Jessie Runs Away ¦ Houdini Dog ¦ Nina's Machines

These three books in the 'Jets' series of easy-to-read books that look like short novels are perfectly competent and unexceptional. The most interesting is Jessie Runs Away which is about a Down's child but which never once mentions the fact in the text, although the cover does. All that the text says is that Jessie didn't know or understand as many things as her younger sister did and any further information is gathered from the illustrations. It is a sympathetic story of how Jessie feels when she forgets how to find her family and all children can identify with her feelings.

Houdini Dog is a jolly tale of a family who adopt a dog and then have a problem trying to name it and Nina's Machines is a feminist story about a girl inventor set, unusually, in some indeterminate medieval period.

'Jets' are all based on the same format: short, easy text, lots and lots of pictures with speech bubbles and a light, often jokey, touch with the story. Children of about six who are fluent readers but haven't the stamina for dense text enjoy them and although none will ever be great literature, I haven't come across any real dud in the series and they are always good value.