Magical children’s reads to light up Christmas
Going into any bookshop this Christmas is like entering an Aladdin’s cave — there are so many beautiful, funny, charming books from which to choose ..... Justine Carbery helps you select the best
FOR the very young comes Here We Are (HarperCollins €11.99), a tender book written and illustrated by the genius Oliver Jeffers, especially for his new baby son. A beautiful snapshot of our world today, this gorgeous book is a must-have for parents and children alike.
Kevin (HarperCollins €14.99) by Rob Biddulph is for every child at heart about a mischievous boy Sid who blames his imaginary friend Kevin for all his naughtiness and features catchy rhymes and awesome illustrations.
Katinka’s Tail (HarperCollins €15.99) by best-selling author of the Mog series, Judith Kerr, is the sparkly story of a ‘perfectly ordinary cat with a not-soordinary tail’, based on the author’s ninth pet cat.
The President’s Glasses (Gill Books €14.99) by Peter Donnelly is a charming Irish story with wonderful images and gentle humour about a forgetful president and his resourceful pigeon! Another adorable Irish adventure for little ones is Tatyana Feeney’s Socks For Mr Wolf (O’Brien Press €15) about a wolf who gets a hole in his favourite sock and follows a thread of wool all around Ireland trying to fix it. Delightfully eccentric.
Red and Lulu (Walker €16.79) by Matt Tavares is simply stunning! A pair of red cardinal birds get separated when the giant tree they call home is cut down and hauled away. Red follows the truck to find Lulu, but he can’t fly that fast and loses sight of it. Will he find her again? Thick glossy pages are filled with beautiful artwork.
From the creators of the awardwinning and bestselling Oi Frog! and Oi Dog! comes the hilarious rhyming picture book Oi Cat! (Hachette €13.99). A fun-filled read.
Morag Hood’s cute I Am Bat (Two Hoots €16.79) is about a bat who is a little grumpy, and very protective of his cherries. When they start going missing the bat searches for the thief, even blaming the reader.
A Perfect Day by There is a Tribe Of Kids author Lane Smith (Two Hoots €15.60) is inspired by her real-life encounter with a marauding bear. Sweet and textured drawings and simple text make this a perfect picture book for story time.
Little Hazelnut, by AnneFlorence Lemasson (Old Barn Books €14.30), is about a hazelnut buried beneath the snow until it emerges as a tree in the spring. The stunning artwork and paper engineering make this a beautiful keepsake.
In A Sailor Went To Sea, Sea, Sea (O’Brien Press €17.99), award-winning author Sarah Webb has put together a gorgeous collection of rhymes, poems and songs that will transport you back to your childhood and will delight younger readers and parents alike.
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Hachette €11.99) by Jessica Townsend is the next big thing for 9-13 yearolds. Similar to Harry Potter, this exciting new series is about a young child whisked away from their life to a fantastical world where they face a number of challenges, make new friends and learn something about themselves all the while in the shadow of a dark threat.
Everyone Loves Claude and Santa Claude (Hachette €7.80) by Alex T Smith is the latest festive instalment. With their short text and cartoon style layout, his books are particularly suitable for newly independent readers.
The anarchic fun of The 91-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths (Pan Macmillan €7.80) is very popular with boys and
girls. The zany humour, the mix of illustrations and text and the comic style make it suitable for those reluctant to pick up a book. The Clubhouse Mystery
and Making Millions, (O’Brien Press €7.99), a new series by talented Irish author Erika McGann, are hilarious reads for fans of sleuthing and Enid Blyton.
Bestselling Cressida Cowell launches a new series with
The Wizards of Once (Hodder €10.99) that will excite all fans of How To Train Your Dragon. Set deep in an enchanting forest, this is a charming story full of Cowell’s trademark humour, mystery and magic. And Judi Curtin sensitively navigates the intensity and fun of female friendships in her awardwinning Time After Time (O’Brien €8.99).
Pax ( HarperCollins €8.99) by Sara Pennypacker is a beautiful, thought-provoking story about a close friendship between a boy and a fox, while Jon Klassen’s illustrations capture the mood of the story perfectly. Continuing the theme of the connection between humans and animals is the heartbreaking but uplifting rollercoaster of a story about one boy and his dog in Dog (Pushkin €14.30) by Andy Mulligan.
In Pawns (O’Brien €9), Brian Gallagher has written an Irish historical novel for pre-teens that is both riveting and insightful. Perfect for individual or classroom reading.
Ever popular, the latest David Walliams’s book Bad Dad (HarperCollins €10.99) is out now. Likewise, Rachel Renee Russell’s Dork Diaries: Crush Catastrophe (Simon & Schuster €15.99), Tom Gates’s Epic Adventure (Scholastic €14.99) by Liz Pichon, Moone
Boy 3 by Nick Vincent Murphy (Pan Macmillan €12.99) and Chris Riddell’s Goth Girl And The Sinister Symphony (Pan Macmillan €9.99) will please devoted fans. And then there are those beautiful books that we buy for ourselves as much as for our children. Magnificent Birds (Walker €19.50), written and illustrated by Narisa Togo, is a very stylish book to share with your children at bedtime and it also has great coffee table appeal. Dynamic duo John and Fatti Burke have collaborated once again, following the success of Irelandopedia and Historopedia to bring you Focloiropedia (Gill €21.99), a colourful, lively introduction to the Irish language. Irish comedian Dara O Briain’s Beyond the Sky: You And The Universe (Scholastic €14.99) will be a big hit with curious 9-13 year olds and would make a great present from a grandparent. Finally Hopscotch In The Sky (Little Island 12.99) by Lucinda Jacob, an exquisitely illustrated poetry book for all seasons, would make a superb addition to any young book lover’s library. Happy reading!