"We found a hat. We found it together. But there is only one hat. And there are two of us." Jon Klassen's "Hat" trilogy concludes with We Found a Hat (Walker, £12.99), a more heart-warming picture book than its predecessors that nonetheless accurately conveys the darker side of human – or animal – nature.
In a minimalist desert, there is a hat that two turtles agree must be left behind. It suits them both, but they conclude: “It would not be right if one of us had a hat and the other did not.” Yet as the sun sets and the turtles drift off to sleep, shifty eyes flash back towards the abandoned hat . . . Simple language and deceptively simple illustrations make this the kind of bedtime story children will return to again and again.
French artist Barroux follows up his critically acclaimed picture books with Welcome (Egmont, £6.99). Our hero is a polar bear happily getting on with life – until a giant "CRACK!" leaves a group of bears adrift on an ever-shrinking sliver of ice. When they find land, they hope it means a new home for them, but various groups of animals refuse them. The cows deem them "too bear-ish" and the giraffes can't even be bothered to respond.
Like Klassen, Barroux is skilled at conveying a message without ever lecturing or stating the moral directly. As with his previous work, there is a nod to environmental concerns, but the main focus here is on the struggle of migrants and refugees – topical and important but (thankfully) never didactic.
Julia Donaldson of The Gruffalo fame teams up with illustrator Sebastien Braun for Spinderella (Egmont, £10.99), featuring a football-playing spider who learns to count with the help of her Hairy Godmother. "Up with numbers!" may be a slightly heavy-handed way to end a story like this, but there's sufficient zaniness throughout to make this appealing to a young audience.
Moving into more human territory, Kate Beaton's King Baby (Walker, £6.99) depicts a tyrannical leader in the form of a very demanding child. "CHANGE ME! FEED ME! BOUNCE ME!" King Baby orders his exhausted parents, but when they cannot satisfy all his needs, he decides he must take matters into his own hands. The grandiosity of his speech echoes Beaton's popular Hark! A Vagrant web comic, and will amuse readers both young and old.
For slightly older readers who still crave humour and ridiculousness, the latest instalment of the "Danger Is Everywhere" series sees Docter (an easier title to adopt than Doctor) Noel Zone venture to school. School of Danger (Puffin, £7.99), a collaboration between comedian David O'Doherty and artist Chris Judge provides a more linear narrative than previous volumes, but the "guidebook" feel still remains. This is a must-have for all aspiring Dangerologists, though one to be avoided by ghosts, Vikings and Egyptian mummies.
Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore step away from their respective worlds of women's fiction and history to collaborate on their first children's novel, illustrated by Kate Hindley. The Royal Rabbits of London (Simon & Schuster, £10.99) sees a young rabbit, Shylo, yearn for adventure but is convinced he is neither brave nor exciting enough for such things.
What seems like a classic old-fashioned tale takes a decidedly modern twist when the Ratzis (rat paparazzi) emerge as the villains, and Shylo receives this advice: “The internet is sometimes a very dangerous thing. It can steal a person’s soul.” The soul in question belongs to the Queen, and Shylo must venture to Buckingham Palace and team up with the secret society that dwells beneath.
The black-and-white illustrations are elegant, if a little too simple and sparse for such a visual text – these rabbits demand bright colours. The news that a film adaptation is in the works is very welcome.
The Moon Spun Round: WB Yeats for Children (O'Brien, €19.99), edited by academic Noreen Doody and illustrated by Shona Shirley MacDonald, is made magical by the gorgeous illustrations. This edition of Yeats's work features poetry, stories, personal writing (including a letter written to his sister at age 11) and biographical information.
The focus is on Yeats’s early life and his love of myth and nature rather than anything more political. Still, as an introduction to one of Ireland’s greatest poets this is a stunning collection. The “heavens’ embroidered cloths” and their depiction in a magnificent double-page spread must get a special mention. A suitable gift for readers of seven to 17.
In nonfiction territory, James Brown and Richard Platt's A World of Information (Walker Studio, £15) is one of the launch titles for this new Walker imprint bringing beautifully designed – and large – volumes to book lovers. Walker Studio's first title, Shaun Tan's stunning The Singing Bones, was clearly more for art lovers than young readers (featuring photographed sculptures inspired by Grimm's fairytales). Its other titles are much more child-friendly.
In this “essential miscellany of fascinating facts for young minds” are details on topics from the phases of the moon to different kinds of pencils and brushes. Every two pages offers something different, and readers can dip in and out as they see fit. The clean, clear lines of the illustrations provide a perfect balance to the short blocks of text.
Another oversize book ventures out this month is the follow-up to last year's runaway bestseller, Irelandopedia. Fatti and John Burke team up again for Historopedia (Gill Books, €24.99). With bright illustrations and quirky facts about Ireland's past, it's sure to be another success – and make its way into many Christmas stockings this year.
Claire Hennessy is a writer, editor and creative writing facilitator.
