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28th Oct 2018

6 fab new kids books we are loving (perfect if you want to start your Christmas shopping early)

Trine Jensen-Burke

We all want our children to love books.

Study after study prove just how important reading to children is, and a love of words and reading will no doubt benefit them in so many ways.

We love it when new children’s books land on our desk here in Herfamily.ie, and have road-tested all the below ones on our own children – and can whole-heartedly recommend them all to anyone on the hunt for their kids’ next bedtime favourite story:

1. The Day Henry Met… A Dog

One day Henry meets a dog. Dog is sad because she doesn’t have a best friend. THIS GIVES HENRY A GREAT IDEA! Together they head off to find Dog a best friend, racing into the jungle, diving under the sea, even blasting off into outer space. Will Tiger be her best friend? Or Whale? Or Moon?

€9, Dubray Books

2. The Guggenheim Mystery

The follow up to The London Eye Mystery, The Guggenheim Mystery is the story of Ted Sparks (he’s 12 years and 281 days old, with seven friends) and the most unusual theft of a painting.

Ted is a boy who sees the world very differently to the rest of his family – his brain works on a different operating system to everyone else’s, and that makes him an excellent detective. He’s very kind, and very thoughtful, and a brilliant hero.

Ted has to work with his sharp-witted, creative sister Kat, and his confident, practical-joker cousin Salim, to solve the mystery of who stole a painting from the Guggenheim Museum … before his aunt Gloria is put in prison for the crime. Gloria is a bit dramatic and might seem guilty – but she’s absolutely innocent. Ted, Kat and Salim just have to prove it!

€8.99, Easons

3. The President’s Cat

The President has just returned from his summer holidays but Áras an Uachtaráin just isn’t the same without the President’s cat.

Luckily the good people of Ireland are ready to help him.

From a Kerry fisherman to a hairy biker and a group of singing hippies, prepare to meet an array of wonderful characters on a funny adventure through some of Ireland’s iconic landmarks.

Will the President’s cat find his way home? And, if he does, will the Áras have a cat among the pigeons?

€15, Dubray Books

4. Carmela Full of Wishes

When Carmela wakes up on her birthday, her wish has already come true–she’s finally old enough to join her big brother as he does the family errands. Together, they travel through their neighborhood, past the crowded bus stop, the fenced-off repair shop, and the panadería, until they arrive at the Laundromat, where Carmela finds a lone dandelion growing in the pavement. But before she can blow its white fluff away, her brother tells her she has to make a wish. If only she can think of just the right wish to make . . .

£13.99, Amazon (out Nov. 1st)

5. The Penderwicks at Last

The finale we’ve all been waiting for: The Penderwicks at Last is the final, flawless installment in the modern classic series from National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author Jeanne Birdsall.

Nine years, five older siblings, a few beloved dogs, and an endless array of adventures–these are the things that have shaped Lydia’s journey since readers first met her in The Penderwicks in Spring. Now it’s summertime, and eleven-year-old Lydia is dancing at the bus stop, waiting for big sister Batty to get home from college. This is a very important dance and a very important wait because the two youngest sisters are about to arrive home to find out that the Penderwicks will all be returning to Arundel this summer, the place where it all began. And better still is the occasion: a good old-fashioned, homemade-by-Penderwicks wedding.

£7.99, Amazon

6. The Magic Moment

The Magic Moment is a picture book that helps children explore difficult emotions and face their fears. Written by Niall Breslin (Bressie) and illustrated by Sheena Dempsey, here young readers will meet Freddie. Freddie is excited about his first trip to the swimming pool. But when he gets there, he finds it scary. So scary in fact, that he just wants to go home…. Later that evening, Nana teaches him a secret trick. It’s called the Magic Moment Trick and it gives you superpowers when you’re facing something scary. You simply close your eyes and think of your happiest memory and squeeze your finger and thumb together.

The charming story, containing an easy mindfulness technique, helps children return to the present moment. The Magic Moment is a must for parents or anyone working with children who wants to help them feel the fear and jump in anyway.

€14.99, Dubray Books