What the sellers say

Paula Kennedy, children's buyer with the Book Centre, Waterford. `H Harry Potter will most likely be the bestseller again this year, but I think the Irish authors will also do very well. Siobhan Parkinson always does very well and she has a new one out, Breaking The Wishbone (O'Brien Press, £4.99). "There is also a good new one from Marilyn Taylor, Faraway Home (O'Brien Press, £4.99), which is based on the true story of two children who were sent from Vienna to the North for safety during the first World War. "There is a great new pop-up from Dorling Kindersley, Time Scape, a sort of wall chart which goes back through time (£15.99) and there is a really good one from the Horrible Histories series, Massive Millenium Quiz Book by Terry Deary (Scholastic, £7.39). "The new Alice in Wonderland, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, is really beautiful. We're selling the prints separately at £4.39 a set. Another good bet is I Have a Dream, published by RTE, which is a book of Irish children's writing for the millennium (£4.99)." Anne-Marie Bird, buyer with Kenny's book shop, Galway. `There are three titles in Irish I would recommend this year. Deora Draiochta by Colman O'Raghallaigh, illustrated by Aoife Ni Raghallaigh (Clo Mhaigh Eo, £5.25) is a lovely story about a clown, for children aged seven and up. "I'd also recommend Atlantis, An Chathair a Badh, written by Christina Balit and translated by Gabriel Rosenstock (An Gum, £6.50). It's a lovely colourful book about Atlantis for children aged around eight and up. "Maith thu a Bheirin, written by Martin Waddel, is beautifully illustrated by Barbara Frith (An Gum, £5.95). It's a really nice story of a little bear, for children aged between six and eight, I would say. "Books by Irish authors are always very popular. The new Tom McCaughran should do well, and there is a new one in the Maeve Morris series, Maeve and The Long-Arm Folly by Mary Arrigan (Children's Press, £3.95). There is also Come on Daisy by Jane Simmons (O'Brien Press, £3.99), a board book out this year which will do well, and I expect the new Siobhan Parkinson will sell very well too. "Finally there are two books I would highly recommend parents buy their children. A new one from Douglas Wood, an American author, very beautifully illustrated by PJ Lynch, Grandad's Prayer to the Earth. Out in hardback, this is a lovely story about a young boy and his relationship with his grandfather (£10.99 Walker Books) "The one Christmas book which has really stood the test of time, been read and re-read by my own children, is Letters from Father Christmas by J R R Tolkien (Harper Collins, £18.45). We highly recommend this book every year. It is the story about Santa Claus getting so busy he has to get a secretary, Iibereth the elf, to put all his letters together. Again, the illustrations are great." Paul Cussen is the children's buyer with Waterstone's, Cork. `Well, needless to say, Harry Potter is flying out the door. I must admit I'm a screaming Harry Potter fan - it is great, and I would highly recommend all three in the series. "But another one which would make a nice present this Christmas is the sequel to Benny and Omar, called Benny and Babe, by Eoin Colfer (O'Brien Press, £4.99). Benny Shaw is on his holidays in the country, where he meets Babe Meara, local tomboy and businesswoman. "We also have a Christmas nativity one, The Christmas Story by Heather Amery (Osborne, £8.40). It's not a new story, but it come with a mobile. It's one of those gimmicky ones - it's good though. "If I was to recommend my favourite one of all, though, it would be the first of the Phillip Pullman series, Northern Lights (Point, £7.20). It's absolutely brilliant. Mostly we get 13- to 14-year-olds here buying it, but I'd say it would be suitable for 11 and up." In conversation with Jackie Bourke.