Barbie and the Fat Controller are the guests of honour at the RDS today for the opening weekend of the Christmas Toy Show. The event runs for the next nine days showcasing all the latest toys Santa will be delivering to boys and girls around the world on Christmas Eve.

But there’s also a case to be made for giving books rather than toys at Christmas. Robert Dunbar, who regularly reviews and comments on children’s books for the Irish Times and is a former Head of English at the Church of Ireland College of Education in Dublin joined Tara to discuss some of the options for parents this year.