Funny books

Doodle Cat is back! And this time he has a cape. Well, it’s actually a tea-towel, but that’s beside the point. But his friend Pangolin is sad, so the question is can Doodle Cat use his superpowers to cheer him up?

A great deal of thought has gone into the production of this gorgeous anthology. The poems, illustrations, cover, colour palette, contents list, helpful acknowledgements page, and the sequencing of the poems combine to make this book even more than the sum of its already excellent parts.

Ian Wayne and Jon Kent are two teenage boys who have absolutely nothing in common except for one thing – their fathers just happen to be two of the most infamous superheroes of all time, Batman and Superman. To avoid an impending global disaster, the Super Sons will need to find a way to trust each other and work together – not to mention figure out who the enigmatic Candace is and whether the secrets she’s keeping could be the key to solving the mystery.

Chester Parsons is an aspiring young actor who desperately wants to be famous. After his older sister Amy makes him go to a hypnotherapist to calm his nerves before the most important audition of his life, little does he know how crazy his life is about to become.

When I presented this book to two young children I know, the eight-year-old exclaimed, ‘That’s weird!’ and laughed. The eleven-year-old said, ‘That’s weird. I love it!’ – and indeed, The Ear is rather curious.

Beware The Red Dread! Anxiety and terror reign in the forest as word spreads about a loud-thumping something that has apparently eaten Rabbit, allegedly devoured Chicken, and seems to be relentlessly pursuing poor Mouse with a thump, thump, THUMP! But is the threat a clear and present danger, or is it just FAKE NEWS?

Although at first glance The Hug appears to be a simple story, a complexity of humour and emotion is conveyed throughout, both verbally and non-verbally. The story revolves around the difficulty of getting a hug if you are a hedgehog or a tortoise with a very hard shell. It is told through the format of a flip book, which shows the apparently separate stories of two animals, both of whom are looking for a hug. Following the journey of one will lead to the story of the other, with a dramatic meeting in the middle.

It’s show and tell day at school, and Tommy Fox brings along a box full of frogs. But Tommy’s also got a cold and blows the box open with a sneeze, setting off a trail of chaos around the school. Frogs soon invade every space, drinking tea in the staffroom and even taking over the loos!

Cnuasach gearrscéalta, dhá cheann déag ar fad, atá sa leabhar seo. Is scéalta atá bunaithe ar scéalta traidisiúnta ón mbéaloideas iad, curtha in oiriúint do pháistí ag Caoimhe Nic Lochlainn. Tá na scéalta plódaithe le greann, tóraíocht agus gaiscíocht.