Only children : three hilarious short stories / David Baddiel ; illustrated by Jim Field and Steven Lenton.

The boy who could do what he liked -- The girl who had never been on a train -- The child who had never been on a holiday.

Meet Alfie. Alfie likes routine. But then one day Alfie’s babysitter is unavailable, and Alfie’s parents get Mrs Stokes instead. Mrs Stokes doesn’t do routines. Instead, she just tells Alfie to do what he likes. And that’s when things start to go weird.

Chrissie loves trains. She has train books, train pictures and, of course, model trains. But Chrissie has never been on an actual train. In part, because Chrissie doesn’t find getting around as easy as other people. Then, Chrissie finally gets on a train with her Grandpa Henry to go down to London for an important operation. Her parents and Henry hope the journey will take Chrissie’s mind off things. And they’re right: but in a way they couldn’t possibly imagine. Because Chrissie’s trip from Scotland to London turns out to be quite literally magical and is going to change Chrissie’s life forever.

Every year, Max, Lily and Jack are taken to Snoring-On-Sea for their holiday – quite possibly the most boring town in the world. There’s nothing to do and nothing to see. But this year, something does happen. The children meet someone on a tiny island out at sea – a mysterious child called Ariel. Ariel claims to have never left their tiny island, and to Ariel, everything about Max, Lily and Jack’s lives is amazing – fish and chips, fizzy drinks even the view of the brick wall out of their bedroom window. And their new friend forces Max, Lily and Jack to see Snoring-On-Sea in a whole new light.