Children’s books

FOR THE youngster just coming to terms with numbers, who better to promote counting than the bunch of slimy, hairy uglies in The Monster Counting Book by Kate Daubeny (Caterpillar; €10.66)?

With bouncy rhyme, loud colours and heaps of fun, this sturdy book is sure to set potential little mathematicians on a lively route to pre-school activities.

Terry Deary’s Viking Tales are always sure to captivate six to seven-year-olds with thrilling plots and lovable characters. The Hand of the Viking Warrior (A&C Black; €5.92) begins with an argument between Irpa and her mother, Freydis, who warns her children about the Skraelings, a screeching bunch of people who attack Vikings that settle in North America. When the ghostly Skraelings turn out to be Native American Indians who wish to exchange gifts with the newcomers, all seems well. Until one of them reaches for the silver ring in the nose of the bad-tempered bull. The ensuing mayhem puts both sides in battle mode. Who can appease the angry Indians? A wholesome, funny and exciting read.