The Family on Pineapple Island — Joy Wodhams

Pineapple Island (which despite its name won't be found in the warm waters of the Caribbean the South Pacific, although you might find it on a map of Cumbria if you look through a large magnifying glass) is home to the Scarrot family, at first just Fred and Alice and their four children, Poppy, Jack, Jenny and Tommy. But then little Charlie comes along, and later Grandma and Grampa arrive laden with goodies from the grocery store they've just sold. And then there's the ever-silent Uncle Arthur and his wife, former dancer and pub landlady Aunt Mabel, still glamorous despite her varicose veins. As if a family of eleven isn't enough, this small island is also home to 24 Rhode Island Red chickens, an increasing colony of New Zealand White rabbits and, who knows, perhaps a cow or two in the future if Fred can find a way to rope them securely to his home-made raft for the crossing. A feel-good story for children aged 9 to 90.