Children’s books

OTTO the Book Bear, by Kate Cleminson (Jonathan Cape; €7.10), lives in a book. At night, when all is quiet, he comes to life and explores the house, reads stories and writes.

But the family moves to a new house and he is left behind. Venturing out into the world is dangerous. With colourful, bold-line illustrations, this is a charming story for age three and up.

Mr Gumpy’s Motor Car, written and illustrated by John Burningham (Red Fox; €8.35), is the tale of a man who sets out for a drive in his ancient open-top motor car. When he meets two children and several animals, they ask if they can come too. Squashed together, they cross a field on an old cart track. Not such a good idea! The short, large-print storyline is ideal for the child who is learning to identify words. The unusual cross-hatch illustrations are quite atmospheric. The attached CD is read by Sylvester McCoy. For age five and up.

Dragon Stew, by Steve Smallman and Lee Wildish (Little Tiger; €7.10), is the story of five bored Vikings seeking adventure. Little Loggi Longsocks suggests sailing to Dragon Island and capturing a dragon for dinner. But the ambitious five soon discover that dragons are big and dragons breathe fire! The excellent, cartoon-like illustrations and bouncy verse will make the reader laugh out loud. Suitable for age seven and up.

The Fall, by Anthony McGowan (Barrington Stoke; €4.41). The story, told in flashback, opens with Mog learning of the death of his former school-mate Chris Rushe. Their school, Corpus Christi High, housed ‘weaklings, nutters and meat-headed bullies’. This is a fascinating character-driven portrayal of boys’ relationships, which are often forged in desperation. When Mog persuades loner Duffy to jump a stream, knowing the dangers, the results are surprising. The dialogue is realistic, and the descriptions of violence are graphic. For age 14 and up.