0-5 years
And The Cars Go...
William Bee
￡11.99
9781406309997
If you haven't yet discovered the picture books of William Bee, now's the time. His previous stories Beware of the Frog and Whatever are twisted modern classics. This new title is much in the same vein as 2008's And The Train Goes... They'e both aimed at a very young readership, the sort that likes vehicles, noise, and – best case scenario – noisy vehicles. So this centres on an epic traffic jam, and details each of the cars – from ice-cream van and road sweeper to school bus and racing car. What, though, is the cause of the jam?
Aside from the ensemble brumming and honking, it's Bee's wonderfully stylish, endlessly ornate illustrations that will appeal to little ones. There's so much psychedelic detail and colour to take in. There's a wicked, inventive and very British sense of humour at work here, too, that lifts it way beyond the ranks of its bog-standard ilk. The cars are really just the main attraction: the whole thing's so much simple, unalloyed fun, it really ought to be available on prescription.
5-9 years
Fizzlebert Stump and the Bearded Boy
A F Harrold
￡5.99
9781408835210
Where early readers are concerned, 'silly' isn't a pejorative term, it's an entire flourishing industry. But very few writers can deliver funny, imaginative fiction that isn't actually a bit tiresome. So here's raising a toast to performance poet A F Harrold, who certainly seems to have that rare knack. The Fizzlebert Stump character made his debut last year, in The Boy Who Ran Away From the Circus (and Joined the Library). That explains itself, really. In the process, young Fizzlebert discovered that the world outside the circus was even more strange and exciting. This time out, he's back inside the big top. But a new attraction, the over-hairy Barboozul family, is causing all kinds of chaos, which puts the circus itself in jeopardy.
This all flows and unfolds beautifully, with equal quantities of thrills, spills and daft humour, dotted through with illustrations from full-page to thumbnails. Fizzlebert and his exploits are hugely engaging, and there's real skill evident in the telling. A fine example then of the current wave of Dahl-esque story books.
9-12 years
Magic Ink
Steve Cole / Jim Field
£6.99
9780857078704
If you're under ten and you love books, Steve Cole probably needs no introduction. He's the writer of a whole host of popular series, including Astrosaurs, Cows in Action and Slime Squad. This is something of a departure, though: a standalone story for slightly older readers. Here our hero is 12 year-old Stew Penders, and his life in upheaval. His family has just moved into the house formerly inhabited by his late grandfather, a famous comic book artist. If there's one thing that Stew loves, it's comics. Exploring the house, Stew begins to uncover his grandfather's big secret. He meets a talking pig called Posho, who starts hanging out in his bedroom; and Merlin, the actual Arthurian magician, who entrusts him with a bottle of really remarkable ink. Whatever Stew draws with it will spring to life. But Merlin's facing his doom, and it will take all of Stew's creativity – and Posho's strength of character – to save the day.
Replete with zippy illustrastions, this is really half-novel, half-comic book, which makes it nice and accessible for less able readers. And the story itself is a riot – a ripping, fast-moving adventure brimming over with laughs. You might not believe that a posh pig can fly. Not only can he do that, he can also teach you a thing or two about self-belief. You're in very safe hands with Steve Cole, and this is exuberant, accomplished stuff.
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