Colin Thompson's How To Live Forever (Red Fox, £4.99 in UK) may well be the most enchanting picture book one will ever encounter. At night the library shelves come alive, for the books are buildings that house a world of wonders. Among the "Q's" is a little boy who is searching for a book on immortality. While the narrative muses upon the great mystery of life, the illustrations create panoramic magic. Hours could be spent poring over the witty details and the secret minutiae. And then there is the page which elicits an "oh!" from adult and child alike . . .
What's Alice Up To? by Harley Jessup (Viking Penguin, £10.99 in UK), is a tale told almost entirely in questions. Alice's dog grows curiouser and curiouser about Alice's furtive behaviour. Why is she collecting things? Where is she going with that soup bone? And most importantly, why isn't she paying attention to her pet?! Tension mounts and reader sympathy for the dog increases till all is resolved with a birthday surprise. The unusual angles and partially-coloured pencil sketches are startling and stylish.
Are You There, Baby Bear? by Debi Gliori (O'Brien Press, £9.50) is another story told in questions of the kind children love, as their participation is required. Hide-and-seek is played with the book itself as one lifts flaps on the pages to try to find Baby Bear. Such gimmicks often compensate for a paucity of imagination and literary skills. In this case, however, the flaps are an attractive addition to the overall fun of the story as well as the excellence of the artwork. Simple yet ingenious.
Favourite Irish Fairy Tales, by Soinbhe Lally, illustrated by Finbarr O'Connor (Poolbeg, £9.99), features artwork reminiscent of P.J. Lynch, and ideal for this genre. The lyrical prose remains true to the original Celtic myths with their uncompromising view of life and their tragic endings. The tales include "The Children of Lir", "How Chuculainn Got His Name", "Oisin in the Land of Youth" and "The Salmon of Wisdom".
Come on, Daisy! by Jane Simmons (O'Brien Press, £9.99), deals humorously with every child's tendency to get distracted by play and wander away. Then comes the moment of sheer panic and terror when Daisy Duck finds she's all alone. But of course Mum returns. Broad strokes, bright colours and comical poses suit a very young audience. So too does the text with its "bong, plop and splosh" and the ultimate lesson - stay close to Mamma.
In A Song of Colours, by Judy Hindley, illustrated by Mike Bostock (Walker Books, £9.99 in UK), each colour is given a poem - or a lyrical list of objects - plus a two-page spread. White speaks of "seashells, feathers, pillows, pearls", while the brightest of pinks refers to "the huge inside of a hippo's yawn". Both text and artwork are uneven in quality, but the overall effect is striking and memorable. An unusual concept which encourages a child to explore and identify.
A child narrates A Sunday with Grandpa, by Philippe DuPasquier (Anderson Press, £9.99 in UK), recounting a visit to her grandfather's farm. The story meanders like the day itself through games and tractor rides, a picnic in the fields and playing ball on the hillside. When the old man gets winded, he clutches his chest. ("Ah, he's having a heart attack," said my child reader, with sad knowingness). The illustrations are as warm and sunny as the day in the countryside, then shaded and poignant when grandpa is left alone. The back endpaper displays the child's picture which she promises to draw and send to her grandfather; a charming surprise.
The muted and intricate artistic style of The Thistle Princess, by Vivian French, illustrated by Elizabeth Harbour (Walker Books, £10.99 in UK), may not appeal to all children but any adult will appreciate its beauty. This is undoubtedly a collector's item. The story itself is an old-world fairy tale of a thistle which becomes a child princess. She suffers from the over-protection of her royal parents and finally disappears once they have learned their lesson. The tale reflects the morality and fatalism of archetypal folklore while the artwork recalls the delicacy of medieval embroidery.
G.V. Whelan is an Irish-Canadian novelist, screenwriter and critic; her books for young adults are published under the name "Orla Melling"