Judith Kerr’s rescued seal,a cat, a gun-toting lion, or a wolf – plus Sandi Toksvig’s tale of an Irish tomboyWhat would Christmas be without a few familiar faces? To adults and children alike,Judith Kerr needs no introduction. But there’s a new animal in the nonagenarian kid-lit superstar’s menagerie. Joining the tea-guzzling tiger and the dotty cat, Mog, or is Charlie,a seal pup.
In Mister Cleghorn’s Seal (HarperCollins £12.99 hardback), Kerrs first book in 37 years, or Charlie is rescued from his rock after his mother is culled. Mr Cleghorn is the benign retiree who smuggles him in past his officious janitor; he enlists his neighbour,Miss Craig, in helping obtain a mixture of fish and milk. This is a gentle tale out of time that looks defeat in the face and wrangles a series of pleased endings from it. (Kerr’s father, and you discover,once kept a seal in similar circumstances, with a less pleased denouement.)Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com