Christmas crackers
The Christmas clock is ticking and if you still haven’t found the right book for the right child, don’t despair. If you just can’t decide, remember there are always book tokens, says children’s book reviewer CAROLINE FRANKLIN
AS a self-confessed bookaholic, I have always been excited to see what is obviously a book wrapped in Christmas paper with my name on it under the tree and several of the books I was given as a child are still with me. On my shelves are books ranging from the long ago days – Rupert Bear and Beatrix Potter – and, latterly, to discovered joys such as The Diary of a Nobody and I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith). If you have never heard of The Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith, then find a copy and laugh your way through Christmas. Meanwhile, back to looking at books for children so they can begin their own collection. Just as I thought I had finished this column, the postman arrived with Nick Butterworth’s Jingle Bells (Harper Collins £12.99, HB) .Iam so glad it came, for this is a book any young child would love. No question. The illustrations of the two mice who are fed up with a large ginger cat spoiling their Christmas are all that you would expect from this author, while the story of how the problem was solved by poor old Angus the cat having a jingly bell tied round his neck is simple and funny. To make it even better, the book is fastened by – what else – a small gold bell on a scarlet ribbon. An absolutely delightful present for a child aged three and upwards.
A new edition of A Christmas
Story (Oxford University Press £7.99) by Brian Wildsmith means that even the very young of 2+ can enjoy his tale of a small donkey whose mother was chosen to take Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. When the little donkey misses his mother, Rebecca, the girl next door, sets off with him to find her.
The book is full of colour as Wildsmith’s beautiful, gently mysterious illustrations take the reader through what becomes the Christmas story and the little donkey and Rebecca journey onwards to Bethlehem. There they find not only the donkey’s mother, but wonder of wonders, the newborn baby destined for great things. Perfect for sharing with small children this Christmas. The touchyfeely Don’t Tickle the Polar Bear (Usborne Books £12.99 HB) is sure to make the youngest members of the family giggle. Small fingers pressed firmly on the furry patches of the bear and his cold weather friends produce satisfying noises whilst the final press produces a mix of the lot. Great fun. Set in a slightly warmer place is Squirrel’s Snowman (Macmillan £6.99 HB) .In Acorn Wood, Squirrel needs to find bits and pieces to build her snowman and sturdy flaps open to reveal what’s needed. Colourful and written by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler this is another joy for the youngest members of the family.
Another reliable combination for producing a good book is that of Quentin Blake and Emma Chichester Clark. Three Little Monkeys at Christmas (Harper Collins £12.99 HB) is a jolly story about what happens when you go visiting and have to take your three monkeys with you. The rascals can’t be trusted to be left on their own without causing chaos, but then the day comes when the three become heroes and stop a thief out to steal the Golden Teapot! Hooray!!! It’s a happy Christmas after all for everyone. Full of colourful merry pictures, this is a gem of a book for four to five-yearolds.
Don’t forget the small bear with check trousers and a red jumper.
The Rupert Annual (Farshore £10.99 HB) is back again with its colourful stories, rhymes and pictures, origami (how to make a Christmas tree) spot the difference and a memory game. Rupert is over 100 years old now, but still has the power to delight children so remember him when you are doing your Christmas shopping if there is someone aged four and upwards on your list.
Most children will have heard of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, but in the big, beautiful Arthur the Always
King (Walker Books
£20 HB) they can read enthralling tales of his childhood, the sword in the stone, the origin of the famous round table and the assembling of his 12 knights. That’s just the beginning of his life story for there is much to tell up to the day the sword Excalibur is returned to the lake. The stories of the famous king are evocatively told by Kevin Crossley-Holland and the illustrations by Chris Riddell make the tales on the glossy pages leap into life. A special book for a special
child aged nine and upwards. Pony (Puffin £12.99 HB) by RJ Palacio is not just for those who love anything to do with horses, but any child aged nine or so who enjoys a good story. Silas Bird’s father is forcibly taken from their remote home by three strangers. He leaves, giving strict instructions to his son to stay at home, for he intends to be back in a week. However, Silas is determined to go in search of his father and since the men have left behind a blue-eyed Arabian pony, the two set off on what becomes a perilous journey. Along the way
Silas discovers much about his past – and his future.
Pony is a thrilling story of friendship, determination and courage which will keep the reader absorbed until the final page. To make any child who likes dogs smile, a quirky present would be Old Toffer’s Book of Consequential Dogs (Faber £14.99 HB). Guaranteed to make anyone of any age laugh, it is full of wacky dog poems and wonderful cartoonlike illustrations of dogs of all kinds from Lola, the Circus Dog to Dog Juan and Frazzlesprat (that’s the dog who wanted to be a cat).
Buy it for a child, buy it for a chum with a dog, buy it for yourself as a Christmas treat and enjoy it.
The 20th anniversary edition of the big beautiful Journey to the River Sea (Macmillan £20 HB) is the attractively produced story of the orphaned Maia. Maia is overjoyed when she hears that she is to go and live with the Carter family, distant relatives who live in the Amazon jungle.
However, when she gets there she finds two unpleasant, spoilt girls, their mother, who is obsessed with killing insects and their father who collects glass eyes. Worse than that, she is not allowed to explore the beautiful jungle and its people.
The only good thing is her governess, the upright Miss Minton. How Maia eventually finds a friend who changes her life involves an actor, a stately home, a river journey and a devastating fire. A wonderful, exciting award-winning story from Eva Ibbotson, beautifully illustrated by Katie Hickey, for children of nine-plus.
It seems that everyone is looking for The Book of Stolen Dreams (Usborne £12.99 HB), a book which Rachel and Robert helped their father to steal before he was sent to prison. The two children have to go on the run to fulfil their father’s instructions to hand the book over to a certain man on a certain day.
What happens when they miss that meeting is the start of a thrilling adventure in which the cruel president of the country himself is trying to track them down. But the book has a secret and once they find it they know they must go on, whatever the dangers, if their father is to be saved. A thrilling read for children of 10-plus.
Finally, a very happy Christmas to you all and may you find a book you enjoy reading under your tree.