Move over Paddington, the King’s met Winnie the Pooh

CAROLINE FRANKLIN with May’s newburytoday children’s book reviews.

By the time this is published it will be two days before we can watch the glorious spectacle of a king being crowned. Even dedicated republicans must surely feel a thrill as the procession takes the man, who many remember as a small boy, to the Abbey and his destiny.

In a high cupboard in our house is a box containing a book of George VI’s coronation, endless mugs made to mark special royal events, pieces of commemorative china, tins, coins, newspapers, a powder compact with a picture of George V and Queen Mary and, finally, the face of Queen Victoria looks out on a badly chipped tin enamelled mug. One Spring, intent on having a clear out, I took the box with its (carefully packed) items to an auctioneer. He dismissed them with a wave of his hand as having little or no value. I am grateful to him, for his rejection means that I still have all these bits and pieces to look at and enjoy on occasions such as this - and no doubt I shall shortly be adding to the box. Why? I’m not sure, but I think it must be to do with enjoying the continuity of it all.

Many books have been published to mark this coronation and several of them are for children. Perhaps some will want to keep a book as a reminder of this great occasion and perhaps, just perhaps, it may end up many years later in a high cupboard to be brought out and enjoyed at future royal events. I hope so.

Let’s begin with King Charles III’s Colourful Coronation by Marion Billet. This is one for the pre-schoolers and has the wonderful opening rhyme: ‘King Charles the Third jumped out of bed, wiggled his toes and then he said: I must get dressed without delay. Today’s my coronation day!’

Once he has set off, everyone is keen to say hello to him and, oh dear, it looks as though King Charles may actually be LATE for his coronation. Surely not. Bright and cheerful, the tinies will love it.

Published by Campbell Books at £7.99 (PB).

That much loved little bear Winnie-the-Pooh is on a trip to London with his chums Eeyore and Piglet in Winnie-the-Pooh Meets the King, a colourful coronation story for slightly older children aged five or six. Clutching his acorn snack, Winnie climbs up to the balcony of Buckingham Palace to get a good view and he meets – well who do you think! The newly crowned King asks Winnie if he may have the acorn snack to plant in the palace garden. Of course he can – and by the way where’s Eeyore?

This gentle tale, written by Jane Riordan and Andrew Grey, would, I think have won the approval of AA Milne and EH Shepard.

Published by Farshore at £7.99 (PB)

Following Michael Morpurgo’s There Once Is A Queen comes a companion, moving fairy story to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III. Beautifully illustrated by Michael Foreman it tells of a small boy, a prince who loved his home, the countryside and his family. When he is sent away to school he is so sad he decides to run away, but he meets an old woman who tells him the story of King Alfred – that one who burnt the cakes – and how Alfred had had to be brave and go and defeat the Vikings. The prince goes back to school, with an acorn the old woman has given him and when he gets back no one has realised he has been away. Charles was, says Michael Morpurgo, a boy when he was a boy, growing up as part of the same generation and so he always felt a kinship with him. Both developed a love of nature and the countryside and this is shown in this allegorical story which he and Michael Foreman have dedicated to His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen to wish them well and happy in the years ahead.

An ideal present for a child to mark this royal occasion.

Published by Harper Collins Children’s Books at £14.99 (HB)

In between all the festivities there’ll be plenty of time for children and all of us hopefully to sit and have a good read and the three stories which make up Only Children are as funny as you’d expect from comedian David Baddiel. His central characters are Alfie whose father has put him on a strict timetable for every hour of the day, disabled Chrissie who is fascinated by trains, but has never been on one and Max who goes on holiday to the same place every year – and doesn’t think much of it – (well it is called Snoring –on-Sea).

There are laughs for the reader on every page and plenty of jolly illustrations to bring the stories to life in this treat for readers aged eight and over.

Published by Harper Collins at £12.99 (HB)

Pari Thomson has created an alternative world full of magic in Greenwild: The World Behind the Door. Daisy and her mum, an investigative journalist, have travelled the world together but a particularly tricky job comes up and Daisy has to go to school for two weeks until her mother returns. Her mum leaves, telling Daisy to go to Kew after that to wait for her. Miserable at school, Daisy discovers that the plane her mother was in has crashed and no survivors have been found .She runs away, determined to find her mum, and, obeying instructions, she goes to Kew. Once there, she finds a concealed door which leads to a new and magical world in which botany is everything. But this world of green magic is threatened, people like her mum have been vanishing without trace and Daisy must use an ancient magic to save the Greenwild, but will it save her mother, too?

Greenwild is a gloriously imaginative adventure story for children aged 9 plus, the first from this author. The excellent news is that two more books following Daisy’s adventures are in the pipeline. There is more than a touch of magic about this first book from Pari Thomson.

Published by Macmillan at £12.99 (HB)

As well as the coronation, the Newbury Spring Festival will soon be in full swing so music is in the air and I remember that long ago I went to Bristol’s Colston Hall and was privileged to hear Evelyn Glennie play. It was an evening I have never forgotten.

Listen – How Evelyn Glennie A Deaf Girl Changed Percussionis the story of her music and her determination to overcome what seemed to be impossible obstacles to become the world-famous musician she is today.

Losing her hearing at an early age, Evelyn was desperate to play percussion instruments and her teacher in desperation at last made the suggestion that she take out her hearing aids and simply FEEL the sounds. Later in life she was to say; “ Losing my hearing makes me a better listener.”

The multi-award winning musician now has three thousand instruments ‘all of which sing in her hands’. This vibrantly illustrated picture book for children aged five and upwards is a lesson in knowing that with hard work and belief you can accomplish your dreams. A wonderful story of an incredible musician.

Published by Puffin at £7.99 (PB)