• The White Sea Horse (1964)
• Pietro and the Mule (1965)
• Where the Wind Blows (1966)
• The Signposters (1968)
• The Sea Piper (1968)
• The Night Watchmen (1969) (with Gareth Floyd)
• The Outlanders (1970)
• At the Stroke of Midnight (1971)
• Up the Pier (1972)
• The Beachcombers (1972)
• The Bongleweed (1973)
• Cheap Day Return (1974)
• White Sea Horse and Other Sea Magic (1975)
• The Winter of the Birds (1976)
• A Game of Catch (1977) (with Ati Forberg)
• My Aunt Polly (1979)
• The Piemakers (1980) (with Judith Gwyn Brown)
• Dear Shrink (1982)
• The Secret World of Polly Flint (1984)
• Moondial (1987)
• Ellie and the Hagwitch (1987)
• Dragon Ride (1987)
• Trouble (1988)
• Time Out (1990) (with Peter Elwell)
• Weather Cat (1990)
• The Return of the Psammead (1992) a sequel to E. Nesbit's Five Children and It, which Cresswell adapted for television
• Almost Goodbye, Guzzler (1992) (with Judy Brown)
• The Watchers: A Mystery At Alton Towers (1993)
• Classic Fairy Tales (1994) (retelling of traditional tales)
• Stonestruck (1996)
• Snatchers (1997) was written for her granddaughter ellie
• Sophie and the Sea Wolf (1997)
• The Little Sea Pony (1997 )
• The Little Sea Horse (1998)
• The Little Grey Donkey (1999)
• Mystery Stories (2003)
• Rumpelstiltskin (2004) (retelling of a traditional story)

Lizzie Dripping stories

• Lizzie Dripping (1973)
• Lizzie Dripping by the Sea (1974)
• Lizzie Dripping and the Little Angel (1974)
• Lizzie Dripping and the Witch (1974)
• Lizzie Dripping on Holiday (1994)

Posy Bates stories

• Meet Posy Bates (1992)
• Posy Bates and the Bag Lady (1994)
• Posy Bates, Again! (1994)

The Two Hoots series

• Two Hoots (1974) (with Martine Blanc)
• Two Hoots go to the sea (1974) (with Martine Blanc)
• Two Hoots in the Snow (1975) (with Martine Blanc)
• Two Hoots and the Big Bad Bird (1975) (with Martine Blanc)
• Two Hoots Play Hide-And Seek (1977) (with Martine Blanc)
• Two Hoots and the King (1977) (with Martine Blanc)

Winklesea series

• A Gift from Winklesea (1997)
• Whatever Happened in Winklesea? (1991)
• Mystery at Winklesea (1995)

The Bagthorpe Saga

• Ordinary Jack (1977)
• Absolute Zero (1978)
• Bagthorpes Unlimited (1978)
• Bagthorpes v The World (1979)
• Bagthorpes Abroad (1984)
• Bagthorpes Haunted (1985)
• Bagthorpes Liberated (1989)
• The Bagthorpe Triangle (1992)
• Bagthorpes Besieged (1997)
• Bagthorpes Battered (2001)