CHILDREN’S FICTION

SALLY MORRIS

BEDTIME by Nicola Lathey, Tracey Blake and Ailie Busby (Campbell Books £6.99)

THIS board book and its companion, at the Park, are the first two titles from small talk, a specialist speech development team, and are aimed at parents of babies who are just starting to discover language.

each book uses the repetition of simple words and vowel sounds to encourage children to make the basic ‘ooh, up, on’ sounds they encounter every day, as well as imitating familiar words such as ‘Mummy’ or ‘byebye’. the brightly coloured, big images show parents making eye contact and describing objects or activities that the youngest of children engage with, such as bathtime, cars or being pushed on a swing.

It’s never too early to introduce babies to books, and these are the ideal fun starting points.

PERFECT by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Cathy Fisher (Graffeg £8.99)

THIS is an extraordinarily beautiful and unusual book that has an appeal far wider than its obvious subject matter.

a young boy is entranced by the fledgling swifts that learn to fly from their nests in the attic. When his new baby sister arrives home, he looks forward to playing with her — imagining them both racing and chasing like the birds.

But it’s soon clear that she has problems (unspecified) and he runs away from her imperfections, sad and disappointed.

alone in his garden, he finds an injured baby swift and helps it fly again, and in doing so realises that maybe all his sister needs is his love and attention to be perfect in her own way.

Written with gentle sensitivity and stunningly illustrated, it’s a very special book.

THE DRAGON AND THE NIBBLESOME KNIGHT by Elli Woollard, illustrated by Benji Davies (Macmillan £11.99)

THE Dragons of Dread were a terrible bunch! they ate boys for their breakfast and girls for their lunch . . . But better than anything was a feast of nibblesome knights and so, when (utterly adorable) dragon Dram turns four, he is sent to find a knight to munch on.

alone and scared, he is rescued from a lake by a little boy called James who mistakes him for a duck, feeds him fruit and honey and mends his damaged paw.

But their friendship is ruined when Dram turns up at James’s sports day and discovers him in armour — and James recognises him as a dragon.

the conflict is resolved with a funny ending in this wonderfully entertaining rhyming story, with detailed, vivid illustrations that will become a bedtime favourite.

another hit from the creators of the Giant Of Jum.