My kind of kids' book

I've been reading a lot of kids' books lately.

It's fair to say my three-year-old and I have different approaches to this.

I like to read a book once then move on. She prefers the same one to be read to her ooh say 50 times in a two week period and THEN she'll move on.

She doesn't care much about character development or logical plots or animals behaving appropriately (I mean lions and tigers regularly inhabit the same environment in kids' books! sheesh!!) but if it rhymes or if the picture are good or include bottom jokes, she's stoked.

We did agree about one we borrowed rececently called Abigail goes to the Beach by Felix Pirani first published in 1988.

I don't know if kids' books were different back then and I doubt they were because I think that's when Enid Blyton started to be bowdlerised but it certainly reflects a different approach to what I usually find in library books.

It starts off like a Pamela Allen meditation on the joys of parenthood where a man and a little girl called Abigail go to the beach carrying lots and lots of stuff.

Then the dad sits down and reads a book to HIMSELF while Abigail builds the biggest sandcastle in the world.

Occasionally she asks him how his book is going.

Occasionally he gives her an empty beer can to add to her sandcastle.

Occasionally she threatens people trying to knock her sandcastle down with her father's violence.

They have an excellent time doing their own thing next to each other and agree to come back tomorrow

but there's alcohol and shouting and absolutely no moralising.

Brilliant!