World Book Day - A World Of Stories Online

Winnie and Wilbur: Winnie the Witch By Valerie Thomas Illustrations by Korky Paul Read by Berny Stringle Winnie the Witch lives in a black house. She has black chairs and black stairs, black floors and black doors. Winnie’s cat Wilbur is black, too. And that is how the trouble begins!

Where Are You Blue Kangaroo? By Emma Chichester Clark Read by Joanna Lumley Lily loves Blue Kangaroo, but sometimes he disappears and Lily says, “Where are you, Blue Kangaroo?” And Blue Kangaroo waits for Lily to find him…

Aliens Love Underpants By Claire Freedman Illustrated by Ben Cort Read by Rik Mayall Aliens love underpants, in every shape and size! First published in 2007, Claire Freedman and Ben Cort’s tale of knicker-snatching aliens was an instant hit and now this zany, hilarious tale is delightfully brought to life with an audio reading by the late, great Rik Mayall.

The Giant of Jum By Elli Woollard Illustrated by Benji Davies Read by Stephen Mangan "Fee!" he said, and "Fi!" he said, and "Fo!" he said and "Fum!" Look out children, the Giant of Jum is grumpy and hungry and he's off in search of a tasty snack. And the tastiest of all is a boy called Jack! But Jack and his friends don't see a scary giant, they see a magically tall man - a man who can fetch lost balls and rescue cats from trees! Perhaps this hungry giant is softer than he seems... An incredible rhyming text and a brilliant, big-hearted twist on a classic fairy tale, from the uniquely talented author and poet, Elli Woollard, and award-winning illustrator, Benji Davies. The Giant of Jum also contains an important message for all: don't eat kids, eat cake!

Meerkat Mail By Emily Gravett Illustrated by Emily Gravett Read by John Sessions Sunny the meerkat lives with his enormous family in the Kalahari desert. They are all very close . . . so close, in fact, that one day Sunny decides it's just too crowded and packs his bags. He's off to visit his mongoose cousins. But from the watery world of the Marsh Mongoose to the nocturnal lifestyle of the Malagasy Mongoose, Sunny just doesn't fit in. And who's that shadowy figure who seems to be following him around? There's so much to enjoy, from the newspaper cuttings on the endpapers to the wittily accurate information about each mongoose species Sunny visits on his journey. With seven giant glossy postcards attached to the pages, this beautiful book is rich with comic detail and will keep any meerkat fan entertained for hours.

Revolting Rhymes By Roald Dahl Read by Tamsin Greig You can think again if you thought you knew the stories of some of the most popular fairy tales. Here are six of the best known retold, with more than a twist or two, by the master of the comic and the blood-curdling.

The Worst Witch By Jill Murphy Read by Gemma Arterton Hold on to your broom for magical mayhem! Lovable but disaster-prone Mildred Hubble is a trainee at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, but she's making an awful mess of it. She keeps getting her spells wrong and crashing her broomstick. Yet she manages to get by until she turns Ethel, the teacher's pet, into her deadly enemy and chaos ensues....

The Diary of Dennis the Menace By Steven Butler Read by Steven Butler The Diary of Dennis the Menace gives listeners the inside story on every cheeky trick and prank played by the star of The Beano. Written and read by Roald Dahl Funny Prize-shortlisted author of The Wrong Pong series, Steven Butler, this hilarious book will delight Beano fans. Meet Dennis, Gnasher, and friends (and enemies!) and explore Beanotown with Dennis as your guide. This is a brilliant celebration of classic British comedy in the year that The Beano celebrates 75 years.

Paddington Takes the Test By Michael Bond Read by Hugh Bonneville ‘ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS!’ Paddington read on the glossy leaflet showing a large, sleek, silver-grey car. It took him a long time to eat fifteen packets of currants in order to enter the competition. And the Rolls-Royce he’d expected to win turned out to be one of ten thousand consolation prizes – a bookmark! Then Paddington finds himself taking a driving test and, much to his amazement, is presented with a license allowing him to drive a rather unusual vehicle.

Flying Fergus: The Best Birthday Bike By Chris Hoy Read by Chris Hoy The first in a fantastically fun, magical cycling adventure series from Sir Chris Hoy. Fergus Hamilton, a boy who always dreams big, gets a rusty old bike for his ninth birthday from his mum and granddad. It's not the flashy Sullivan Swift he'd longed for - but when it's all cleaned up and he takes it for a test run, he discovers something amazing. When the pedals turn backwards, Fergus and his dog, Chimp, are magically transported to Nevermore, a land where cycling is banned by the wicked King Woebegot

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat By Chris Riddell Read by Roni Ancona Introducing Miss Ottoline Brown, an exceptionally inquisitive Mistress of Disguise, and her partner in crime, Mr. Munroe. No puzzle is ever too tricky for the two of them to solve . . . Ottoline lives in a stylish apartment in Big City with a small hairy creature called Mr. Munroe. Together they look after the Brown family's eclectic collections - and dabble in a spot of detective work. So they are the first to the scene of the crime when a string of high-society dog-nappings and jewel thefts hits Big City. Ottoline (who luckily has a diploma from the Who-R-U Academy of Disguise) and Mr. Munroe go undercover - and expose an ingenious scam masterminded by furry feline crook, the Yellow Cat.

Marge in Charge By Isla Fisher Read by Isla Fisher Meet Marge, the mischievous babysitter with rainbow hair who loves to make a mess and bend the rules ... At dinnertime Chef Marge cooks up chocolate soup, and at school Marge the Musician conducts a chaotic concert in the playground! In these three stories, Jake and Jemima have brilliant fun with their new babysitter, but will they manage to tick off all the jobs on Mummy's list? The first in a fresh, fun, family - friendly series written by actor and comedian Isla Fisher. Hold onto your rollerskates because Marge is in charge!

Skellig By David Almond Read by David Almond When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister's illness, Michael's world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain. Then, one Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the old, ramshackle garage of his new home, and finds something magical. A strange creature - part owl, part angel, a being who needs Michael's help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health, while his baby sister languishes in the hospital. But Skellig is far more than he at first appears, and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael's world changes for ever . . .

George's Marvellous Medicine By Roald Dahl Read by Derek Jacobi George Kranky is eight years old and wondering what sort of mischief he might get into. George's Grandma is a grizzly old grouch and George wants to teach her a lesson.... And when Grandma's finished drinking George's marvellous medicine, she'll really have something to grumble about.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief By Rick Riordan Read by Jesse Bernstein "Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek God. I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. That's when things started really going wrong. Now I spend my time fighting with swords, battling monsters with my friends, and generally trying to stay alive. This is the one where Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks I've stolen his lightning bolt - and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea." Can Percy find the lightning bolt before a fully-fledged war of the Gods erupts?

Murder Most Unladylike By Robin Stevens Read by Gemma Chan When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't.) Then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the gym. She assumes it was a terrible accident - but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve; they have to prove one happened in the first place. Determined to get to the bottom of the crime before the killer strikes again (and before the police can get there first, naturally), Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence, spy on their suspects and use all the cunning and intuition they can muster. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?

How to Train Your Dragon By Cressida Cowell Read by David Tennant Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, was a truly extraordinary Viking Hero. Warrior chieftain, awesome sword-fighter and amateur naturalist, he was known throughout Vikingdom as 'the Dragon Whisperer', on account of his amazing power over these terrifying beasts. But it wasn't always like that. In fact, in the beginning, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was the most put upon Viking you'd ever seen. Not loud enough to make himself heard at dinner with his father, Stoick the Vast; not hard enough to beat his chief rival, Snotlout, at Bashyball, the number one school sport and CERTAINLY not stupid enough to go into a cave full of dragons to find a pet ...

Rooftoppers By Katherine Rundell Read by Gordon Griffin Winner of the Blue Peter Book Award and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, Rooftoppers is a charming novel. Everyone thinks that Sophie is an orphan. Found floating in a cello case, she is the only recorded female survivor of a shipwreck on the English Channel. But Sophie remembers seeing her mother wave for help… When the child welfare agency threatens to send Sophie to an orphanage, Sophie and her guardian flee to Paris to find her mother, starting with the only clue she has - the address of the cello maker.

The Bolds By Julian Clary Read by Julian Clary Mr and Mrs Bold are just like you and me: they live in a nice house, they have jobs and they love to have a giggle. One slight difference: they're hyenas. That's right - covered in fur, tails tucked into their trousers, and they really like to laugh. So far, the Bolds have managed to keep things under wraps.. But the nosy man next door smells a rat, could this be the end of Teddington's best-kept secret? Nominated for the CILIP Greenaway Medal 2016

Noughts and Crosses By Malorie Blackman Read by Paul Chequer Sephy is a Cross - a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a nought - a 'colourless' member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood. But that's as far as it can go. Until the first steps are taken towards more social equality and a limited number of Noughts are allowed into Cross schools... Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity by Noughts, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum - a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger...