The Birthday Book: An Illustrated Treasury of Stories and Poems

Published to celebrate the Prince of Wales’s 60th birthday and to support his Foundation for Children & the Arts, this anthology explores birthdays via story and poem, drawing together work from some of the finest authors and illustrators into one volume. It contains original stories from Eleanor Updale and Philip Ardagh, alongside anthologised extracts (eg from Crummy Mummy and Me, one of Anne Fine’s finest books) and poems such as Kit Wright’s brilliantly rhythmical ‘My Party’. ‘The Government of Ted’, by Frank Cottrell Boyce is one highlight of note, with its illustrations from Chris Riddell. And there’s Quentin Blake illustrating Harry Potter. This isn’t just a collectors’ item for royal enthusiasts – there are some very good stories to be found.