Too Much Too Soon?

Are pre-schoolers’ picture books becoming a tad too realistic? This article reviews a trend of children’s books that seem to boldly go where none had before.

Cinderella’s Bum (and other bottoms), Nicholas Allan’s take on a big sister who is worried about the size of her bottom, is published in a new edition by Red Fox. Jennifer Jones Won’t Leave Me Alone by Frieda Wishinsky and Neal Layton, the story of a classroom crush, is published in a new edition by Picture Corgi. The Sprog Owner’s Manual (or how kids work), a new book by Babette Cole, is published by Cape. But most controversial of all is Where Willy Went: The Big Story of a Little Sperm, a new offering from the pen of Nicholas Allan, under the Hutchinson imprint.