Thursday, December 16, 2010

The best Christmas books for younger children

The best Christmas books for younger children ; The author and illustrator who created The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, could probably retire on the proceeds of that modern classic but they keep on producing new, inventive children's stories.

Their latest Zog (Alison Green Books, £10.99) is about a friendly orange dragon, who is learning how to fly, breathe fire and capture princesses. Fans of Donaldson will love her familiar, lyrical prose but unlike some of her earlier books for a pre-school audience, this is aimed at a slightly older age group as Zog learns a different skill at dragon school in Year One, Year Two and so on up to Year Five. Zog and the other boy and girl dragons struggle to learn — crashing into trees and setting their own wings alight — but it all ends happily when he befriends the princess he has captured. My six-year-old loved it.

Michael Foreman's Fortunately Unfortunately (Andersen Press, £10.99) is a jolly tale about a monkey called Milo who overcomes endless mishaps while on a mission to return an umbrella to his granny. Unfortunately he slips off a cliff, fortunately the brolly works like a parachute; unfortunately he is swallowed up by a giant whale, fortunately the umbrella now serves as a little boat; more scrapes and adventures with pirates and aliens ensue — you get the idea. While the illustrations aren't especially strong, this book is perfect for the under-sixes.

Dealing with adversity also happens to be the theme of former children's laureate Jacqueline Wilson's new novel, The Longest Whale Song (DoubleDay, £12.99). This is a surprisingly serious, emotional and uplifting tale about a girl called Ella who, having to cope at home after her mother falls into a coma, finds solace in a school project about whales. Her hope is that she can get a message through to her sleeping mother just like those whale songs that can be heard across the ocean. Recommended for girls over eight. Read More....

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