A Walk with Grannie
by Mairi Hedderwick
(David Fickling, 4.99)
Children's irrepressible appetite for adventure is expressed through the character of Kirsty, who when re-peating all of the familiar routes around her home, ma-nages to see new things each time.
I like the portrayal of the interconnecting cycles of these ordinary lives: Kirsty going out with gran then coming back with gran who's tired, then Kirsty setting off on a similar (but it won't ever be the same) route with her mummy, daddy and baby sister. And here the pictures give clues to the congruence. Look for a lovely sprig of yellow flowers that Kirsty and her gran collected earlier, now stored by daddy at the back of baby's carrypack.
The humour and details work on a child's level too. Kirsty is impressed that Bob the dog is behaving so well as they pass Gregor's beautiful garden the first time round, and she's highly amused at the scene of doggy devastation in the garden when they pass by again. The Scottish dialect makes the text liltingly good to read.
Winnie's New Computer
Written by Valerie Thomas and illustrated by Korky Paul
(OUP, 4.99)
This is Winnie in the computer age, but with a retro slant. Although on the surface Winnie has a swish, flat-screen, powerful-looking machine, in fact dodgy-looking power cables pile up like spaghetti dangerously under her desk and you constantly fear for the electrics in her spooky home.
The usual layering of ideas is here, for example an out-of-proportion dragon's foot tucked into (or escaping from) Winnie's pocket and the computer box which features a pumpkin and the Roman numerals for 13. Wilbur her cat thinks the computer has put a spell on Winnie, who is so absorbed that she doesn't notice him getting drenched outside on a rainy day.
Wilbur attacks the computer mouse and this turns the computer on. Instantly he and the computer are transported Star Trek-style to a rubbish van (featuring nasty-looking fangs) that is retreating down Winnie's drive.
Their silhouette shapes are cleverly shown in relief against an otherwise colourful scene to signify their disappearance. I'm fond of the prickly-tailed green mice with teeth that are crying out for braces.
Lavender
by Posy Simmonds
(Red Fox, 5.99)
Lavender is a sensitive creature who takes a stand when her friends call her a 'fuss-pot'. She decides she will go along with the foxes. The author cleverly maintains the tension - what will the rabbit's fate be? Will she survive? Is she being foolish? Are they good foxes or bad? The answer is that they are both, depending on which fox you are talking about, so drawing parallels with the human world. And it takes the good foxes to reveal Lavender's qualities to her friends when they deliver her home safely.
The last vignette represents the resolution point at the end of a wide and sweeping story arc, where Lavender has progressed from being a 'scaredy cat' to a rabbit who is proud of her achievements.
The text is succinct and carefully-placed speech bubbles help carry the narrative. When the foxes are messing about on the river and Lavender is warning her hen and goose friends of the danger, the foxes are shown having a great time making a wobbly pyramid in the water and languishing on lilos.
The explosion spread has a big impact after previous soft pencil drawings.
Olly and Me
by Shirley Hughes
(Walker, 10.99)
Shirley Hughes' writing style is laid-back. Fourteen poems, taking up two pages each of the book, offer a little girl's personal insights into everyday things like reflections in the pond and farm park visits with her brother Olly. The ordinariness of these richly-detailed events is compelling.
My favourite scene is at the local market at Hallowe'en, where familiar fruits and veg are being glared at by black and orange pumpkins from above.
The verse is descriptive, working in parallel with the pictures to create the individual stories.
Baby on Board
Written by Kes Gray and illustrated by Sarah Nayler
(Hodder, 4.99)
Contemporary wordplay for the text and a jaunty colour palette make this story about the development of a baby inside Rosy's mum appealing. There are also nine numbered flaps - one for each month of the baby's development. The right-hand page reveals Rosy's month-by-month thoughts about what her brother will be like when he's grown up, and on the left are biological facts about the baby's development inside mum's womb.
The story doesn't fight shy of the realities of having a baby either, including mummy feeling sick and needing to buy bigger bras and knickers.
