At the recent Book Fair held in November, children had the opportunity to get hold of Merlin Publishers’ latest picture books - three beautifully illustrated books that take us into Nora’s chirpy world. Nora is a cute little girl who, just like most children, at times gets into trouble without the faintest idea of how she’d have got there. Judging from the first reactions to the books, Nora will conquer the hearts of her readers, typically aged between three and seven years.
What is immediately apparent in the Nora series are the beautiful and cheerful illustrations by Stephanie Rousseau. These will make children fall in love with the books and want to carry them around everywhere. The books are hardback, which makes them more hard-wearing and perfect for the rough and tumble that books in small children’s hands usually have to endure! This packaging also makes the books a lovely gift idea for Christmas.
In Il-Praspar ta’ Nora, Nora tries very hard to please her mother and father, but the more she tries, the more she gets into trouble. Actually many a times the way children see the world is very different to that of grownups - less serious and weighted, and more open to spontaneity. This of course inevitably leads to times where – as any parent will know – our worlds clash and we end up not understanding each other. The story however does end on a positive note – as Nora and her parents find ways of bridging that gap.
Another book in this series is Nora Taghlaq Sninha. Nora does not get into any trouble in this episode. On the contrary Nora, together with her mother, organises her own birthday party.
During the preparations not everything turns out as planned and what are they to do as the guests are about to arrive? But yet again the story ends positively and the best part is the complicity that is created between mother and daughter as they work together to make a great and memorable event.
The third book, Is-Sinna ta’ Nora, is a sweet story of when Nora discovers, as all children must, that her milk teeth will soon fall out. She comes up with all sorts of ideas as what to do with them. Nora’s mother tells her that Gurdininu tas-sinnuni (the tooth mouse) will be coming for her lost tooth. Some other children have the tooth fairy pay them a visit. It does not matter who comes for the teeth. What matters is Nora’s excitement about the pending arrival of Gurdininu to collect her loose tooth.
Each of the Nora books ends with a two-page spread of craft ideas for children to make at home. This is a fun way of keeping the books alive, involving the children and taking the stories into another, more tactile, dimension.
The Nora books are a collaboration between Merlin and French publishing house Bilboquet. Adapted into Maltese by children’s favourite Clare Azzopardi, these books are aimed at children aged three and over; either for parents to read to their children or for the older children to read for themselves. As always, Merlin is very attentive to the need for simple, short story books in Maltese for young children, and these books will give parents an even wider choice of Maltese texts for this delicate age.
All three Nora books are available from all bookshops or online directly from www.merlinpublishers.com