A new Shirley Hughes book is always eagerly anticipated, and her latest offering, Alfie's World (Bodley Head, £12.99), is a real cause for celebration.

The children's illustrator, whose work has been featured in an exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, takes a detailed look at the life of her most famous creation, Alfie, the little boy who has been entertaining young readers and their parents for the past 25 years.

This book invites children to take a closer look at Alfie's world, and we meet his friends, his family and his toys, and there is a new story in which he solves the mystery of a missing pet.

The illustrations for the book are taken from roughs, sketchbooks, and other original source material that went into the creation of the Alfie books.

Oxford illustrator Helen Cooper continues the adventures of the duck, squirrel and cat in Delicious! (Doubleday, £10.99).

This is another story about the creation of pumpkin soup, and is the third in the series, following Pumpkin Soup and A Pipkin of Pepper.

There is no visit to the big city this time round but there is a problem to solve, and the award-winning illustrator has created another scrumptious story involving her trio of cuddly characters. The intricate drawings also feature a sub-plot involving insects who are soup fans too.

Library Lion (Walker Books, £10.99), by Michelle Knudsen, is beautifully drawn by Kevin Hawkes.

The fire hydrants in the street suggest an American setting but this is a story that will appeal to all children.

The lion turns up one day at the library and soon becomes a mascot, thawing the strict demeanour of head librarian Miss Merriweather.

George Saves The World By Lunchtime (Eden Books, £5.99), by Jo Readman and Ley Honour Roberts, pushes home the message about the importance of recycling while telling a fun story at the same time. Remember the four Rs: Reduce! Re-use! Recycle! Repair!

And in Little Red Train's Race To The Finish (Hutchinson, £6.99), Benedict Blathwayt continues the series that is a winner with train-mad boys and girls.

This time, Duffy Driver and Jack take on the Swish train company in a race to secure the contract for the Barnacle Bay seaside line. There can only be one winner.

After drawing Percy the Park Keeper for so long, Nick Butterworth has now taken up drawing cats, and Tiger in the Snow! (Harper Collins, £10.99) is the second book in the series. The clear, colourful illustrations and large text should make this a winner for youngsters who are starting to read.