There’s some things from my 70s childhood I vowed never to inflict on my kids. They include hot milk with that gag-inducing skin on top, over-boiled brussel sprouts and not-so-nice rice pudding. Then there’s the favourites I couldn’t wait to share, like Judith Kerr’s classic tale The Tiger Who Came To Tea.

I adored this book as a little girl. And I’m glad to say my own son and daughter are enjoying it just as much. The very British book tells the tale of Sophie and her mummy, who are just sitting down to afternoon tea when a very friendly – and very hungry – tiger knocks on the door.

Of course, they let him in and he proceeds to gobble all their tea, along with everything else in the house. My two especially love how the tiger drinks ALL of daddy’s beer from the fridge and all the water in the taps so Sophie can’t have her bath. And they adore how the family traipse off to a local cafe to have sausages and chips for tea (my five-year-old’s dream dinner!) when dad comes home to find the kitchen stripped bare.

I searched high and low for this book before finally finding a copy at the brilliant UK-based Book Depository for a bargain UK£5.39, but have since noticed it on the shelves in some upscale children’s boutiques and specialist book stores around inner Melbourne.