Picture books present difficult and unusual subjects to children in a meaningful and inventive way that encourages their imaginations to take flight. In Ella and the Ocean (Allen & Unwin. 32 pp. $24.99), Lian Tanner and Jonathan Bentley convincingly convey the despair of those living on the land during a drought, as they handfeed their cattle and pray for life-giving rain.
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Young Ella dreams of the cooling waters of the vast ocean, but her fascination is not shared by her family as they cope with the harsh realities of life on the farm. Then Ella shares her longing for the ocean with her Gran--who, like Ella, has never seen the sea. Gran understands the importance of dreams, and the family set off on a trip to the ocean. Reinvigorated, they return to their farm with renewed hope, able once again to appreciate its beauty and potential once the rains come.
Tanner's lyrical text evokes the drought-ravaged land with its "red-dirt country" and earth "as dry as old bones", while Bentley uses strong, saturated colours and sketchy, scribbled images to present washed-out azure skies, vivid ochre soil and stark, skeletal trees and cattle. This imagery enhances the emotional intensity of Tanner's deft storytelling in this beautifully presented tale about family, resilience and hope.
Fly (Puffin Books. 32 pp. $24.99) by Jess McGeachin deals with an equally difficult topic in a similarly gentle and sensitive way. In Lucy's house there's just Lucy and her dad--and pictures of her mum, who has passed away. Lucy is the practical one, helping her dad get through the long, difficult days. Lucy's a kindly soul, and when she finds an injured sparrow she's determined to heal it. But the sparrow's wing is broken and its prognosis is not good. Undeterred, Lucy builds an aeroplane out of whatever's at hand. With the injured sparrow safely ensconced, Lucy takes off, determined to let the small bird experience the joys of flight one last time. Unfortunately, Lucy's creation starts to fall apart, but the birds of the air come to her aid--a glorious phalanx of colourful creatures that guide Lucy safely back to earth.
This is a tender-hearted story about love, caring, determination and letting go, as Lucy must farewell the little sparrow, just as she and her dad had to farewell her mum. As they bury Flap beside the birdbath and make a birdhouse for future feathered friends, Lucy and her dad's relationship becomes stronger than ever. The birds featured in Fly are identified on the final pages of the book for budding bird fanciers, and information is also provided on what to do if you find an injured bird. A beautifully understated and moving story, with gentle watercolour images in muted shades of greens, browns and blues, this book makes the heart soar.
In My Dad Snores (Penguin. 32 pp. $19.99), dad is the problem rather than part of the solution. John Williamson's song lyrics provide the words, while Peter Carnavas creates colourful cartoon-style images full of visual humour, in which dad's snore takes on a life of its own--a visual and aural force snaking across the pages of the book.
Dad's snore is driving his family to distraction and there's no escaping his roaring, dinosaur snore. With a catchy refrain, "My dad snores, does yours?", a musical, rhyming text and hilarious twist at the end, this light-hearted romp of a book celebrates the ups and downs of family life.
Magabala Books present the best of Aboriginal storytelling in their gloriously designed books for children that feature well-crafted texts and stunning imagery. The Butterfly Garden (Magabala Books. 20 pp. $11.95) by Michael Torres and Fern Martins tells the story of how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, while also revealing why the kookaburra laughs. The simple text is brought to life by bright, engaging illustrations, with strong blocks of gem-like colours. The small board-book format, with its shiny, well-designed pages, has great child-appeal, and the weaving of an Aboriginal myth about a laughing bird into a nature story featuring beautiful butterflies is sure to engage the very young.
The simple text is brought to life by bright, engaging illustrations, with strong blocks of gem-like colours.
Going to the Footy (Magabala Books. 24 pp. $19.989) by Tiwi artist Debbie Coombes also has a simple, spare text. Everyone is going to the footy, and they're all getting there in different ways--on a plane, on a barge, in a tinny and even on a trailbike. Each mode of transport is identified in large black text on deeply hued pages in different shades of ochre, while the nave, intricately patterned images of people travelling in a variety of vehicles are presented on black backgrounds. Splashes of sap green, orange, white, yellow, and red make these delightful images jump off the page. The only thing lacking is a final image showing the people at the footy - a missed opportunity to include a ball and footballers for those who may not know that "footy" in this case refers to Australian Rules Football. Despite this omission, this fabulous book will delight the young and those who appreciate stunning artwork.
Clever art design and engaging storylines are also an integral part of successful information books for children. Argh! There's a Skeleton Inside You! by Idan Ben-Barak and Julian Frost provides a great introduction to basic anatomy for children. It interweaves the story of two aliens stranded on earth on their way to a birthday party with fascinating information about the structure of the human body.
Presented in an interactive, engaging and humorous format, this book has readers literally giving the aliens a "hand" as they push, pull, touch and lift the book. This book covers the bones, muscles and nerves within our hands and explores the abilities they give us to manipulate objects, fix things, be creative and interact with others. Argh! There's a Skeleton Inside You! is a fun way to learn about a complex subject, presented in a colourful, well-designed package that includes a section at the back entitled "How to Grow Hands". Now that's something we all need--an extra pair of hands!
There's no doubt that a book about artist Vincent Van Gogh is going to be bright and colourful. Portrait of an Artist: Vincent Van Gogh (Wide-Eyed Editions. 32 pp. $31.99) by Lucy Brownridge and Edith Carron does not disappoint. Focusing on Van Gogh's "colour gymnastics", but not shying away from sympathetically dealing with his mental health issues, Carron's text retells Van Gogh's life story in a way that young readers can relate to and empathise with.
An example of Van Gogh's artwork appears on each double-page spread, and it is integrated into the story of his life through Brownridge's nave images featuring primary colours and white spaces. While not directly copying Van Gogh's distinctive artistic style, the illustrator pays homage to it in her use of colourful broken lines. Fittingly, the book ends with a celebration of some of Van Gogh's most famous artwork.
This sympathetic and engaging portrait of a troubled man and a gifted artist shows how picture books can bring history to life while exploring the world of the imagination.
- Dr Stephanie Owen Reeder is a Canberra-based author, editor and reviewer.
