Books in the Collins Big Cat series

Photos and illustrations combine to give a detailed picture of the fascinating life that goes on underground. We meet animals who live underground, see trains that travel underground and follow pipes, wires and cables from houses deep into the ground.

Ros Asquith, cartoonist and author of many children's books such as Trixie Tempest and Pass the Parcel), gives a masterclass on illustrating your own cartoons - with help from Trixie Tempest and others. This is an instructional book in the same style as Ros Asquith's turquoise level Collins Big Cat title, How to Make Storybooks.

When the princess accidentally drops her ball in the pond she doesn't expect a frog to bring it back to her, and certainly doesn't expect the frog to follow her home! But is the frog really all he seems? This wordless version of the traditional tale is stunningly illustrated by author and illustrator Chris Fisher.

The town of Hamelin is over-run with rats, and the mayor is getting desperate for a solution. When the mysterious Pied Piper appears their troubles seem to be over - but what happens when the mayor refuses to pay him? This wordless traditional tale is brought to life by acclaimed author and illustrator Jane Ray.

It's fun to draw your own portrait! Follow one girl as she shows how she can make her own self-portrait with collage materials in this wordless instruction book by Charlotte Guillain.

Ever wanted to make a maraca? This step by step guide will show you how, with clear, engaging photos that show just how easy it is to make and personalise your very own maraca.

This book with beautiful illustrations captures the qualities of each kind of light, from sunlight to moonlight to electric light, the way it illuminates and the relationship between darkness and light.

This fascinating book gives an introduction to some of the oldest, boldest and coldest sculptures ever made! From the sphinx and the Statue of Liberty, to works by Henry Moore, Rachel Whiteread and Meret Oppenheim, the sculptures are revealed in stunning photographs, alongside interesting and informative facts.

Owl thinks he is the best at everything, but he keeps meeting other birds who are better than him. What is Owl best at? This sweet story about finding our own strengths is written and illustrated by Laura Hambleton.

When it rains, we put on a raincoat to protect ourselves. Animals have coats to protect themselves, too. Discover all the different types of coats that can be found in the wild, and discuss what they might be useful for, in this photographic non-fiction report.

Everyone can play football, anywhere in the world! Find out what you need to play the game and where in the world it is played in this action-packed non-fiction report by Daniel Nunn.

A tiny mouse accidentally disturbs a sleeping lion and fears he will be eaten - but the lion lets him go. When the lion later finds himself in trouble, though, the mouse sees his chance to return the good deed. This traditional tale by Anthony Robinson is brought to life by the contemporary artwork of Ciaran Duffy.

Bad Bat enjoys tricking the other animals when they are sleeping - but will he still be laughing when they find a way of tricking him? This charming Big Cat guided reading book is written and illustrated by Laura Hambleton.

Follow a river from its source to the sea and see how it adapts to its surroundings in this highly photographic non-fiction report by Fiona Macdonald.

Join the countdown as one boy describes the events in his life in the past month, from moving house a month ago to preparing for school and making friends today. Accompanied by snapshots of each event, this illustrated non-fiction recount is written by Monica Hughes.

Follow a group of children as they climb to the top of a hill and race each other to the bottom by rolling in this fun rhyming poem - written by acclaimed poet Gareth Owen, and accompanied by the colourful illustrations of Vicky Fieldhouse.

This non-fiction counting book shows photographs of the following animals: one crocodile, two elephants, three lions, four birds, five frogs and six rabbits. Pictures of equal numbers of children add an element of fun to the book as they pretend to be the animals.

A humorous story with simple, repetitive text about two little monsters painting spots, stripes, squares, zigzags and triangles. But what are they painting? Finally the reader discovers that the little monsters have actually been painting the shapes on their sleeping mum!

A simple information book depicting different activities: running, jumping, hanging, skating, creeping and swimming. Simple text accompanies photographs of animals performing each activity , alongside photographs of children acting out the same activity.

A fun story that follows a boy through a fantastical land of weird and wonderful creatures. Imaginative illustrations complement the text, which invites children to envisage using each of their five senses, by asking f they have ever seen, heard, touched, smelt or tasted any of these creatures.

This patterned picture story follows Ben on his trip to the park. The text describes the park visit, while the illustrations delve into Ben's imagination and reveal the adventures of 'Super Ben.' He encounters a shark in the duck pond, a spaceship roundabout and puddles containing monsters!

A non-fiction book about a group of children making a monster. Each stage of the monster-making process is shown - from the body and head, to the eyes, teeth and claws. Repetitive text asks what is being made, and then reveals the answer on the following page.

This photographic non-fiction book tracks the life of a turtle. Initially meeting the mother, we stay with her eggs and follow a hatched baby turtle along the dangerous sands to the sea. A story of survival, the turtle returns to the beach to lay its own eggs.

This fantasy story is about two monkeys, who look smart in their new clothes. Mojo has new shoes, and Weeza has a new hat ... until it flies away in the wind. In their humorous search, Mojo and Weeza mistake a pan, a nest and a turtle for Weeza's hat, before retrieving it from a muddy pond.

From Jamie Oliver's favourite dinner lady, Nora Sands, this recipe book is all you need to make some great healthy meals that are fun too. Each recipe includes an ingredients list, a child-friendly method and a 'Top Tip'. There is a contents page on page 1, plus a glossary and index on pages 20 and 21.

It's Flynn's first day at school and he's nervous about making a mistake. An amusing story unfolds as Flynn's parents recount the mistakes others have made: Police officer Julie Nick gave a robber an ice cream and Ned Mutton tried to milk the chickens. Convinced he won't do anything so silly, Flynn walks out of the house still wearing his pyjamas!

Artist Jon Stuart shows how he produces computer-generated images. The process starts with a simple block of cubes, which are added to, given texture, before being bent, stretched, twisted into the correct shape and size. He then adds background, lighting and colour to bring the whole scene to life.

This humorous story follows Harry the spider to Clare's school, where the class is studying minibeasts. Displeased with his box, Harry escapes in the classroom. The fuming teacher is reconciled to Harry when he finds her lost glasses. She admits that Harry is a very clever spider.