Fox on a box

Usborne's series of children's first reading books will forever be associated with the delightful illustrations of Steven Cartwright, who was the publisher's de-facto in-house artist until his untimely death in 2004. The charming images are combined with perfectly pitched storylines and simple rhyming sentences based on phonetic learning principles that will make learning to read a real joy for kids. And, of course, in true Cartwright tradition, there's a little yellow duck to find on every page to make the experience even more fun.