This book is for anyone who wants to enrich the reading of young people. The authors’ introduction modestly claims that it is not their aim “to tell you everything there is to know about children’s literature,” but they still manage a remarkably comprehensive exploration of the topic and to convey their infectious enthusiasm.

The book will be of use to individual readers and students in groups. Its starting point is with the reader’s own reading history, used ingeniously here as a springboard for extension and development. We then get an examination of narrative, which draws selectively but coherently on contemporary narrative theory. Throughout there are references to a wide range of children’s fiction - some are tantalisingly brief - which help to illuminate the theoretical points being made.

From these generalities, the book progresses to the specifics of genre and the complexities of traditional stories through discussion of the work of Kress and Knapp, and a series of commentaries on such figures as Andersen and Wilde as well as some interesting speculation on stereotypes and rewritings. In a chapter which perhaps over-ambitiously tries to consider ‘Fantasy, Realism and Writing about the Past’, there are some thought-provoking questions about “bad language” and “classics” alongside some fairly obvious remarks about Pullman and picture books.

Reservations about occasional shifts in tone apart, this book is sure to be useful, especially for primary teachers because of its relevance to the curriculum. Indeed, it will be of particular benefit to newcomers to the profession and those keen to establish a collection of classroom fiction or formulate a book policy.

The details of numerous organisations will also be of great value as will the publications and websites to keep teachers in touch with children’s books.

Robert Dunbar is head of English at the Church of Ireland College of Education, Dublin