The Railway Cat ¦ Duck Boy ¦ Little Boy Lost

These three are in the Young Puffin series Story Book category for those who have developed reading stamina. The re-thinking of the series is welcome. I can see these three fitting well into infant or younger junior classroom collections or individualised reading stages.

I know from experience that Phyllis Arkle's witty and undemanding style goes down well with sixes up to nines (see the Magic and the Dinosaur books, also in Young Puffin). This one concerns a resourceful cat who keeps things ticking at a village station, much to the chagrin of an unhelpful railway porter. Action and movement is well-integrated and there are some enjoyable theatrical touches when Alfie the cat is co-opted as a panto cat.

I'd guess that the same children would enjoy Duck Boy, though its appeal may also stretch to older juniors. In a delicately-crafted tale, a boy finds recognition and independence from a self-absorbed older brother and sister when he nurtures a pair of ducks on a farming holiday. Vivid observations of sights, sounds and the natural countryside give the story its texture. Here's that rare thing in a book for the young, too: a genuinely mutual and equal relationship between the boy, Adam, and the lonely lady he befriends.

Similarly, the appeal of Little Dog Lost will be wide. Pepito, a stray dog, travels around Spain finding various owners and the writer gives us colourful and multifaceted fragments of different lives and settings. These are cleverly linked and the episodes showing the hierarchical nature of the stray dogs' gangs are fascinating. Its structure makes it an excellent readaloud for serialisation.