IF your children haven't already come across Mary Arrigan's eccentric granny, Mamo, her latest adventure, Mamo ar an Fheirm (An Gum, £4.95), is a must. In previous encounters, Mamo and Mamo Cois Tra, Mamo has been known to do a tight rope dance on the clothes line, fly through the air clutching only a handful of balloons, and do a spot of deep sea diving with a variety of colourful fish. This time, superbly illustrated by the author, Mamo manages to terrorise practically every animal on the farm as she perms a horse's mane, offers a dinner of sausages to some horrified pigs and tries her own individual brand of sheep shearing on the not surprisingly unenthusiastic sheep. Children love the audacity and eccentricity of Mamo. No real granny could possibly compare.
Equally eccentric and equally loved by the younger reader, in Arrigan's An Scath Baisti (An Gum, £5.20), Daideo/Grandad (according to the illustrations - no relation) unknowingly leaves a trail of destruction in his wake as his new umbrella gets caught in everything he passes. Blissfully unaware that he has unravelled two scarves, caused a fire, knocked paint, oranges and practically everything in sight, Daideo carries on regardless and finally arrives home to tell his wife that all is quiet in town! The adventures of Mamo and Daideo would make an excellent gift for children/grandchildren in the 4 to 7 age group.
Also from An Gum and geared towards much the same or perhaps a slightly younger age group - the latest adventures of the well known and lovable puppy, Bran (known to English readers as Spot, a five year old recently informed me that Bran is, in fact, the Irish for Spot!). This time, Bran appears in two durable books of reusable stickers. In Bran agus a Chairde ag Gteasadh, by Eric Hill (An Gum, £3.50), the stickers comprise a selection of food and clothes as Bran and his friends prepare for a fancy dress party. In Bran agus a Chairde ag Sugradh (An Gum, £3.50), the selection is of toys. Having tried and tested them on my own three year old, I can personally vouch for the fact that the stickers wipe clean and are definitely reusable. The only flaw is that there are not enough of them. With only 15 toys and 16 stickers for the fancy dress party, the number of stickers should be at least doubled.
FOR the slightly older reader (6-9 years), a folk tale from Gabriel Rosenstock with illustrations by Piet Sluis - Naomh Padraig agus Crom Dubh (An Gum, £4.50). It tells the story of the conversion and baptism of Crom Dubh in what is now Co Mayo, on the last Sunday in July. This is, of course, the day when thousands celebrate the legendary conversion by climbing Croagh Patrick. A simple tale, simply told and powerfully.
Finally, from Cois Life Teo, a new Irish language publisher, an updated version, by Caoilfhionn Nic Phaidin, of an tAthair Peadar O'Laioghaire's classical story of Seanna (£11), the country shoemaker who sells his soul to the devil but manages to win out in the end. Superbly produced, this latest edition of Seanna is a completely new initiative in publishing in Ireland as it includes a 70 minute reading of the text on CD. The idea of including a CD is unarguably innovative and part from the pure pleasure of hearing a book read well, it should be a help to those adult learners of Irish who want to read and listen at the same time.
Overall, it is interesting to note that the quality and selection of Irish language books for young people continues to improve. With the upsurge of interest in the language in recent years and the growth in demand for education through the medium of Irish - long may this trend continue.