Sporting Relations by Roger McGough
Published by Penguin at £6.99 on 06 November 1997
If there is one man whose claim to fame (or perhaps clame to faime!) is to have made poetry accessible to and downright fun for children and adults alike, it's Roger McGough. His forte is inspired word-play in all its glories and guises. He plays with semantics and morphology, with context and phonology, and never a high-brow in sight!
As all young children know, language is there to be played with and McGough constantly reminds us just how eccentric and quirky the English language and our use of it can be. A major influence on a child's reading development is the extent to which word play is indulged in. Nursery-rhymes, songs and other language-based games all play their part. McGough's irresistible poetry is a must - modern-day nursery-rhymes - but even better!
McGough's Sporting Relations are funny, sad, unexpected, oddly predictable and, on occasion, wonderfully compassionate and moving. My favourites are Cousin Chaz, an expert in self-defence, Auntie Dora who is transformed on the diving board, and blue-blooded Angelina who smokes pacht on her yacht (a lacht!). McGough's illustrations are splendid additions, frivolous and fun and somewhat reminiscent of Lear. This is an excellent collection. Highly recommended
(E.A.L.)

Cattitudes from A-Z by Elizabeth King Brownd
Published by Michael Joseph at £6.99 on 02 October 1997
Following in the tradition of Lesley Anne Ivory and Martin Leman, Elizabeth King Brownd's Cattitudes from A to Z is a charming and attractively illustrated collection of cats in all their feline finery.
There are topiary-loving cats, butterfly-catching cats and cats who appropriate the family birdbath.
Elizabeth King Brownd has more than enough subjects to experiment with - having originally acquired two pregnant cats to rid the family of a rising escaped-pet-mouse population, she found the consequent take-over by kittens (12 in all) almost as hard to handle.
The cat portraits themselves are stylised with a number of basic (inscrutable and self-satisfied) faces appearing in many guises. On occasion, the true essence of cat-ness is captured, and interestingly, one of the most successful is a back portrait of a cat contemplating the moon.
This is an attractive and entertaining collection which is bound to be a success with cat lovers.
(E.A.L.)

The Time Out Guides to Florence & Tuscany, New York and Miami
Published by Penguin at £9.99 on 25 September 1997
City Breaks are becoming more and more popular and newspapers are full of bargains which are difficult to resist. Penguin are providing the ultimate in city guides for the discerning traveller.
Other cities covered so far are: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Rome and Sydney. Last time I headed for Florence I had to take three different guides to cover the information I needed. This one on its own would have done nicely. The contents of the above three guides, listed on the back covers, vary to cater exactly for the individual character of the city on the front.
The covers are bright and colourful and hit just the right visual note to convey the spirit of the place. The guides have been welcomed by such august publications as The Times and The New York Times and will be appreciated by everyone wanting to make the most of their time on a city break.
PED

The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine
Published by Puffin Audio at £6.99 on 30 October 1997
Read by Sophie Aldred
Anne Fine tells a powerful story and Sophie Aldred does justice to it with her reading. Its weighty subject matter is aimed at older children and written in a very sensitive way with that audience in mind. But the adult listener cannot fail to appreciate the quality of work which has gone into it. Once started I had to listen to it in one sitting.
"The Tulip Touch" is the story of the friendship between two girls, Natalie and Tulip .It begins when Natalie's father changes his job and the family have to move to the hotel which he is to manage.
From the first time that Natalie sees Tulip standing in a cornfield holding a tiny ginger kitten she is fascinated by her. Natalie becomes Tulip's constant companion and Tulip becomes Natalie's source of constant excitement with her reckless behaviour and daring refusal to obey rules and follow normal codes of conduct. Others may condemn and look down on Tulip but Natalie knows what kind of home life Tulip has and she will be loyal to her and join in the crazy games Tulip invents - until it all gets a bit out of hand.
Sophie Aldred's reading of the text is impeccable. The voices of a cast of characters - Natalie, Tulip, mother, father, brother, teacher, classmates - are conveyed with finesse.
In an interview by David Newnham in the Guardian the theme of the book was discussed and Anne Fine explained her inspiration for writing it. To repeat what she said would perhaps spoil the story.
Newnham comments, "Reviewers constantly refer to "Anne Fine's Tone", or her "sensitivity", or her "sympathy". But, for all that, it's actually her daring that sets her books apart." Yes, it's her daring and skill and Sophie Aldred's delivery which keeps you listening in this case. The book won for Anne Fine the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year. Puffin books have always been synonymous with quality. It seems that Puffin audiobooks will be the same.
PED

Bad Bad Cats by Roger McGough
Published by Puffin Audio at £6.99 on 30 October 1997
Read by Roger McGough
A poet knows exactly how he wants the listener to hear his work and Roger McGough's distinctive voice conveys every nuance of every layer of meaning in these poems. The gangster cats and the Penguin Puffin place them in a category for children, and there is no doubt that children will love them. But the adult listener will marvel at the wit and complexity of some of these gems. The feline scoundrels who run the Cat's Protection League, the Cats' Mafia and the Fur Exchange start us off, and these are followed by a large variety of poems with a variety of themes. There are "school" poems, including one "Playground", with the creepy, sinister overtones of "plague around". There are several of the "Hints for" kind such as one which gives advice to travellers, including a novel way of avoiding jet-lag, "travel the day before". There are witty allusions to well-known poems by Wordsworth and Keats and - one of my own favourites from this collection -"Stonehenge", where McGough juxtaposes the scenario of the people placing the stones with the tourist crowd visiting Stonehenge today. His voice eerily conveys the atmosphere of then and now in that place. All are witty and original in the ideas expressed. Buy it for a child for Christmas but make sure you listen to it yourself.
PED

The Jigsaw Man by Paul Britton
Published by HarperCollins at £8.99 on 17 November 1997
Read by Derek Jacobi
Derek Jacobi, as could be expected, delivers a faultless performance, calling up the many different personalities in Britton's story. It is an account of how Britton came to enter the field of psychology, gaining a reputation which led to the police calling on him more and more to help with providing personality profiles and possible motives of those who had committed serious crimes, until he eventually was put in charge of the new Forensic Psychology Service. Three different kinds of crime from the recent past are examined in detail - the murder of three young women over a period of time in Leicestershire, the James Bulger case and the abduction of newborn Abbie Humphries. Those who commit acts of this nature are themselves victims of their own past and, unless caught, will repeat their crimes. This is a good enough reason for Britton to carry on with the "relentlessly grim" work he is involved in. Asked how he manages not to bring his work home with him, he replies that at every scene of crime he leaves a small part of himself behind. Television, through such programmes as "Cracker", have given the job he does an air of false glamour and excitement. His story, here, counteracts that view. His book has been shortlisted, with two others, for the Macallan Non-Fiction Gold Dagger Award by the Crime Writer's Association. The judges looked for "outstanding literary works based on true crime, books that would add to the public's understanding of criminal investigation and the criminal mind."
"The Jigsaw Man" sits easily in this category.
PED