Max and Arthur are best friends who both want to make art. Arthur is an accomplished painter; Max is a beginner. Max's first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind adventure with paints, pastels and pencils, which turn out to have unexpected pitfalls.

Badger is so old that he knows he will soon die. He tries to prepare his friends for this event, but when he does die, they are still grief-stricken. Gradually they come to terms with their grief by remembering all the practical things Badger taught them, and so Badger lives on in his friends' memories of him.

Shnipp the dog loves to play fetch with Julie and Lara in the park, but she doesn't love their annoying laughs. So one day she decides to run off. It's not long before Shnipp finds a new life with Bessie the Bagel Lady. But when she decides to finally head home, she discovers things aren't exactly the same as when she left...

The bear has organized a picnic on the river for his friends. It's the perfect day and everything is going swimmingly until they are disturbed by a loud croaking noise from among the lily pads. It's the frogs! They want to join in, but the friends don't fancy putting up with the noise, so they move on to a quieter part of the lake.

The farmer is snoozing on the hay in his barn, surrounded by his dozy animals, when the fly buzzing about lands on his nose! Of course he sneezes, which sets off a long chain of consequences, until finally the terrified donkey panics.

Bilal is terrified of The Test. He can't answer any of the questions! But then Bumble the bee comes along, and he can answer any question you ask, even the really tricky ones. Then Bilal's granny suggests they go on the wildly popular TV quiz show, What's What? Win the Lot! But what will happen if Bilal and Bumble do win the lot...?

Fifteen-year-old Sigurd, son of King Sigmund, is the last surviving member of the Volson clan. His father's kingdom - the former city of London - is gone. And his father's knife, a gift from the gods, has been shattered to dust.

London is in ruins. The once-glorious city is now a gated wasteland cut off from the rest of the country and in the hands of two warring families - the Volsons and the Connors. Val Volson offers the hand of his young daughter, Signy, to Connor as a truce.