CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Emily Bearn
In recent years the gay parent has become a familiar feature in children’s fiction – and now the gay grandparent is gradually becoming part of the landscape too. Grandad’s Camper by Harry Woodgate (Andersen, 32pp, £12.99) is one such example, telling the uplifting story of a little girl who helps her grandfather embrace life again following the death of his handsome soul mate Gramps. (‘Your Gramps was quite the adventurer! He was tall and handsome and excellent at so many things.’ ) Grandad hasn’t used his camper van since Gramps died, but his granddaughter has a plan to cheer him up. And in a story that will resonate with many a parent, The
Sea (Thames & Hudson, 32pp, £9.99) by Piret Raud depicts the sea as a conscientious but exhausted mother to her huge brood of mischievous fish. (‘The sea taught all her fish how to read … And she talked at length about how good it was for them to be educated fish.’) When Mother Sea reaches the end of her tether, and goes away without them, the fish must rethink their ways.
For readers of seven plus, Journey to the Last River (Frances Lincoln, 128pp, £14.99) by Teddy Keen is the second thrilling voyage for the Unknown Adventurer. This time, his travels begin when he discovers a map of the Amazon, showing a river that has been mysteriously rubbed out. (‘I would mention the area’s name, but I can’t. All I can say is that this map would lead the two of us on an expedition into the heart of the unknown.’) And fans of boarding school fiction should not miss How to Be Brave by Daisy Johnson (Pushkin, £304pp, £7.99), in which our heroine Calla and her rebellious comrades must pit their wits against a dastardly headmistress. Combining the high-jinx of Malory
Towers with the mystery of Agatha Christie, this is a story that should appeal well beyond its targeted readership.
And The Ice Whisperers (Puffin, 416pp, £7.99) is a sumptuously imagined debut fantasy by Helenka Stachera, telling the story of a young girl who is sent to Siberia to live with a mysterious uncle. While exploring his scientific workshop, she finds herself transported into a magical land which she must save with the help of a long-lost sister,
born 40,000 years ago.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of When Hitler
Stole Pink Rabbit, by one of Britain’s best loved children’s writers, the late Judith Kerr. Based on Kerr’s early life, and her family’s escape from Nazi Germany, the anniversary edition of this cherished story (Harper Collins, 304pp, £12.99) contains Kerr’s original line drawings, and coincides with a new audiobook read by the author’s daughter. The Book of Stolen
Dreams (Usborne, 384pp, £12.99) is a superb children’s debut by the screenwriter David Farr, telling the story of two children who must rescue their librarian father when he is captured by villains in pursuit of a book possessing the power of immortality. (‘I have always taught you to have a strong moral compass. You must use it now to save your father.’)
And where would we be without Ladybird Books, instructing us on Everything Under the Sun (Ladybird, 256pp, £25)? In this bumper volume by Molly Oldfield, we find answers to 366 questions posed by children around the world, on subjects ranging from the Eoraptor dinosaur to the common cold. Concise and beautifully illustrated, this would be the perfect present for the child who wants to know everything in very little detail.