reviews Persian poet and Islamic


5 – 8 Infant/Junior continued scholar,


whose work is gradually becoming better known in Western sometimes


updating like this for children. CB Here and There


HHHH


Tamara Ellis Smith, illus Evelyn Daviddi, Barefoot Books, 32pp, 978 1 78285 742 6, £6.99 pbk


Ivan is an active boy who loves singing to the birds while perched in the pear tree at his mum’s house, and his songs are always like the songs the birds sing to him. He calls his mum’s house ‘here’, while his dad’s new house is called ‘there’. He isn’t as happy ‘there’ as he is ‘here’, and he would rather stay ‘here’. In fact, he would rather


Europe, through reworking and tumble games. Grandma’s sphere was domestic


encourages young readers to aspire to achieve their dreams, take risks, be creative, reach out, help others and even perhaps, inspire them too. Readers are encouraged to enjoy their own company, find time to notice and wonder at the beauty of our world and make a stand to protect it too. The final spreads emphasise the importance of being yourself, recognising everyone is individual and special. The images reflect diversity and


gently challenge stereotypes; a little girl dreams of becoming an astronaut and a little boy unselfconsciously dresses in a tutu. A child wearing a hearing aid finds visual ways to communicate her powerful message


about the


environment and ‘dares’ to protest. This is an exuberant picturebook


providing lots for adults and children to talk about together. SMc


Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain


HHHH


Verna Aardema, ill. Beatriz Vidal, Macmillan, 32pp, 978 1 5290 0754 1, £6.99 pbk


‘This is the grass, / all brown and dead, /That needed the rain/from the cloud overhead –/The big, black cloud,/all shadowed


heavy with rain, That the


ground/on Kapiti


that dad was ‘here’ too. When he goes to his dad’s house, he is quiet and withdrawn, and dad wonders where his active, happy son has gone. It is only when dad plays his guitar and sings a new song he has written that Ivan finds his dancing feet and hands and voice, and he begins to sing the songs the birds have taught him to dad’s tune. He begins to understand that while ‘here’ and ‘there’ are different, he can be himself in whichever place he happens to be. The illustrations, in acrylic, pencil and collage, are bright and cheerful and full of life and colour; they also indicate some reasons why this couple might have separated! Having been written in the US, the bird songs we are given are different from those in the UK, but children will enjoy learning about them. This mixed race family have a lot to give, and while the concept is a sophisticated one, it will certainly help children accept the new situation they find themselves in when parents separate. ES


Dare HHHHH


Lorna Guttierrez, ill. Polly Noakes, Tiny Owl, 32pp, 9781910328422, £6.99, pbk


Dare is a poem in a picturebook form, with bold and joyful illustrations in line and colour which combine perfectly with the deceptively simple, sophisticated and powerful text. Each double page spread is a declaration.


motivating The text


Plain.’… An anthropologist discovered this tale many years ago and then Verna Aardema wrote this rhythmic version with its cumulative refrains bringing it closer to the English This is the house that Jack built rhyme and in so doing, extends children’s imaginative experience beyond the familiar to the Kenyan landscape. We see and hear how a young herd


boy named Ki-Pat, fearful for the fate of his hungry cows, with the aid of a feather dropped by an eagle that he fashions into an arrow and fires skywards to pierce the big black cloud and let loose the much needed rain at last. And for his trouble, Ki-Pat is richly rewarded with a wife and later, a baby. Beatriz Vidal whose debut picture


book this was, wonderfully evokes the rural African landscape with her cut-out style illustrations that look as great now as they did many years ago. This book has been a favourite of mine since my early days of teaching and I’m thrilled to see it back in print. JB


Hotel Flamingo HHHH


Alex Milway, ill. Alex Milway. Piccadilly 182pp., 978-84812-775- 3, pbk. £6.99


When Anna arrives at the hotel left to her by a great-aunt, she finds it in a sorry state, but with loyal staff still in position: T.Bear on the door, and Lemmy (a lemur) on Reception. They work hard to spring-clean the place, and are surprised to find, emerging from the lift, Mrs Turpington, an old tortoise who had been hibernating for 3 years. She was quite happy to pay the money owed, so Anna can hire


staff and get the hotel going again, although The Glitz at the other end of Animal Boulevard has taken a lot of potential customers. What Hotel Flamingo can offer is


a friendly welcome and sea views on both sides, and a reputation as the sunniest hotel in town. Anna accepts any animals who can pay, even insects: a family of cockroaches, who prove very useful at finding out that the otters are blocking the pipe to the swimming pool, and she lets the otters work for their room by acting as lifeguards. With new staff, including a keen housekeeper, Hilary Hippo, handyperson Stella Giraffe who can fix anything, and Madame Le Pig, a top chef (of the grumpy variety, of course) things begin to look up, until a hotel inspector arrives - will they pass? It’s all great fun, with the issues


of diversity and acceptance handled lightly and


lots plentiful of and strong female


characters. Alex Milway’s pink and grey illustrations are


to his own story lively. He has


already produced three stories about Pigsticks and Harold, and this book is set to be the first of a four-book series, so, as the phone rings and rings with guests wanting to come and stay, we look forward to more adventures for Anna and her animal friends. DB


My Grandma and Me HHHH


Mina Javaherbin, ill. Lindsey Yankey, Walker, 32pp, 978 1 4063 8494 9, £11.99 hbk


Told with loving respect for a grandmother whose life reflected a quiet but deeply-rooted inclusivity and tolerance, My Grandma and Me serves up a slice of family history and introduces readers to a country and culture rarely seen in children’s books. When Mina was growing up in


Iran, her beloved Grandma lived with the family and was Mina’s constant companion. It was Grandma who listened to


her games, who knitted


Mina chattering about blankets,


cooked and sewed chadors, and readers will warm to Javaherbin’s loving reminiscences. But Mina’s grandma doesn’t just bake cookies and her presence on these pages is more nuanced than it first appears. It’s Grandma who winches the family’s bread delivery in a basket to their third- floor flat. Her best friend is Christian - the blankets they make together are destined for both mosque and church – and Mina’s allowed to use Grandma’s chadors as astro-explorer capes and drapes for dens.


In fact, Grandma seems to welcome Mina’s rough-and-


and her routine regulated by religious beliefs and family commitments, but her openness to other ways of thinking and living are one of the key features of this book. Javaherbin has selected her anecdotes with care and the character she portrays is fully-rounded. Calm, tolerant, interested in the world and slightly mischievous, Grandma is someone we’d all like to know. Lindsey


Yankey’s illustrations combine text.


charming surface


decoration with areas of clear space, enhancing rather than overwhelming Javaherbin’s


Patterns and


textures in an aged palette are drawn from carpets, textiles and printed papers to add a multisensory feel – the smell of fresh bread is suggested by the pattern-echoes on the wall behind the loaves, for example, and the blue-tiled mosque reflects the chattering below. It’s a pleasure to sink into these pages and dream of


places far-


away and long-ago, and this gem of a picturebook will appeal to a wide age-range – including teachers and carers (particularly grandparents!) who will appreciate the potential for cross-generational reminiscing and discussion. CFH


Arnica: The Duck Princess HHHHH


Ervin Làzàr , ill. Jacqueline Molnár, trans. Anna Bentley, Pushkin Press, 978-1782692201, £10.99 hbk


Princess Arnica is kind, gentle and well-loved. Her father King Tirunt, despite occasional angry rages, is a fair man who wants his daughter to marry whoever she chooses. She duly falls in love with a young wanderer, ‘Poor’ Johnny. However, all doesn’t run smoothly when Johnny is cursed by a wicked witch with a hundred disguises. As a result, Johnny and his love are bewitched, with one of them at all times in the form of a duck. They go in search of the seven


headed fairy, the only creature able to break the spell. On the way they have some strange


encounters, meeting


Tig Tag and his band of robbers, a woe begotten chap called Victor Coppermine who constantly taking umbrage


at


everyone he meets and twelve brothers who quite literally feel each other’s pain. The story is written in a lively style


and interjected with dialogue between the adult narrator and a child. The child’s questions and comments and the adult’s responses create a pause in the narrative, providing space for reflection on events and the issues raised in the story. This is a very effective device allowing readers to consider important questions such as the nature of love and freedom, whether every cloud really has a silver lining and whether there can be such a thing as ‘good’ anger. This story is the first from esteemed Hungarian author Ervin Làzàr to be translated into English. It is a very attractive volume with striking full page colour illustrations in folk art


style. A very enjoyable read. SMc Books for Keeps No.236 May 2019 23


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