Children's books: Once Upon a Place, The Elf on the Shelf
The anthology is a who’s who of the best of Irish children’s writers with stories ranging from the wildly imaginative to the mildly horrifying. ‘The Bear’ by John Connoly is an outstanding tale of displacement, where a mother moves to Kerry after separating from her husband. Shortly after arrival in this new place a bear appears and is befriended by her children, David and Stephen.
Naturally the bear cannot speak to them, but he is a warm and enthusiastic being who inveigles his way into the house to watch television. That is, until the boys’ mother puts her foot down. A family home is no place for a bear — but all ends well of course.
