Children's books

WITH the Children’s Book Festival imminent, now is a good time to introduce the very young to the pleasure of reading.

Debi Gliori’s books for toddlers are always a delight.

Her newest story, Stormy Weather (Bloomsbury; €13.90 HB) has all her trademark cosy charm. In rhyming format, it focuses on the comforting protection of animal and bird mums or dads for their young in the night.

A beautiful bedtime book to share with age two-plus.

Following his immortal We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Michael Rosen continues his bear theme with Bear Flies High (Bloomsbury; €13.90).

With toddler-friendly repetitive refrain throughout, we follow Bear as he explores the beach. With Adrian Reynolds’s superb illustrations, this read-aloud book is a treat for age three-plus.

Dragons generally get bad press, but author/illustrator Jackie Morris dispels their fearsome reputation with Tell Me A Dragon (Frances Lincoln; €15.15 HB). Every kind of dragon, each accompanied by a child who describes the virtues of his or her particular dragon, is shown in splendid, colourful spreads.

Super Daisy and the Peril of Planet Pea by Kes Gray and Nick Sharratt (Red Fox; €8.80) begins with Daisy telling her two pals about her most hated vegetable – the pea. With imagination on overdrive she wonders what would happen if Planet Pea collided with Earth. It would mean “peas with everything!” Peas with jelly, ice cream, yoghurt and cake. So it’s up to Super Daisy to prevent a Pea invasion.

A laugh-aloud read for age four-plus.

Best-Loved Irish Legends by Eithne Massey, illustrated by Lisa Jackson, (O’Brien; €14.99 HB) is a simplified re-telling of well-known folk tales – the Salmon of Knowledge and the Children of Lir are just some of the legends which are told in child-friendly format for age seven-plus.

A book to keep and treasure.