0-5 years
Mr Tiger Goes Wild
Peter Brown
£11.99
9781447253259
Mr Tiger lives a very civilised, orderly sort of world, all perfect manners and well-observed etiquette – a bit like Victorian society, only with rhinos and monkeys. But one day he gets bored of being polite and dressing correctly all the time. So he whips off his top hat, goes down on all fours and lets loose like an animal. One trip to the wilderness later, he has to face up to how everyone else around him will respond.
A glorious little lesson in being true to yourself, this is also a vibrant visual feast. Brooklyn-based writer-illustrator Brown brings the whole tale to life, particularly the contrast between the measured drabness of society and the marvelous, untamed sprawl of nature. A fine idea, brilliantly realised. And what's more, it's enormously, irresistibly funny.
5-9 years
Oliver and the Seawigs
Philip Reeve / Sarah McIntyre
9780192734556
£8.99
Young readers tend to want adventure, fun, left-field ideas and jokes from their books. This, from Mortal Engines author Reeve, is precision engineered to hit that spot. When married explorers the Crisps have a little boy, the titular Oliver, they have a bash at settling down. But when they go missing while exploring an mysterious island region, it turns out that Oliver has inherited the family thirst for adventure. So he leaps into a dinghy and sets off across the ocean to find them.
Along the way he befriends an eccentric talkative albatross, faces off against maleficent rocks, and discovers that some islands move. And wear wigs.
In all its mind-stretching nautical hoot, as funny as it is exciting, which is very. And it's gloriously illustrated by MacIntyre, in a stylish, detailed and endearing manner, striking a very neat balance between the words and the pictures.
9-12 years
Mouse Bird Snake Wolf
David Almond / Dave McKean
9781406322897
£9.99
In this modern take on a creation myth, the gods set about making the world, but they only get part-way through. Then they take an extended tea-break, one which shows no sign of ever ending. And wonderful though the world is, it needs finishing. For one thing, it requires more animals. So three imaginative young children take it upon themselves to dream some up. And this plan unfolds quite nicely, right up until they invent the wolf. Then things take a darker turn.
David Almond is the acclaimed author of Skellig, and illustrator McKean has collaborated regularly with Neil Gaiman. Make no mistake, this book is an absolutely equal partnership, with text and illustrations weaved together in a format that's closer to a graphic novel than standard prose fiction.
McKean's extraordinary paintings are strange, beautiful and very expressive, dovetailing superbly with Almond's rhythmic, thought-provoking prose. In a spare, rhythmic, lyrical fashion, huge themes and concepts are tackled here, but it doesn't soft-soap its readership by offering firm, reassuring answers. Almond and McKean have worked together before, but this is definitely their most satisfying and beguiling collaboration so far.
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