Books for children

Dilly Duckling by Claire Freedman, illustrated by Jane Chapman (Little Tiger; €5.92 HB) is the simple tale of a ditsy duckling who wanders from the rest of the brood to catch her downy feather, which has been caught by the wind. On her chase she is helped by other young creatures, but the errant feather keeps going. Trust mum to banish Dilly’s worries. A gentle tale that illustrates the changes from babyhood to lively toddler.

Traction Man Meets TurboDog by Mini Grey (Red Fox; €8.35) is a highly imaginative and entertaining read, particularly for boys. The exciting adventure sparks off with the simple act of a boy’s dad dumping an old scrubbing brush. In his mind, the boy takes on the persona of his toy Traction Man to set out on a dangerous mission to rescue the brush. All the other creatures and characters are similarly recognisable as ordinary household items, the kitchen and dustbin are perilous landscapes, all of which take childish inventiveness to a wondrous height.