While most muggles are busy finding out what happened to Harry Potter in the final installment, I chose to immerse myself in another magical realm called ‘The World of Neil Gaiman’.

M is for Magic is Gaiman’s latest children’s book to hit bookshelves. It’s a compilation of 11 short stories, some of which are no longer in print. The first story is a whodunit murder mystery where PI (Jack) Horner investigates the death of Humpty Dumpty. It’s a twist on some crossover nursery rhyme characters infused with dark humour similar to Roald Dahl’s retelling of fairy tale stories in Rhyme Stew. I’ve not completely read the book yet but I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the magical fantasy genre. High on my recommendation list is Coraline, I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish and Wolves in the Walls by Gaiman, artistically illustrated by the very talented Dave McKean.

The next book I had to get was Clown by Quentin Blake. The story tells of an unwanted toy clown trying to find a place to belong in. Told in a series of pictures like a silent movie rolling, Blake proves that a picture is truly worth a thousand words. This is a must-have in any Quentin Blake treasury collection.

Since chancing upon Oliver Jeffers, I decided to check out his previous works. Lost and Found and To Catch a Star were all brilliantly visualized in Jeffers’ minimalist drawings. In Lost and Found, a boy one day finds a penguin at his doorstep presumed to be lost. The boy begins an adventure of returning the penguin to where it belongs. To Catch a Star is about a boy who wanted a star and embarks on a quest to catch one. Both books are great for reading to kids before their bedtime.