Children’s Books

WAKE UP! by Katie Cleminson (Red Fox; €7.55) follows the day of a little boy whose imaginary friendship with an elephant, a cat and various other animals are all part of his activities – from being woken by an elephant, stretching like a cat, playing the violin like an octopus and eating like a hippo. An inspiring read-aloud for reluctant bedtimers.

Miranda to the Rescue by Karen Wallace, illustrated by Ailie Busb (A&C Black; €12.60 HB) tells the story of Gus Grabbit, whose plan to sell dodgy sea-view sites to unwary buyers causes quite a stir under the sea. Miranda the mermaid enlists the help of underwater creatures to scare off potential buyers and give Grabbit a watery comeuppance. With fun, colourful illustrations this is a very entertaining book for the newly independent reader.

Black Death by Martyn Beardsley (Barrington Stoke; €7.55) visits a bad time in history. In 1348, Will Burstyn and his sister are orphans who live in miserable circumstances. Will finds work on a ship where he witnesses the first black rats emerging. Little does he realise the catastrophic consequences to come. Can he and his sister survive the Black Death? A thought-provoking read for the reluctant reader.

TJ and The Hat-Trick, and TJ and The Penalty by Theo Walcott and Paul May (Corgi Books; €6.30 each) are part of a new and timely series of soccer books based on the young Walcott’s experiences at school. Main character TJ arrives at a tough city school at the same time as Mr Wood, himself a former football player with the local Wanderers. Both stories, as well as chronicling the school’s rise to modest fame, subtly deal with the hard graft of training. Apart from a few teacher stereotypes, the characters and dialogue are quite credible. Entertaining reads for soccer fans aged seven and upwards.