Child-friendly characters and superb artwork combine to ensure there are loads of books on offer for younger children this festive season, writes Mary Arrigan

Fast Forward by Judi Curtin

WHAT ABOUT BEAR?

LITLE NELLIE’S BIG BOOK, by Pippa Goodheart, illustrated by Andy Rowland, (Bloomsbury, €7.10).

EMBRACING the multi-cultural society we live in, Alanna Books, a small independent UK publisher, has responded to the need for sharing language.