Kids Book Club - January 2013

Confidentials 15 January 2013

0-5 years

The Game in the Dark

Herve Tullet

9780714864853

£7.95

It's an age-old problem with board books: how do you engage the very tiniest readers, the ones for whom even the wispiest hint of a story is going to be too much to grasp? French writer / illustrator Tullet has been navigating his way around this conundrum for years, with a string of board books that emphasise touchy-feely interactivity. His readers are encouraged to wear them as masks, or trigger changes by pressing imaginary buttons. This new title contains no text at all, and no illustrations either – not visible ones, anyway. But hold the pages under a light-source and then they'll glow in the dark, revealing a simple, stylised rocket travelling to the stars. Herve's originality and ingenuity is pretty breathtaking. If you're looking to teach pre-schoolers about the magic spell that a good book can cast, look no further.

5-9 years

101 Poems for Children: A Laureate's Choice

Carol Ann Duffy (ed)

9781447205166

£9.99

A children's poetry anthology isn't a new idea by any means, but this is wonderfully well done. What makes it special is the stylish presentation, and the sheer quality of the selections. Rather than rattling off the same old choices, Duffy looks to expand young readers' horizons by including work by classic writers - Yeats, Coleridge, Auden, Emily Dickinson – as well as contemporary poets like Ian McMillan, Jackie Kay and John Hegley. Simply put, if it's good, it's in. There's no segregation by era either, just an intelligent, gently thematic running order that weaves the lot together. Bold, surprising, entertaining and full of variety, it's marbled through with subtle illustrations by children's favourite Emily Gravett. Editor Carol Ann Duffy, the current Poet Laurate, is herself an experienced children's author (and South Manchester resident to boot). This beautiful, nifty little volume speaks of a genuinely love of poetry and could well inspire one in turn.

9-12 years

Operation Bunny

Sally Gardner

9781444003727

£5.99

Sally Gardner's very much in the limelight at the moment thanks to her award-winning novel Maggot Moon, which is indeed highly recommended, but it's meant for older, teenage readers. This is skewed younger, and still crackles with ideas and invention. Our young heroine, Emily Vole, had a rough start in life. As a baby she was left in a hat box in Stansted Airport. She's subsequently adopted by the wealthy, mean-spirited Dashwoods, but when she doesn't quite fit their exact requirements, she ends up working as their scullion. Emily's luck finally changes when she inherits the keys to an old shop from a friendly neighbour. As a result she discovers a weird, magical world lurking just beyond our own, populated by talking cats, stroppy crockery and rainbow-coloured rabbits. In due course Emily finds herself in charge of Wings and Co, a fairy detective agency. The opening entry in a new series, this has the feel of a modern fairy tale, a strange and extraordinary adventure with a Dahl-esque sense of peril and darkness. Never remotely cosy or twee, Gardner's text is unfussy, and her characters are full of left-of-centre charm. The accompanying ink drawings by David Roberts contribute to the sense of woozy weirdness. Tremendous fun, and hopefully the start of a whole series worth following.