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Christmas tales
What better present for a child then the gift of a book at Christmas? Martina Evans rounds up the best of Irish fiction for the younger members of the family.
I remember when the most exciting book I got for Christmas was in the shape of an accordion. This Christmas you can have Poppy Cat’s Christmas — an interactive flap book with a Christmas tree that lights up on the last page and plays Silent Night!
Christmas 2004 will be a veritable Aladdin’s cave in the children’s section of bookshops, with no shortage of Irish authors like Herbie Brennan and Eoin Colfer — whose tales of fairies rival the magic of Harry Potter.
And Irish Post readers are in for a special treat as both Bloomsbury and Scholastic are giving away 10 free books — see the reviews of Aladdin and The Purple Emperor for details.
Fans of Artemis Fowl will be enthralled by The Artemis Fowl Files. These confidential files were discovered in his safe at Fowl Manor and have now been published by Puffin for £7.99 in a handy little hardback which comes complete with a magnetic cover and exclusive interviews with major characters.
PICTURE BOOKS: 0-7 YEARS
Santasaurus By Niamh Sharkey — Walker Books £10.99
Niamh Sharkey’s sweet quirky drawings complement this simple tale of a dinosaur family called Mumosaurus, Dadosuarus, Mollie, Ollie and Milo. Milo’s dream comes true when he gets to ride on Santa’s sleigh all over Dinosaur world. For dinosaur fans everywhere.
Poppy Cat’s Christmas by Lara Jones — Campbell Books £14.99
Young children will love this book — an absolute feat of paper engineering by Jo Lodge. Poppy and her friends celebrate Christmas and there are lots of flaps to lift and tags to pull. The final page has a wonderful Christmas tree that pops up and plays Silent Night
Is it Because? By Tony Ross — Anderson Press £9.99
A funny yet thoughtful look behind the mind of a bully. Tony Ross’s illustrations are as entertaining as ever and while this is an extremely consoling book for any child that has ever been bullied, it spares more than a thought for the bully. Brilliant.
My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, illustrated by HB Lewis — Walker Books £10.99
With gorgeous and funny illustrations, this is the story of a boy who gets a real penguin for Christmas. While on a simple level it is about being careful what you wish for, on a deeper level it is about complicated relationships, taking care of each other and that often real love may be about letting go. Highly recommended.
Baker Cat by Posy Simmonds — Jonathan Cape £10.99
As fans of Posy Simmonds’ cartoons in The Guardian will testify, her work appeals to any age. This oppressed cat is helped by smaller animals (mice in this case) in the time-honoured tradition of fairy tales where size doesn’t always matter but kindness does. The drawings are witty and wonderful.
BOOKS FOR 7-10 years
The Meanwhile Adventure by Roddy Doyle — Scholastic Books £9.99
The adventures of the Mack Family and Rover the dog continue in Roddy Doyle’s third children’s book. Mr Mack, who featured in The Giggler Treatment and Rover Saves Christmas, has lost his job at the biscuit factory and in a series of misadventures ends up in prison. Can Rover save the day?
Amadans by Malachy Doyle — Orchard Books £4.99
When Jimmy and Nina slip through the computer screen at the request of Alisha, queen of the amadans, they discover a world of good fairies threatened by monstrous Haranga. A witty adventure using a mixture of Irish mythology and modern technology.
Freeglader The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell Random House £12.99, reviewed by Matthew Fallon, aged 10.
Young Rook Barkwater, a librarian knight, flees Undertown with the help of sky pirates, to escape a dark maelstrom. While travelling to the Freeglades, part of his memory is erased in a sepiastorm. An exciting story with a big battle at the end and great illustrations.
GIFT BOOKS
Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp retold by Phillip Pullman and illustrated by Sophy Williams.
Gorgeous and magical illustrations complement Phillip Pullman’s masterful retelling of this timeless story. 10 copies of this fabulous edition are available free to the first Irish Post readers to contact Scholastic books. Either email publicity@scholasticbooks.co.uk or write to Publicity, Scholastic Books, Commonwealth House, 1-19 New Oxford Street, London WC11 1NU.
The Orchard Book of Aesop’s Fables by Michael Morpurgo and Emma Chichester Clark — Orchard Books £12.99
Orchard Books do some really good anthologies and this is no exception. The children’s laureate Micheal Morpurgo has done a really good job bringing the text up to date. The morals are not cumbersome and the illustrations are devilishly charming.
The Nutcracker Ballet Theatre by Viola Ann Seddon and Jean Mahoney, reviewed by Liadain Evans, age 13.
This little puppet theatre is beautifully made and presented. It comes with a theatre, puppets, script of the ballet and even a CD with music for each scene. The puppets are actually photos of dolls Viola Ann Seddon made and painted. With each scene comes a piece of information and even a recipe for Sugar Plums! This is a beautiful work of art as well a fantastic toy for children and a great introduction to ballet. This is a great present for any child aged five and upwards.
Lavender’s Blue compiled by Kathleen Lines and pictured by Harold Bloom — Oxford University Press £14.99
This facsimile edition celebrates the 50th anniversary of this classic nursery rhyme book. The colours of illustrations are warm and gentle sending the reader back to a by-gone era. A timeless gift for any child and certainly worth collecting.
BOOKS FOR OLDER CHILDREN
The Purple Emperor by Herbie Brennan — Bloomsbury £9.99
Be prepared for a shock in this sequel to the best-selling Faerie Wars by Carlow-based writer Herbie Brennan. The supposedly recently-deceased Purple Emperor is now an ally of the Faeries of the Night. This is a great Christmas present for any boy or girl from age 10 who wants to enter into a totally magic world.
10 free copies of Faerie Wars — the first of the trilogy — will be given to the first 10 Irish Post readers to email childrensmarketing@bloomsbury.com or write to Children’s Marketing, Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 38 Soho Square, London W1D 3HB.
Enna Burning by Shannon Hale — Bloomsbury £12.99
This is the sequel to Shannon Hale’s debut novel The Goose Girl. It deals deftly with extreme emotions and passion. Like its predecessor The Goose Girl it has a satisfying moral hard-won by its feisty heroine. Any girl over ten will love these novels. The Diamond Girls by Jacqueline Wilson — Doubleday £10.99, reviewed by Liadain Evans, aged 13
Dixie tells her side of the story about living with three other sisters Martine, Jude and Rochelle. When she moves she finds herself in a totally new world with new people and new problems.
Wolf Brother by Michele Paver £8.99 — Orion, reviewed by Katy Fallon, aged 13
This is the story of Torak, a young boy who lives in the times of clans and brotherhoods. He was brought up by his father in the forest and all his senses are as sharp as a wolf’s. But now his father is dead, killed by a bear. Yet this is no ordinary bear, it is evil and cannot be stopped by any human power. Torak with the help of his guide must find the mountain of the world spirit
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