Easter treats for kids don't have to be chocolate: pick of 6 reads for kids
OUR EASTER CHILDREN’S BOOK PICKS
Easter is almost here with its many, often strange, customs taking place all over the world. If you don’t like eating eggs which are not chocolate, thank your lucky stars you don’t live in Haux in France where at Easter every household breaks a total of 4,500 eggs to make a giant omelette which is then eaten in the town square. In parts of France church bells are silent when Easter begins as a mark of respect for Jesus’ death and children are told that they have gone to the Pope to be blessed. Then there is joy on Easter Sunday when the bells fly back and ring again and Easter egg hunts can begin.The trees in front of churches in Papua are decorated at Easter with cigarettes and tobacco which are handed out to the churchgoers after the service – not something which would be popular with our medical profession. Much more acceptable is the Finnish custom of planting rye grass in pots to welcome Spring. It is also in Finland that children dressed as ‘Easter witches’ with freckled faces and carrying pussy willow bouquets knock on doors hoping to exchange the willow twigs for sweets.
There is, I can’t help thinking, a very practical reason why in Poland where at Easter when women bake bread, men are not allowed to help for if they do their moustaches will turn grey and the bread will not rise.
However you celebrate your Easter, copy the Norwegians who regard Easter as a particularly good time to read books. Here are some of the latest books children will enjoy – at Easter or any other time.
In preparation for the coronation in May comes King Charles III – Celebrating His Majesty’s Coronation and Reign. It contains a myriad facts about the new monarch including a list of all the kings and queens who have preceded him, what sports he likes (he’s a Burnley FC supporter), how the Prince’s Trust began, his homes and the musical instruments he can play (piano, trumpet and ‘cello).
The book is a good insight for children aged 8 plus about the man who rules our country and includes some fascinating bits and pieces of information - he drives an Aston Martin which runs on bioethanol fuel made from cheese and wine, is a member of the Magic Circle and is the only person in the UK who can travel abroad without a passport. Well, there have to be some advantages to being king.
Published by Dorling Kindersley at £6.99 (PB).
The introduction to The Handbook of Forgotten Skills tells the young reader that the skills described are ‘just waiting for someone like you to discover them’. It starts with two pages of knots (including Tom Fool’s Knot) and continues with a myriad of things to do which don’t need lots of money spent.
How to use a compass, make lemonade, bake a pie, make a pinhole camera, perform a coin trick, make stones skip across the water, there are masses of things to do – including how to write a thank you letter! This book is worth every penny and any child aged five and upwards would love it.
Published by Magic Cat Publishing at £17.99 (HB).
Oscar has his suspicions about his new neighbour in The Not So Scary Story. For one thing he always wears a long black cloak and only goes out at night. Could he possibly be….a vampire?!
Oscar decides to follow him to the park one night and it is when a small teddy bear falls out from the neighbour’s long cloak that Oscar begins to realise he may not be so frightening after all. The next morning they share a hot chocolate having found that although people can be different, they can still be good friends. A good lesson in this really not so scary story for the young reader.
Published by Dorling Kindersley at £6.99 (PB)
Hidden Hope is the true story of how a toy and a hero saved more than 200 lives during the holocaust when the Nazis wanted to get rid of the Jewish people. One way of helping was to provide false papers which could be life savers, providing new identities to those who were given them. The difficulty was in actually getting the papers where they were needed. A teenager who was herself a Jew, Judith Geller, had her own false papers, giving her the name of Jacqueline Gaulthier. She had a toy duck which had a secret compartment and, using this to conceal the false papers, ‘Jacqueline’ could deliver the potential lifesavers to those who desperately needed them. Not everyone could be saved and sadly 32 members of her own family were killed. After the war she married, had two children and one of their toys was the duck which had saved so many lives.
This moving, beautifully illustrated story will gently explain to children aged 7 and upwards, a little of what it meant to live in times of war. A remarkable book.
Published by Abrams and Chronicle on April 13 £13.99 (HB).
Wally The World’s Greatest Piano-Playing Wombat (surely one of the most eye-catching titles for a book ever) is as much fun as the title implies. Wally wants to be the best pianist in the world, but, to his chagrin, finds he isn’t. He adds in various skills, such as tapdancing and ball-whirling. Any good? No. He gives up.
Then he meets another wombat (who likes chocolate chip cookies, too) and together they work out a few variations on piano playing which really does make them the best ever. Colourful bold illustrations enhance the simple fun story which would be great to read to someone aged three or so.
Published by Princeton Architectural Press at £13.99 (HB).
Dan Rouse’s The Children’s Book of Birdwatching gives a wealth of information about the birds who bring us so much pleasure. Because of a small problem with the relations of Samuel Whiskers who decided to visit our garden, we have not been able to feed birds again until now. It is very good to have them back rather than them glaring at us through the window as if saying: “Well, where’s the grub then?!”
This book describes the birds, their songs, habits, likes and dislike, nests, what they like to eat and how to help them. Lots of colourful photos and information make this a book everyone in the family will enjoy leafing through.
Published by Dorling Kindersley at £9.99 (HB).
