CHILDREN’S BOOKS ANGELA KIVERSTEIN
V WHISKERY MICHAEL Finnegan, shoe-dwelling and fly-swallowing old women… A Nursery Rhyme for Every Night of the Year, edited by Allie Esiri (Macmillan, £20) will remind parents of all their old favourites. Surprise entries include Chad Gadya and My Dreidl; there are also contemporary rhymes such as Michael Rosen’s Beans. This wellorganised book includes intriguing historical background to the rhymes, plus a practical and luxurious ribbon bookmark, but it’s a shame that only the cover benefits from Emily Faccini’s beautiful traditional colour illustrations (black and white illustrations within). A family treasure and a great introduction to poetry.
Rainbow Cat is enjoying a day out in the countryside when she encounters a pile of rubbish. Helped by a dog with one shoe, a fox and some birds, she tidies up. Rainbow Cat and the Big Tidy is told in rhyme by Julia Stebbing (Sticky Bun Publishing) and illustrated by Nivya Kuriakose. Age up to five. The cleaning continues in Natalie and Henry Newman’s Lark the Shark and Wonda the Whale (Austin Macauley, £7.99). Litterpicking
Lark is joined by the baby killer whale who, amusingly, is afraid of the dark. Sparingly told, with bold, bright pictures, the story centres on a surprise birthday party. Age up to five.
Shai’s family has moved to America from Israel because of her father’s job. Shai has to cope not only with language differences, a new school and making friends, but also with silly and sometimes confrontational questions about Israel. Not So Shy by Noa Nimrodi (Kar Ben, £8.10) brilliantly captures Shai’s embarrassment, longing and confusion — and her journey to understanding the true meaning of “home”. Language misunderstandings provide humour — and wonderful food descriptions evoke Israeli, American and Iraqi culture. The friendship and school issues will engage readers age nine up, but mentions of antisemitic bullying and terrorism take the book into the 11-14 bracket.
For age 16-plus, The Sharp Edge of Silence by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum
(Hot Key Books, £8.99) centres on toxic masculinity at an elite boarding school. The powerful story is told alternately by Quinn, raped last school year by a popular and privileged male pupil; Charlotte, a talented dancer navigating a confusing relationship; and Max, a geek suddenly elevated into the first rowing squad, with all the macho posturing that involves. All the characters are captivating and believable — Max even adds a dash of humour to the dark scenario, which sees Quinn pursue revenge.