Ask Lorna: what to read at bedtime? There are other books that might work in this vein: Joyce Lankester Brisley's Milly-Molly-Mandy stories are good - and nostalgic for so many parents. There's a lovely large-format edition, The Big Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook (Kingfisher, illustrated by Clara Vulliamy), which includes two CDs. Or what about a collection of Dick King-Smith's stories about Sophie, a sassy four-year-old who wants to be a farmer (Sophie's Snail, Walker, includes six of these), or Enid Blyton's stories about Amelia Jane (Egmont)? If you'd prefer to go for a chapter book, Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree books (Egmont) are good, or there's a lovely abridged version of The Wind in the Willows by Inga Moore (Walker). My father read me the original version by Kenneth Grahame when I was a child, which I remember loving, but my children have found the language too much of a challenge; they do love Moore's version. Dodie Smith's The Hundred and One Dalmations (Egmont, illustrated by David Roberts) works well read aloud. Or what about Eva Ibbotson's One Dog and his Boy (Scholastic), a heart-warming story on a similar theme published posthumously last year? The other way to go would be to try some of the large-format illustrated books aimed at slightly older children. There are some excellent modern fairy tales around, such as Carol Ann Duffy's The Princess" Blankets (Templar, with paintings by Catherine Hyde), or David Lucas's The Lying Carpet (Andersen), or Lauren Child's stylish version of The Princess and the Pea (Puffin), with photographs of tiny cut-out dolls and pieces of furniture by Polly Borland. Or what about Elizabeth Laird's condensed retelling of the Persian Book of Kings, Shahnameh (Frances Lincoln, illustrated by Shirin Adl)? Finally, an oddity. In 1984 Chris Van Allsburg published an unusual book of black-and-white images with enigmatic captions - a great way of thinking up tales with a child. A new expanded edition of the book, The Chronicles of Harris Burdick (Andersen), includes a collection of possible stories to go with each of these images from authors such as Stephen King and Louis Sachar. Please email your questions about children's books to asklorna@telegraph.co.uk or send them to 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT. You can comment on this story or recommend your favourite books at telegraph.co.uk/books and follow @lornabradbury on Twitter Books that feature black characters