A choice of children’s books

This year my village school, like hundreds of others, is scrimping and saving to afford that Holy Grail of modern education – the Computer Suite. Of course computers are an essential part of every child’s world, and will presumably be even more so in the future. Yet there is something rather soulless about the rows of mesmerised little figures staring into their screens while skilfully manipulating an army of mice. Somehow that world needs to be balanced by introducing children to the very different pleasures of the book, and there has never been a time when children’s books were so varied, well-produced and such good value as today. Probably the fact that illustrated books for young children still cost no more than they did three or four years ago is because so many are now produced in China. Whatever the reason, they are excellent value as Christmas presents.

There is a good crop of picture books for the very young this year, combining high- quality illustrations with an excellent text for reading aloud. One of the best is The Smartest Giant by Julia Donaldson (Macmillan, £9.99). Children will love the rhythmic, repetitive story of George the philanthropic giant, who gives each item of his new clothes to some needy recipient:

My shoe is a house for a little white mouse,One of my socks is a bed for a fox …

Another book which combines the pleasure of repetition and delightful pictures is Snow Bears by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Sarah Fox-Davies (Walker Books, £10.99). The three little bears are so covered with snow that their mother pretends not to recognise them. ‘I wonder where my baby bears can be.’ ‘I don’t know where we are,’ said the biggest snow bear. ‘I haven’t seen us,’ said the middle-sized snow bear.