Have you met Wally, the world’s greatest piano-playing wombat? How about Wylie, whose ivory-tinkling skills are even more impressive? They are the stars of Ratha Tep’s assured debut picture book, which has fun with the one-upmanship impulse so common in young children. “Anything you can do, I can do better,” Wally thinks, looking at Wylie playing music while tap dancing and ball twirling. However, a gesture of friendship offers him the opportunity for something even greater than personal glory: the companionship and support of a duet. Wally the World’s Greatest Piano-Playing Wombat (Princeton Architectural Press, £12.99, 3+) is a brilliantly pitched exploration of competitiveness, using humour and bold exaggeration to illustrate its hero’s flaw. Colourful blocky illustrations from Camilla Pintonato and an adventurous use of textual layout make the picture book a winner.
Friendship is at the very warm heart of Bear and Bird (Walker Books, £9.99, 3+), a short vibrantly illustrated chapter book from picture-book maker Jarvis. Bear and Bird are best friends, who navigate tricky friendship situations over the course of four short stories. Despite their fondness for each other, their difference from each other throws up some challenges with themes – jealousy, making mistakes – that will be familiar to young readers. The animals’ ability to show each other kindness and patience, as well as have fun and be silly together, is instructive in the most exemplary way. Jarvis brings his usual attention to detail in his watercolour illustrations. Bear and Bird is a rare chapter book for very young booklovers, those seeking longer stories and recurring characters, as well as those learning to read.
A gesture of friendship goes wrong in Alan Titley’s lucid new version of the Irish epic The Táin (Little Island, £8.99, 8+), when the fierce Queen Maeve of Connacht sends a delegation to Ulster to borrow the Brown Bull of Cooley, who accidentally reveal to their generously hospitable hosts that they will go to war if their hosts refuse the Queen’s demands. So begins a war between the provinces that echoes the domestic war between Maeve and her husband Ailill. Titley gently introduces a contemporary idiom – with “bigtime” insults, and “blondie” rivals and slain warriors “kaput”. However, specific and proverbial descriptions are more memorable – the more peaceful Ailill heedlessly advises his wife “better a spear in the hand than a corpse in the bush” – and the story rollicks along to its bloody conclusion without any moralising. An Táin is a welcome rival to the widely available versions of European hero tales.
Sarah Bowie’s picture book Kevin’s in a Mood (O’Brien Press, £12.99, 3+) also explores difficult friendship situations. Kevin the cat is Suzy’s BFF. They are “like two peas in a pod ... do everything together”. However, when Suzy gets an invitation to a birthday party Kevin gets into a mood and Suzy cannot figure out what is wrong with him. Bowie’s distinct graphic style gives a comic-book feel to the story, with lots of speech bubbles and different texts animating each page. Kevin, meanwhile, is wonderfully rendered in all his tempestuousness. With his big green eyes and sharply angled brows, Bowie helps us identify the vagaries of his mood, especially when his furry face is transformed into a smile. Despite the feline protagonist, Kevin’s in a Mood has lots to teach the young human reader about inclusion and feelings.
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Harriet Muncaster, the best-selling author of the linked Isadora Moon and Mirabelle series, has just released a new series based in the underwater realm of her memorable, magical universe. Muncaster addicts will recognise its protagonist, Emerald, from her fleeting appearances in previous books. In Emerald and the Ocean Parade (Oxford University Press, £9.99, 6+), the mermaid is the central character. Much of the charm of Muncaster’s work lies in its vivid illustrations, with their distinct two-tone palettes, which add enormously to the world building and make the short chapters both attractive and manageable for the newly independent reader. The plots – which in Emerald and the Ocean Parade involves the challenges of blended families and achieving self-confidence – are very engaging too. You won’t have to look too hard to find the glossy green and sparkling black cover of Emerald and the Ocean Parade on a shelf at your local bookshop.
If your young reader has exhausted Muncaster’s voluminous oeuvre, Ivy Newt and the Storm Witch (Scallywag Press, £9.99, 6+), written by Derek Keilty, with generous illustrations from Magda Brol, heralds the start of another a new early-reader series that is sure to have widespread appeal. Set in Miracula, on her debut caper Ivy must work with her best friend Tom to uncover the mystery of her parents’ disappearance after a magic spell goes wrong. With a full kingdom to explore and a variety of secondary characters who deserve adventures of their own, this is a promising addition to an underserved genre. Watch this space for the already announced sequel.
