Summer reading for under-10s - in pictures

Iggy and Me and the New Baby by Jenny Valentine, illustrated by Joe Berger (HarperCollins, £4.99. Age: 6+) Jenny Valentine’s quick ear for dialogue and amused eye for all the small but meaningful things that happen in families make this third book about little sister Iggy, narrated by her big sister, even more delightful than its predecessors. Iggy wants a baby in the family. After all, her older sister has a younger sister, so why can’t she? How Mum and Dad deal with Iggy’s determined campaign is funny and touching; the way the issue is resolved for the whole family is clever and satisfying. Photograph: PR

The Factory-Made Boy by Christine Nostlinger (Andersen, £4.99. Age: 7+) When Mrs Bartolotti opens a tin she has ordered by mistake she gets a big surprise. Inside is a tiny boy. Once doused in the special nutrient solution that is thoughtfully packed in with him, the little figure turns into a fully formed seven-year-old boy. Factory-made Conrad has been taught exactly how the perfect seven-year-old boy should behave; he has a great many rules and expectations. But Mrs Bartolotti cares not a fig for all that: she wants him to have fun. Can Conrad circumvent his instructions? And will Mrs Bartolotti get to keep her delightful treasure despite her anarchic views? Christine Nöstlinger’s 1975 classic is a gem; its jokes about parenting are still timely. Photograph: PR

The Grunts in Trouble by Philip Ardagh, illustrated by Axel Scheffler (Nosy Crow, £7.99. Age: 8+) Meet the Grunts: Mr and Mrs, their cat Ginger Biscuit, donkeys Clip and Clop, and Sunny, a child Mr Grunt stole off a washing line as a present for Mrs Grunt. The Grunts roam the land in a ramshackle home-on-wheels; their adventures are as unsavoury as they are entertaining, as Axel Scheffler’s illustrations wittily show. Fans of Andy Stanton’s Mr Gum and Roald Dahl’s The Twits will delight in this disgusting but amiable family. Photograph: PR

The Man Who Wore All His Clothes by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Katharine McEwan (Walker, £5.99 each. Age: 5+) Allan Ahlberg’s hugely entertaining adventures get a timely reissue in handsome paperback editions. ­Ahlberg’s gift for conveying funny situations and fast-paced action adventure in an uncluttered storyline is perfectly matched by energetic illustrations that fill in the detail. The Gaskitts are a very unusual family. There’s taxi-driving Mrs Gaskitt, busy winning prizes while something fishy goes on in the background; Mr Gaskitt, who one day inexplicably puts all his clothes on one on top of the other; and the Gaskitt children, twins Gloria and Gus and baby Gary, whose dramatic adventures include being swept away in a skip. Even Horace, the Gaskitts’ cat, has an adventure. Photograph: PR

The Woman Who Won Things by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Katharine McEwan (Walker, £5.99 each. Age: 5+) In the second of the Gaskitts' adventures, Mrs Gaskitt opens the post one morning, and finds she's won a prize! Next she kisses the postman! Never mind, though - the postman is Mr Gaskitt doing his very latest job. Meanwhile, Gus and Gloria get a new teacher, Mrs Plum, with silvery hair, a big smile and a huge suitcase, who's ever so helpful when things start to go missing in the classroom. And then Mrs Gaskitt finds she's won another prize! What happens next? Photograph: PR

The Children Who Smelled a Rat by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Katharine McEwan (Walker, £5.99 each. Age: 5+) Mrs Gaskitt finds a very peculiar package, Mr Gaskitt loses a baby in a shopping cart, Horace the cat has mixed feelings about a bird, and the twins' beloved teacher, Mrs Fritter is not herself. Why? How? When? And why does everyone keep looking the other way? Photograph: PR

The Cat Who Got Carried Away by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Katharine McEwan (Walker, £5.99 each. Age: 5+) Gus and Gloria have a lot of running to do, Mrs Gaskitt hardly ever gets out of bed and something dreadful happens to Horace! Photograph: PR

White Dolphin by Gill Lewis (Oxford University Press, £8.99. Age: 10+) A thoughtful conservation theme lies at the heart of Gill Lewis’s second novel, as well as a more sentimental one touching on the healing, ­life-affirming power of dolphins. Kara certainly needs help from ­somewhere, as nothing in her life is going right; she is camping out at relatives’, in trouble at school and her father is about to sell their beloved boat to pay off his debts. Worst of all, her mum has disappeared. But she is not alone in her troubles. The tight-knit fishing community that is her wider family is suffering as catches get scarcer and greed pushes them into actions that will damage the seabed for ever. Brought up by her mum to fight to protect all wildlife, Kara, helped by new friend Felix, takes on all-comers in this passionate and lyrical story about the power of the sea and its creatures. Photograph: PR

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen (Orion, £7.99. Age: 9+) Animal lovers will adore this story about dangerous creatures, which also gives a behind-the-scenes look at how the worst TV shows are made. Wahoo’s dad has a great collection of animals, which he hires out for work in films and TV. When they are approached by a hit show to provide some ­dangerous creatures, they agree – on their own terms. But neither Wahoo nor his dad are prepared for a man like Derek Badger, the show’s vain frontman. Derek tries his luck against several ­animals – including wrestling with an alligator – and there are no prizes for guessing who gets chomped. Photograph: PR