Kids’ books

BIG BOOK Of My World illustrated by Kali Stileman (Doubleday; €11.93 HB) is the definitive book for toddlers at the discovery stage. It begins with shapes, colours and basic counting, progressing to sounds (and what makes them), town-scapes and the sea, graduating to games and challenging puzzles such as spot-the- difference and odd-one-out.

Colourful, toddler-friendly illustrations are cleverly designed against a light background for easy identification.  Highly recommended.

Picasso’s Trousers by Nicholas Allan (Random House; €13.03 HB) is a humorous introduction to the pivotal style of the man who influenced a whole breed of abstract painters. The young Picasso’s father forbids him to go to Paris to paint, but Picasso says YES! and goes anyway. This big YES becomes his mantra when people tell him he can’t paint like this or sculpt like that. When it comes to getting new trousers, it takes a wise tailor to produce the right stripes. Cleverly illustrated with strong, early Picasso-esque style.

Pig Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman (Corgi; €7.10): Cameron Kelsey’s heart is failing and a human transplant may not be an option. In desperation his dad  approaches a  pioneer in transplanting animal organs to humans. This contact proves highly traumatic for Cameron’s family. It also generates media-fuelled controversy as animal rights groups swing into action. Cameron, a likeable teenager, soon finds that this operation has devastating effects on his relationships with his friends of both sex. The story explores a multitude of issues head-on without sentimentality, while Cameron’s secret diary,  to be read in years to come by his as-yet unborn brother, offers a touching insight into his physical and mental pain.

* Author Mary Arrigan will visit libraries in Carrigaline and Charleville on Tuesday, October 18 during the Children’s Book Festival.