Book-lovers share some of their old and new favourites for reading aloud to children at bedtime. This month, Melbourne-based author-illustrator Kylie Dunstan with Sylvie, 7, and Camille, 11.

My girls are 7 and 11 and reading pretty happily by themselves these days. However Sylvie (7) still loves a bedtime story and Camille (11) still enjoys poring over her old favourites. I (not surprisingly) am obsessed with picture books and buy and read them for my own fun.

An old favourite:Murgatroyd’s Garden

We all love the beautiful illustrations (part black and white line, part coloured). The balance between detail and the simplicity just make us want to look closer.

The story is one we know well….hair-washing, screams and exasperated parents. I won’t name names.

The one we read over and over again:The Henrietta Series

Henrietta, The Great Go-Getter / Henrietta, There’s No One Better

She makes us laugh, it’s as simple as that. Love her and her mad imagination. Love her family and the fact that they too have old spaghetti behind their stove. Camille and Sylvie love her language, which is ‘not as simple as hiding a green pea in your nostril’.

Martine’s illustrations are gorgeous and the book design gets me in before I even open it.

The latest star on our bookshelf:This is not my hat

It’s stolen hats again but this time the narrator is the thief. A fish has stolen a hat and its owner wants it back. We love the highly-strung fish trying to convince us, and himself, that what he’s done isn’t so bad and will all work out in the end. All three of us can relate to that in our own way.

The muted palette used for the beautiful illustrations keeps the mood dark and the superb pacing of the text keeps the tension high and the kids turning the pages to see the fate of the little fish.

**** is an award winning author and illustrator of children’s picture books. Her first book Collecting Colour won CBCA Picture Book of the Year in 2009. Her new book is Same, But Little Bit Diff'rent, is available now.