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.
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