Books for Children

Under the Bed

By Paul Bright, illustrated by Ben Cort (Little Tiger Press (€5.92 HB) is just the book for overcoming night scares. As a small boy snuggles down, his imagination transforms the ordinary debris underneath his bed into bugs and beasts which grow bigger, uglier and hungrier in the boy’s mind. But, just as the last scary thing fills the room, he discovers the very thing that scares them all away. The perfect bedtime book for unwilling sleepy heads. Age 3+.

A Home for Mr Tipps

By Tom Percival (Harper Collins €8.35)

Mr Tipps, a nervous stray cat, meets a lonely youngster who eventually wins the cat’s friendship. But when the boy goes missing Mr Tipps sets out through every danger to find him. The simple plot moving from happy, through sad, to happy again, is complemented by atmospheric illustrations. Age 5+

Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster

By Joanna Nadin (Usborn €5.92)

If ever a title was accurate, this one beats all! Narrated in the present tense by Penny herself, her antics and blunders bounce hilariously from page to page. With trusty best friend Cosmo in tow, her decision to become a hairdresser suffers a hiccup when she hasn’t access to a scissors. But Dad’s electric razor creates several gaps as the cat and prissy cousin Georgia May baldly discover. The humour never palls with well-meaning projects that leave a trail of multiple disasters. With quirky illustrations this is a laugh-aloud read for 7 to 11 year-olds.

Ninja, First Mission by Chris Bradford (Barrington Stoke €7.10) begins under the claustrophobic floorboards where Taka, a young ninja, lies in wait for Lord Oda, the samurai warrior who murdered Taka’s father. This is Taka’s first mission and he must get it right to win the respect of his peers — especially bully Renzo. A dramatic adventure by an author who is a skilled black belt in the art of the ninja. Age 9 to 14. Suitable for dyslexic readers.