A missing ring, a missing slice of cake and an invasion of mice - Shani's birthday party looks sure to be ruined. A good thing Jack, shown here keeping out of trouble in a pocket, is there to save the day.
'I wanted to write a story about a birthday that affects the whole family,' writes Malorie Blackman Photograph: Emily Gravett/Jonathan Cape
Bobby's mum has decided that she and Bobby are going to take up ethical living. This means no telly, itchy clothes and a birthday tea made of brown bread and turnip, parsnip and swede ...
'I'm trusting that Prince Charles's sense of humour is as strong as his love of organic farming,' writes Eleanor Updale Photograph: Posy Simmonds/Jonathan Cape
Eating sprouts, not calling your sister names, not arguing with your mother - is it worth behaving so very well the day before a birthday?
'I wonder if the Prince got up to any tricks when he was young,' writes Valerie Bloom Photograph: Axel Scheffler/Jonathan Cape
Charlie Bucket opens his birthday present from his mum, dad and grandparents. It's a bar of Willy Wonka's Whipple-Scrumptious Fudge-Mallow Delight. The Buckets are very poor so a chocolate bar is a real treat for Charlie. Little does he know that even an even bigger treat is in store ...
'A wonderful book that lies very close to my heart,' writes Johnny Depp Photograph: Quentin Blake/Jonathan Cape
A prince is having a 60th birthday party and Pudge, the only son and heir of a rich duke and duchess, has realised that a cake for a 60th birthday will have to have sixty candles and will therefore be 'a jolly BIG cake'.
'All of it - apart from the made-up parts, of course - is absolutely true,' writes Philip Ardagh Photograph: David Roberts/Jonathan Cape
Posy dances for her family in a woodland clearing covered with pine needles. She's on a day trip with her sisters, her father and their cook to celebrate her sister Petrova's birthday.
'One of my favourite books as a child,' writes Victoria Wood, 'in fact my copy still has chocolate cake crumbs amongst the pages' Photograph: Alexis Deacon/Jonathan Cape
This 'shambling, tattered' figure scares brothers Will and James while they're out walking their dog, Racer. There's something not right about him. Something sinister. He's certainly not the kind of man Will wants to meet the day before his birthday ...
Photograph: Quentin Blake/Jonathan Cape
'My favourite part of the seventh book,' writes JK Rowling in her introduction, which you can read here. Photograph: Quentin Blake/Jonathan Cape
'I admit that [this] might not seem particularly celebratory, given that my hero [is] walking towards what he believes will be certain death,' writes author JK Rowling in The Birthday Book. 'Birthdays are often moments for reflection ... children gleefully contemplate how far they have come, whereas adults look forwards into the trees, wondering how much further they have to go.' Photograph: Quentin Blake/Jonathan Cape
