Children’s books

Sunita’s Baby Sister by Nicola Call (Bloomsbury; €6.30). The byline to this oh so useful book could be ‘Jealousy’. 

How devastating it must be for the established number one in the family when a new baby arrives — to hog the attention of parents, and get what seems grossly unfair special treatment. The colourful spreads by Sally Featherstone dramatise the situations, gently leading up to a smiling Sunita responding to her baby sister’s smile. It’s no bed of roses, so valuable advice for adults is included in a postscript. Suitable for age three and upwards (and parents).

Nonsense Limericks by Edward Lear (Faber &Faber; €12.60 HB): This is a volume which needs no introduction to adult readers, but will hopefully bring Lear’s wit alive for a new generation. A humorous feature of Lear was his ability to twist rhymes to suit his subject, so’ Ancona’ would match up with ‘no owner’, and ’Corsica’ with ‘saucy cur’. The Illustrations by Arthur Robins add greatly to the volume. Suitable for age eight and upwards