Books for kids...

FIRST DAY AT BUG SCHOOL

Gentle compartmentalising after rollcall sees everybody off to their appropriate classes.

The excitement of play-time and making friends is stressed, as well as lively PE classes. By the end of the day nobody wants to go home. A bit optimistic perhaps, but very child-friendly. Age 4+

THE GREAT BIG BODY BOOK

by Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith [Frances Lincoln €15.20 H B ].

If ever a book dealt with the essential aspects of our existence this is it. From birth to death, the way we change, and how we perceive ourselves is handled with humour and imaginative illustrations.

A cat provides a running commentary on our sometimes imagined achievements, like sneering that a kitten can walk in a mere five days compared to the laboured attempts of a toddler.

We are reminded that even our teacher was a baby once, and went through the same processes as the rest of us. Exercise, accidents, food, brain fitness, family life, even being uncomfortable in our sexuality, are humorously dealt with.

Our similarities are stressed more than our differences, all in friendly multicultural settings.

The cat has the last word as he surveys the authors’ shapes — one tall and thin, the other short and round. This excellent book is the product of their sameness. Age 5+

FANTASTICALLY GREAT WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD

by Kate Pankhurst [Bloomsbury €8.20]

Apart from the well documented greats, including the author’s ancestor, there are fascinating and informative biographies of lesser known women.

Paleontologist Mary Anning was for long ignored by scholars but discovered many new species of dinosaurs. Native American, Sacagawea, saved the lives of explorers Lewis and Clark as they mapped the Wild West.

Gertrude Ederle swam the English Channel in 1926, while Jamaican-born Mary Seacole saved countless lives during the Crimean War. Age 6+