This Halloween, Rita wants a witch. She wants a witch that will let her stay up late at night, flying around on a broomstick. Rita’s witch wouldn’t fuss over cleaning or homework – there’s too much marvellous magic to be done! As Rita continues to think about the practicalities of having a witch in her life, she realises that it may not all be fun and games. There are many ways that living with a witch could be disastrous!
A Spooktacular Place to Be is Úna Woods’ follow up to her popular Have You Seen the Dublin Vampire from last year. In the book, the Dublin vampire (does he have a name?) and his bat friend journey around Ireland in search of spookier places to live than his Dublin park. They hit all the spooky and haunted destinations across the country such as Newgrange, St Michans church, Fastnet Lighthouse and others, but do any of them feel as homely as his spooky and familiar old tree?
A young boy is off to Grandma’s birthday party. Soon, he asks the inevitable question, ‘Are we there, yet?’ Judging from his parents’ faces, this isn’t the first time he’s asked. Simple car journeys can take forever. Watching out the window and playing with toys can only occupy a child for so long, and the boy soon becomes bored. Then, his imagination takes over and he goes on a road trip of a different kind. He sees knights jousting, dinosaurs on the loose, pirates and Ancient Egyptians. It becomes a trip through the past and the future, with excitement and adventure round every bend.
Sam and his stuffed bunny, Jump, are best friends and they do everything together. After a trip to the beach they make a new friend, but Jump is accidentally left behind. Will Sam ever see Jump again? What could have happened to him?
Author-illustrator Jennifer K. Mann takes a heart-warming approach to friendship in Sam and Jump, subtly touching on issues such as loyalty and responsibility, but above all, she beautifully deals with the very real anguish of losing a special toy.
From New Zealand, Juliette MacIver and Sarah Davis are at the top of their game with a new offering from Gecko Press.
That’s NOT a HIPPOPOTAMUS tells the story of a class of children and their teacher on a visit to Don’s Safari. The hippopotamus has gone missing and the children notice. A hunt ensues and despite many choruses of: ‘I got ‘im Miss/I got ‘im Miss/I KNEW that I could spot ‘im, Miss!’ … the hippo remains elusive. (Mind you, he is featured on every spread if you are sharp-sighted enough to spot him!)
The cycle of nature is beautifully and imaginatively traced from an acorn to a tree, to a forest, and a lot more in between in this attractive information picturebook. The process is shown in clear images with a minimum of words, and readers will find reason to pause at each page and look closely at what has happened.
Timo Parvela is a teacher and a best-selling author in Finland where many of his books have been adapted for both the big and the small screen. The main characters in Bicycling To The Moon have their own TV show and the author does regular school tours where their adventures are read and discussed.
Based on a fable by Rumi and retold by Fereshteh Sarlak, star billing for this picturebook goes to the illustrator, internationally renowned Iranian artist Firoozeh Golmohammadi. Her luminous images lifted Jane Goodall’s book, Prayer for World Peace, out of the ordinary, and here we have another beautiful object in this picturebook.
A recent winner in the 2016 Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards, Pigín of Howth is a charming picturebook containing three stand-alone stories about a delightful, fun-loving pig, and his adventures around Howth, a busy fishing village in North Dublin. The character of Pigín was created by 82-year-old Kathleen Watkins after she realised how popular the little pig was with her five grandchildren, all of whom make a guest appearance in the book.
Steve Light has illustrated this book beautifully. The cover draws you in with its intimate detail and sharp contrast of colours. The first page introduces us to Lazlo who is on a quest to give a rose to his love. However, a mischievous cat intervenes and so the story begins to unfold. We are taken on an adventure as we weave through a theatre and its actors, set makers, musicians, props and the audience. It’s a fast chase through the whole building and the backstage world of Alice in Wonderland.
