Books for children

Funny Farm by Jack Tickle (Caterpillar; €10.66 HB) is a big pop-up book that will thrill two- to four-year-olds.

Open the first page and the crowing rooster leaps out to waken the rest of the farm animals. Wobbly pigs jump in the muck: mother sheep turns to see her leaping lamb, and more. The creatures — both three- dimensional and static — are delightfully baby-friendly, and the accompanying simple verses are bouncy and funny to read aloud.

Just One More! by Tracey Corderoy (Little Tiger; €13.03) is a book to take on holidays! Insatiable Little Brown Bunny loves his stories so much he always asks for more. When Mum, Dad, Granny and Grandad flop with exhaustion, Bunny decides to create his own stories. But when the ideas run out, Mum suggests a clever solution. Attached inside the cover is Bunny’s own book, which will encourage little authors. Suitable for age three and upwards, (be sure to pack pencils and notebooks).

The invincible Cat in the Hat and his iconic rhymes hit the laughter nerve in Why Oh Why Are Deserts Dry? By Tish Rabe (Bantam; €4.70). He shows Dick and Sally that there’s more to deserts than just sand. Informative and very funny as usual.

Valentina by Kevin McDermot (Little Island €9.99) The eponymous heroine, daughter of the First Citizen, lives a protected life in The Citadel. In this dystopian novel the world has been ravaged by flood and fire so people flock to temperate zone islands like Ireland. Valentina befriends some lower order teenagers and they set out with several bodyguards to search for her brother Mattie. The journey becomes a metaphor as each encounter with outsiders leads to her greater understanding of people less fortunate than herself. The setting is rather ambiguous. Ireland’s provinces have become green, amber and red zones, though Tipperary and the great rivers retain their original names. Suitable for age 12 and over.