0-5 years
Pandamonium at Peek Zoo
Kevin Waldron
9781848778573
£5.99
In the five years since it was first published, Mr Peek and the Misunderstanding at the Zoo has won Kevin Waldron much acclaim and many young admirers. But it's still pretty much under the radar – as close as you can get to a cult picture-book. It's been a long wait for this follow-up, but Waldron has managed to recapture the quirky, old-school charm which made the first book so cherishable.
We follow befuddled zoo keeper Mr Peek, and his rather more able son Jimmy, as they stage an animal parade to mark the arrival of a new baby panda. Mr Peek wants it to be a tightly-drilled occasion – but he's so preoccupied that he's making big mistakes, like covering the tortoises in boot polish, leaving the penguins to roam free, and turning the heating up in the polar bear enclosure. Worse still, the baby panda's wandering off into the lion's cage... Jimmy's going to have his work cut out in restoring harmony.
It's Waldron's illustrations, combined with a gorgeous lightness of touch, that makes this such a winner. There's a sense of underplayed eccentricity here, and a big warm dollop of fun, that's pleasantly reminiscent of Wallace and Gromit. There's the same attention to detail, too: even Mr Peek's animal-pattern pyjamas are funny and gorgeously rendered. Hopefully it won't be another five years until the next adventure, because Waldron's Mr Peek books really are a cut above.
5-9 years
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat
Dave Shelton
9781849920520
￡5.99
It must be said, truly great books for early readers are rare as hen's teeth. Most aim to engage and entertain that age range without taxing them too much. And on one level this achieves that – but it's also thought-provoking and unusual, bordering at times on the downright surreal.
As the title spells out, it's the story of a sea journey. The boy and the bear are nameless, though the boat's called Harriet. As to where they're going – well, it's hard to say. In fact, this is definitely one of those books whose secrets are best discovered by reading it, rather than reading about it. Suffice it to say that the boat trip is very eventful, in lots of strange and unexpected ways, taking in a sea monster, an abandoned ship, and a sandwich.
This is the first novel by Shelton, who started out as a comics artist, and provides the nifty illustrations here too. But it's his prose that proves to be something special. The vocabulary is kept simple, but it's used to tremendous effect. The boy and the bear make a great double-act, and there's plenty of humour in the banter between them. Genuinely original, the whole thing has its own special pace and a highly beguiling cumulative effect. To say too much would be to spoil it, but know this: it's a proper treat.
9-12 years
The Poison Boy
Fletcher Moss
9781908435446
￡6.99
Eagle-eyed South Manchester residents may recognize the pseudonym here. 'Fletcher Moss' is a locally-based writer; this is his first Young Adults novel. In 2012, when going by the title 'Sleepwell and Fly', the original manuscript won The Times' Children's Fiction Competition, held in conjunction with the publishers Chicken House. Now it's ready to meet the public at large.
It all centres on one Dalton Fly, the 14 year-old 'poison boy' of the title. He's part of a gang whose job is to sample food and drink for paranoid wealthy clients. As professions go, it's seriously hazardous, and as the story opens, Dalton's young cohort Bennie comes a cropper. This all happened at the sixteenth birthday party of Scarlet Dropmore, a mysterious girl who's living apart from her rich, powerful parents for her own safety. Consequently Dalton wants revenge, whereas Scarlet wants to find out who's trying to kill her. Together with Dalton's uniquely talented pal Sal Sleepwell, they start digging amongst the local underworld, though they're not really prepared for the trouble that they're about to unearth.
The setting for their quest is Highlions, a sprawling old (fictional) city. A rough and tumble world riven by class, it's very deftly realised, complete with its own geography and slang. The result's particularly evocative: you can almost taste the dirt and poison for yourself. In all it's a dark, cut-throat sort of adventure, very ably told and with a trio of strong, engaging lead characters. Quite possibly the finished book will go on to win awards of its own.
Chorlton Bookshop
506 Wilbraham Road
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Manchester
M21 9AW
Tel: 0161 881 6374
chorltonbookshop@lineone.net
Follow Chorlton Bookshop on Twitter @ChorltonBkshop and Facebook here
