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Your support makes all the difference.JULIET'S STORY by William Trevor, Bodley Head, pounds 8.99
William Trevor's reputation as one of Ireland's senior novelists rests on his accomplished descriptions of dispirited grown-ups, but he brings to his first children's adventure a studious freshness and resolve. Juliet's Story begins with a list of Juliet's 14-year old likes (banana cake, peppered bacon, lime sherbets) and dislikes (mashed turnip, egg white). But it swiftly ripens into an allegory about story-telling. Juliet is lost when Paddy Old, who used to recount the exploits of the man who lost his shadow or the frog that was a fairy, dies. But a colourful trip to France turns her into a story-teller herself. It might be that a children's story about how a child becomes a writer is a bit cute and literary for today's laser-toting Turtle fans; but Trevor's distinctive style will keep parents turning the pages long after the kids have fallen asleep in front of the telly.
THE RIDDLE OF THE FLOATING ISLAND & THE GREAT EUCALYPTUS MYSTERY by Paul Cox, Cape, pounds 9.99 each
These two huge and pretty books - spacious, pastel-cream pictures floating in a sea of swirly handwriting - introduce 'The Adventures of Archibald Koala'. Archibald, a koala bear in a tweed suit and bow tie, is a detective on a Pacific island called Wombalano, inhabited only by koalas and badgers. Someone's been swiping the eucalyptus leaves; and one of the badgers loses his fancy opera clothes. Down these mean beaches must go a koala who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The books are a collage of already popular devices, from the Babar- inspired format to mutant badger names like Badgiovanni. But it's all done with a light and colourful touch. Brace yourself for the show-down between the koalas and the badgers, which involves them chucking office furniture and kitchen utensils at each other. Afterwards, enjoy the best meal in Koalaville: sauteed eucalyptus leaves with vinaigrette, eucalyptus casserole smothered in eucalyptus sauce, with perhaps a refreshing eucalyptus ice-cream for afters.
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