TOOT TOOT! This years marks the 65th anniversary of the original Thomas the Tank Engine stories by the Rev W.V. Awdry.

And some of the latest yarns can be found in the 2010 annual to celebrate this special occasion.

No matter what age, every child loves the stories of Thomas, the really useful engine, and all of his friends – now too many to mention, but at the start of this wonderful annual there is a Thomas Alphabet – yes every letter has a character or item from the stories!

The first story sees ‘Thomas in Trouble’ as he takes the school choir to their concert, while ‘Duncan DoesIt All’ as he tries to do different jobs rather than taking straw to the farms.

In ‘Hide and Peep’, the engines play a game while loading at the docks, while in ‘Gordon and the Engineer’ the points on the tracks are broken and the trains can’t pick up an Important Passenger. ‘Dream On’ sees Thomas showing he is reliable even when he isn’t the fastest and shiniest engine and in ‘Edward and the Mail’ it sees Edward coping with all the letters and parcels when the usual engine Percy breaks down.

A Spot the difference, follow the tracks game, Duncan’s quiz, identify the engine game, a read aloud story where the engines have to be identified, find four game, look closely picture spotting quiz, and a colouring page provide added value throughout the book.

These charming stories will delight the children, whether they are read aloud to the younger ones, or read themselves by the older children, again and again, and passed down through the generations.

Thomas and Friends, 65 Years of Great Destinations 2010 annual, is for children three and above, is published by Egmont and costs £7.99.