Reading for pleasure – remember that? A recent American study of 10,000 children has found that those who read for fun early in life perform better at cognitive tests and have better mental health. Even the Gradgrinds in government must accept that good books are as essential to the young as good food, clean water and unpolluted air. So why are they harder than ever to find? I blame the books that are ghost-written for celebrities and marketed to parents; meanwhile the rest languish. Below are the books for children aged 2-12 worth splashing out on this summer.
Allan Ahlberg is a master of classics, and Under the Table (Walker, £12.99, 3+) is a riff on a young child’s imagination. Elsie finds an elephant under the table, then a kangaroo, penguins in the fridge – and nobody turns a hair. They can even come on holiday with her family! Bruce Ingman’s pictures add to the absurdity.
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