Books for children

For children starting school what better way to ease into a new language than by sharing a good story.

Walker Books have teamed up with Foras na Gaeilge to produce Irish translations of well-known, much loved stories such as Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney; The Ravenous Beast by Niamh Sharkey; Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and A Bit Lost by Chris Houghton. The beautiful illustrations and simple texts make the introduction to the Irish language a real treat. (All titles; €8.35)

Give Us A Goal by Paul Cookson (Frances Lincoln; €7.10) is a sometimes hilarious collection of football poems, ranging from a parody of The Lord’s Prayer to Chants that didn’t Catch on. All aspects of the ‘beautiful game’ are analysed, but the more interesting poems are about the peripheral characters. Age eight and upwards.

This Is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees (Bloomsbury; €8.35) is a very edgy psychological drama centring around three intriguing characters. Caro rejects conventional love and, in effect, plays brothers Jamie and Rob against each other. Rob is a heavily traumatised returnee from Afghanistan, angst-ridden and liable at a moment’s notice to be tipped over the edge. His brother Jamie is comparatively the most solid of the three, though he allows himself to be used mercilessly by manipulative Caro The threefold narrative gives us insights into the mindsets of the protagonists, none of whom seem to be on the same wavelength. Caro and Rob wish to make a dramatic anti-war statement that will draw instant attention to their misgivings about American and British foreign policies. The teen world they inhabit is a bit selective in that any positives are hard to find, but then young Rob has experienced sights no normal young man should see on active service, and it is through their eyes that we view a world that they find unaccommodating. Young adult.