THERE is nothing more reassuring for a child than a hug and every bedtime story featured in this collection closes with a special cuddle.

There are warming hugs of friendship, welcome home hugs, comforting cuddles with a favourite toy and sleepy snuggles at the end of the day.

The 12 stories are written by some of our best-known children's authors, including Shirley Hughes, John Prater and Tony Ross.

An Evening At Alfie's by Shirley Hughes tells the story of the night Alfie and his little sister Annie Rose are left with their babysitter, Maureen.

Everything is going swimmingly until water starts dripping from the ceiling and the drip-drip turns into a full-blown splash-splash.

After all the excitement of dealing with a burst pipe, Alfie's parents return home to find the children cuddled up asleep on the sofa.

Another favourite of mine from this collection is Frog in Love by Max Velthuijs. Frog doesn't feel well because he feels something going thump-thump inside him. His friends are worried about him until Hare looks it up in a book and tells frog that he must be in love.

Frog isn't quite sure who he is in love with until he decides the object of his affections must be Duck. Although he can't pluck up the courage to tell her, he spends the rest of the story trying to win her over by sending her presents and attempting to break the world high jump record.

Eventually Duck tells Frog how fond she is of him and the story ends happily with...yes, you've guessed it, Frog and Duck enjoying a nice warm cuddle.

David Hudson-Wood