My 20-month-old granddaughter totters into the room. Her eyes are shining with the fervour of St Bernadette. She has caught a glimpse of the divine. Two small stuffed pigs are clasped in her arms. Clearly she has been in heaven. Actually she has just returned from a visit to Peppa Pig World, the most exciting experience of her short life.
Anyone who has contact with very small children today will be all too familiar with Peppa, the toddlers’ Harry Potter in her universal appeal. There are two new Peppa books out this Christmas, both published by Ladybird at £4.99. Peppa’s Christmas Wish is a robust board book for the rougher young reader. Peppa Meets the Queen is a soft-back with an amusing story and lively pictures, especially those of the Queen knitting on her throne and jumping up and down in muddy puddles.
A charming book for children of 3-5 is Bear and Bird by Gwen Millward (Egmont, £10.99.) It is the story of an improbable friendship between big bumbling Bear and brave little Bird, who comes to the rescue when Bear gets lost in a blizzard. It is a cosy bedtime read for winter evenings.
I rather pride myself on being one of the first to spot the quality of Jane Hissey’s Old Bear books when they appeared over 20 years ago. Now a collected edition of five of them, Old Bear Stories, has been issued by Scribblers Books at £16.99. The minutely detailed illustrations and the endearing personalities of the toys are reminiscent of the Josephine and Her Dolls series of the 1920s and will give much pleasure to very young children.
The ever reliable team of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler has produced another sure-fire success with Superworm (Scholastic, £10.99), very much in the tradition of their earlier titles, Stick Man and Tiddler.
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in