the range of unsuitable animals sent by the zoo as possible pets since this lift-the-flap classic was first published in 1982.

Give Dear Zoo enthusiasts' love of animals another focus with this new book from the bestselling illustrator of The Gruffalo. Toddlers will delight in helping the monkeys find their friends in the jungle. Flaps to lift? Tick. Appealing illustrations? Tick. Opportunities to perform a range of animal noises? Double tick. 

2020 marked an incredible twenty years of Acorn Wood, so it's more than possible that young book-lovers will become attached to at least one of the tales. This, the first of the series, takes readers on a hunt around Fox's house as he tries to find his missing footwear, and is perfect for reading aloud. 

Bass-playing Badger is on the lookout for friends to join his band in the latest addition to the series. Lift the flaps to see who can play the trumpet and the piano, and find out what happens at their concert. Children (and their carers) who love Acorn Wood will relish the chance to discover a brand new story. 

Great for early counting and days of the week, Eric Carle's classic is understandably most loved for its beautiful collage artwork, 'eaten' holes and transformational finale. 

After deciding to stay awake all day to see what happens when she is usually asleep, a curious owl is amazed by a world bursting with colour. If your toddler loves the bright illustrations and sense of discovery in The Very Hungry Caterpillar then they're sure to enjoy finding out what makes the owl say WOW. 

Not just a book, more a phenomenon, there certainly is such a thing as the Gruffalo and you've probably met him. A quick-witted mouse out for a stroll avoids the machinations of various hungry animals in this entertaining, ingenious rhyming story featuring the famous monster.

Fans of the Gruffalo will enjoy exploring a different woodland setting alongside rhythmic, rhyming text. Pete the badger likes to be neat, but is in danger of taking things too far. Comic details and beautiful illustrations deliver this book's environmental message with subtlety and humour. 

How on earth do you resist the most amazing cake ever? Especially when your mum has left a note saying that you MUST NOT eat the cake? One little girl finds out just how hard it can be to resist temptation in this fun family favourite.

What's the one thing better than a book about cake? A book about cake and penguins. Albert is insistent that he did not eat his dad's cake. His dad is less than convinced by his penguin, marmalade and skiing-based alibi. Could his story really be true? An irresistibly funny tale for small children with big imaginations.

This hugely popular series (of which this book is the first) about best friends Andy and Terry and their ever-expanding treehouse can be read in sequence or as standalone stories. Laugh-out-loud funny with an engaging combination of text and cartoon-style illustrations, these books are a really accessible read and have proven a massive hit. But what next once you've reached the 156th floor?

Emerging readers keen on the Treehouse fusion of hilarious text and comic strip-esque design will love the InvestiGators. They're Alligators – and undercover Investigators! With entertaining gadgets and lots of twists and turns, everyone will enjoy trying to solve the case with Mango and Brash. 

Hear whispers in the dining car, find notes in the library and uncover passengers amongst the luggage, as you help Harrison Beck and his Uncle Nat solve a mystery aboard one of the world's grandest trains. This award-winner is the first in the Adventures on Trains series – loved by middle grade readers and, thanks to its Golden Age crime fiction setting, a hit with adults too.

If Adventures on Trains has spurred an interest in life in on the rails, this new book from the series' co-author is a perfect next read. Climb on board and travel across six continents, thirty-four countries and numerous cities via twelve of the world's most awe-inspiring railways.