Margrit Cruickshank, the Irish author of Don't Dawdle Dorothy! illustrated by Amanda Harvey (Frances Lincoln, £10.99 UK) is well known for her books for older children. In this quirky picture book, a tired Dorothy is exhorted to hurry up on the road home by an irritated mum who metamorphoses into witch, Snow Queen, ogre, grumpy old bear and multi-coloured alien. One is reminded of Jung's assertion that when Mother is angry children actually see her as Kali, the goddess of destruction. The artwork provides lots of visual excitement, sweeping perspectives and a rainbow palette. Full marks from both adult and child critic, the sure sign of a winner.
In folkloric style, The Minstrel's Tale by Mary Joslin, illustrated by Geoffrey Patterson (Lion Publishing, £9.99 UK) tells of a musician betrayed by a friend who steals his true love. In despair, he travels to a far-off country where the king's kindness renews his faith in humanity. While my child reader appreciated the poignancy of the tale, she rejected the ending: The day came when the minstrel sang new songs. And they were songs of joy. Children think in literal not abstract terms. "But he didn't go home! He didn't find another girlfriend!" None the less, the story is appealing and the illustrations reach fine art with some beautiful paintings reminiscent of Chagall.
Four offerings in a highly acclaimed series by the finest Irish writer for pre-schoolers, whose work keeps being reprinted in various formats from big book to miniature, paperback to hardback, are Let's Go Home, Little Bear; You and Me, Little Bear; Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?; and Well Done, Little Bear, by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Barbara Firth (Walker Books, £9.99 UK). At the heart of the stories is the love of a parent for his child expressed through simple words and acts of praise, patience, kindness, caring, comfort and encouragement. The bulk of the text is repetitive dialogue, which small children find so reassuring and which rings true to the ear. The illustrations in gentle pastels lovingly portray the innocence of Big Bear and Little Bear. Oddly enough, though both are male, the words "dad" and "son" are never used.
Colin Thompson's The Last Alchemist (Hutchinson, £9.99 UK) is not as intriguing nor as visually stunning as previous work. The idea of a crazed alchemist searching for the secret of gold did not interest my child reader, but then the author/illustrator's audience includes a wide range of adult collectors. Though the artwork is uneven and sometimes sinks to crude cartoon, the double spreads depicting magical landscapes approach earlier standards of startling beauty.
The Great Castle of Marshmangle by Malachy Doyle, illustrated by Paul Hess (Andersen Press, £9.99 UK) is a re-telling of a whimsical English folk-tale called "The Master of All Masters". When a wizard uses zany words for items such as house, cat, stairs and fire, his child visitor must remember their new names. This version of the narrative is not as catchy nor as much fun as the one told by Northern Ireland's Liz Weir in Boom Chicka Boom (O'Brien Press, £4.50) but the illustrations are bright and jolly, with eccentric perspectives ideal for the theme.
Now Jody's Beans, by Malachy Doyle, illustrated by Judith Allibone (Walker Books, £9.99 UK ) is sweetness and simplicity itself, with both text and pictures offering the kind of realism to which small children respond. When Granda brings runner beans for Jody to grow in her garden, we move from bean to shoot to flowering plant and finally to cooked vegetables on the table. The process of growth and change is reflected in the background scenario with the pending arrival of a new baby. In safe-and-sound soft colours, the finely-worked and often miniature details encourage the reader to explore the pictures.
The true hero and chief attraction of Mairi Hedderwick's Katie Morag books is really the Isle of Struay itself. Every book in the series opens and closes with a pictorial map of the little Hebridean community with its Shop and Post Office, Jetty, New Pier, High Farm and Village. Along with the precocious Katie, whose moods change like the island weather, one becomes familiar with other inhabitants such as Grannie Island, who drives a tractor, and Neilly Beag, who grows herbs in his window box. Again, literal representation and intricate detail encourage the child to pore over the pictures. Three recent re-issues include Katie Morag and the Tiresome Ted, Katie Morag and the Grand Concert, and Katie Morag and the Big Boy Cousins (Red Fox, £4.99 UK). Two hardback books - Katie Morag's Rainy Day Book and The Second Katie Morag Storybook (Bodley Head, £9.99 UK) - are like surprise bags chock-full of poems, games, stories, recipes and puzzles.
GV Whelan is an Irish-Canadian novelist, screenwriter and critic; her books for young adults are published under the name "Orla Melling."