From an editing career in Harper Collins to best-selling debut author, mother of three Alison Walsh tells Sue Leonard that the path to success in writing can be a long road working from the bottom up.

Alfie In The Bath

Kya deLongchamps pauses to consider the most enigmatic face in the World.

Richard Scarry’s Best Lowly Worm Book Ever! (Harper Collins €8.80) is ready to delight a new generation of youngsters.

WEAR THIS

BUTLERS, plumbers, doormen, florists, the executive pastry chef: these are just some of the hundreds of people that work at the White House for the President of the USA.

Bears Don’t Read

Dino-Daddy by Mark Sperring ( Bloomsbury €8.80)

Blown Away by Rob Biddulph (Harper Collins €8.80) tells of Penguin and his brand new kite. 

Poppy’s Babies

The Busiest People Ever by Richard Scarry (Harper Collins; €8.30) vibrates with energy from the very beginning as everyone in Busytown goes about their work. 

An Gabhar A Raibh An-Ocras Go Deo Air,

Up and Down

Lulu and The Treasure Hunt

HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS — THE SUMMER FAIR

NOW that Christmas is over and New Year’s resolutions are still fresh in our minds why don’t we all decide to spend even a couple of extra hours a week having fun in the kitchen with all the family, cooking from scratch and saving money to boot.

Presented with child-friendly characters, heartwarming stories, superb art and laugh-aloud fun, this Christmas kaleidoscope of books will be cherished and read again and again.

Sparkly Shoes and Picnic Parties by Sophie Tilley (Bloomsbury; €13.20)

RACHEL’S Everyday Kitchen — Simple, Delicious Family Food has just been published by Harper Collins.

CRIME fiction is regarded as a good vehicle for reflecting the times in which it is written.

Apple goes to trial today over allegations by US federal and state authorities that it conspired with publishers to raise the price of e-books.

AS SHE watched a TV documentary about the foot-and-mouth epidemic in England, author Valerie Bowe wasn’t surprised by the news that thousands of sheep had to be put down.

Britain’s Pearson and Germany’s Bertelsmann are to merge their publishing units, Penguin and Random House, to recover ground lost to technology groups.

Walter And The No Need To Worry Suit by Rachel Bright (Harper Collins; €8.35)

For Darina Allen it’s the pond at the end of her garden, for Donal Skehan and Trevor Sargent it’s their vegetable plots, and for Peter Kelly it’s his polythene tunnel. Ahead of Bloom, Áilín Quinlan peeks over the fence into the gardens and personal oases of four well-known Irish faces.

Here is a summary of each of the short-listed books.

Just Like My Daddy by Sharon Harmer (Caterpillar; €5.92 HB) is a sturdy, comfortable-sized boardbook.

READERS may be paying double what an ebook really costs every time they download one online, due to an arrangement between five of the world’s major publishers and Apple.

Five major publishing houses and technology company Apple are being investigated by EU competition watchdogs to see if they have colluded to restrict competition in the market for e-books.

I’VE got you under my skin — a motley collection of animals could sing that catchy refrain in uncomfortable harmony, thanks to gutsy scientists who’ve brought fresh light to dark, dangerous and gory spots.

Rob Scotton’s illustrations are always a joy. In Scaredy-Cat Splat (Harper Collins €8.35) Splat is determined to win the scariest costume prize at school. His ego is knocked by classmates whose costumes are superior.

IGGY AND ME by Jenny Valentine (Harper Collins; €5.92). It’s end of term and little Iggy is worried. “Who will look after the hamsters and the guinea pigs?” she asks.

AMERICAN writer Ron Rash was last night named the winner of the 2010 Cork City – Frank O’Connor Short Story Award for his collection Burning Bright.

The 16-year-old singer Justin Bieber – who shot to fame after posting a series of videos on YouTube – will release the book ‘Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story’, in October.

Expert gamblers are less prone to the cognitive biases that affect most of us and as a result, they can think about risk more clearly, according to a new report.

COMPUTER giant Apple launched its iPad device yesterday, claiming it bridged the gap between the laptop and the smartphone.

Computer giant Apple launched its iPad device today, claiming it bridged the gap between the laptop and the smartphone.

A COUPLE of weeks ago my daughter-in-law Rachel’s new book shot to the top of the bestseller list. Can you imagine Bertie’s reaction when he was knocked off the number one spot by a book on home cooking! This is Rachel’s sixth book in just six years. Can’t imagine how she manages to keep all the balls in the air with three little dotes to look after and regular stints on Market Kitchen as well.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has defended his celebrity chef wife Jessica from allegations she stole recipes from another high-profile cook, calling her accuser a "wacko".

OJ Simpson, America’s most notorious sports star, was yesterday the focus of renewed controversy after being implicated in a burglary at a Las Vegas casino.

THE family of Ron Goldman has purchased the rights to OJ Simpson’s cancelled book If I Did It from a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee in the US.

ENGLAND striker Wayne Rooney is being sued by his former manager David Moyes over comments made in his autobiography, it was confirmed yesterday.