Children’s Books

HOT Cross Bunny! by M Christina Butler and Gavin Scott (Little Tiger; €13.03). Little Daisy Rabbit is so fond of the woolly hat knitted by Granny that she refuses to take it off — ever.

But when spring approaches and Mum says there’s no need for a woolly hat, Daisy rebels by eliminating everything to do with spring. It takes a visit from Granny to find a fancy solution. A delightful, touchy-feely, funny picture book for small hoarders.

Measuring Angels by Lesley Ely and Polly Dunbar (Frances Lincoln; €8.35) is a clever book about the hurt and isolation of a little girl who is shunned by the rest of the class. But when the teacher organises a planting project and puts the shunned child and her nemesis together to tend a sunflower seed, the girls eventually become good friends as the plant grows. With strong, childish illustrations, and narrated by the child, this is just the book for a youngster who might have difficulties fitting in during the early days of school.

School difficulties of a nastier sort feature in The Uniform by Tommy Donbavand (Barrington Stoke NPA). Teenage Matt and his mother have moved to a down-at heel flat after his father has abandoned them. Trying to fit into a new school is difficult enough, but when he’s berated by a teacher for not having a school uniform, Matt falls victim to Steven Chadwick, arch bully who preys on the less fortunate. However, when Matt’s mum gets him a second-hand uniform in a charity shop, he changes into a completely different character.

In the Bag by Jim Carrington (Bloomsbury; €8.35). Friends Joe and Ash, who are alternate narrators, find a holdall abandoned by the roadside. Inside, to their amazement, is a small fortune — some £20,000, a quantity of drugs and a handgun. The temptation to reward themselves is overwhelming, but they must be cautious not to appear too suddenly flash. They soon find that sinister elements, who have returned for the lost loot, have tracked them down.