BfK 5 – 8 Infant/Junior continued


soon as she’s safely home again, the wily monkey tells the old crocodile that she’s no longer willing to be his guest, and Mr Magarmach is forced to confront a very angry Crocodile King. The story could end here, but happily it doesn’t. Old Magarmach isn’t the villain he appears to be and when pushed, finds the courage to stand up for Miss Bandari – even though it results in his expulsion from the swamp and a life of misery. Or does it? When Miss Bandari spots him looking cold and lonely, she takes pity on him and their friendship is rekindled. This engaging fable is attractively by Iranian artist Reza


illustrated


Dalvand using intricate and delicately patterned


images inspired by


traditional Gujerati designs. In writing the story, Sufiya Ahmed drew on her mother’s tales about the Indian jungle - which were, in turn, based on fables from the Panchatantra, an ancient Indian story-collection dating to 300 B.C.E. Versions of this fable are known


from Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, China, Japan and the Caribbean and this book is part of the One Story, Many Voices series from Tiny Owl, highlighting global story connections. CFH


The Fate of Fausto HHHH


Written and ill. Oliver Jeffers, HarperCollins, 96pp 978-0-00-835791-7, £16.99 hbk


“There was once a man who believed he owned everything and set out to survey what was his…” So begins Jeffers’ painted fable


about Fausto, a man whose greed and sense of entitlement leads him into dangerous waters as he claims dominion over the natural world. At first, Fausto doesn’t encounter much resistance - flowers and trees are easy pickings, after all. But he has to show who’s boss before the lake submits, and the mountain isn’t at all impressed by his posturing. “I am my own”, it says, stubbornly, and Fausto must throw a tantrum to make it bow its head. Readers will be waiting for Fausto to get his come-uppance, but it takes an ocean to vanquish him. Faced with its quiet Fausto’s histrionics are


and all we can do is watch and wonder as he makes his final step. This beautifully a series


features


designed of


book traditional


lithographs – a first for Jeffers, who hasn’t worked with these techniques before. Initially depicted in tones of sepia highlighted with salmon pink, the palette changes as Fausto makes his fatal decision to confront the sea. Plain white backgrounds and clever page suit


layouts and expressive


allow his business postures


to


dominate the spreads, even when all that’s visible is a pointed finger or departing foot. The carefully-crafted text is minimal, with a large typeface that evokes mid-century styling and


Oscar Seeks a Friend HHHH


Written and ill. by Pawel Pawlak, trans. by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Lantana Publishing 40pp, 978-1-911373-79-7, £8.63, hbk


Oscar the skeleton has lost a tooth. Maybe you think something like that wouldn’t matter – but as Oscar observes


with disarming honesty,


indifference, irrelevant,


‘it’s hard for a small, ugly skeleton to make friends’ and when he spots a girl burying her tooth, he asks for it. Burying a tooth will make your dreams come true, or so we’re told, and the girl really wants a new friend. But when she sees Oscar’s gappy smile, she decides to give him the tooth as long as he helps her find a friend. Oscar agrees, so she shows him all the things she plans to share with her new friend: the scent of wet grass in a meadow, a mystery story about islands, the colours of a rainbow…. They have a lovely time together, and then it’s Oscar’s turn


to act


as host. At this point, what has been an enjoyable but somewhat unremarkable story shifts gear. Reaching across the central gutter of the book, Oscar takes the girl’s hand and guides her onto the left-hand page, and as he shares the delights of his skeleton world – skating in the


24 Books for Keeps No.239 November 2019


is carefully placed to command attention


lithographs.


without intruding on the Sentences


are often


spread across several pages, creating a sense of anticipation and space. Artistic and


environmentally-


aware adults will appreciate Fausto’s message and design quality, but the book is more complex than it first appears and responses


younger audiences will reflect this. Fausto does get his just reward, but


middle-aged men are not a


common sight in picturebooks and some children may need an adult to champion the book before they connect. For those who do engage, The Fate of Fausto has much to offer, including opportunities for


debate


and creative exploration, particularly around ‘P4C’-style questions about land ownership and how we treat the natural world. CFH


amongst


park, an enormous library, butterflies sleeping on a flowering tree – we realise the significance of his dark backgrounds. Each world is beautiful, each is necessary. Both children have something important to give and receive in equal partnership. The story ends on a fittingly optimistic note for such an upbeat exploration of ‘otherness’ – Oscar returns


the borrowed tooth with


the words “I think I’d found what I was looking for” – and we are left to assume the best for both of them. Even when differences seem profound, shared experiences create special bonds. There’s


Pawlak’s pictures,


attention and repay close looking. With their robust design and lively animation, Oscar and his skeletal companions


evoke the


Cornelia and the Jungle Machine


HHH


Nora Brech, Gecko Press, 32pp, 978 1 7765 7259 5, £11.99


Having just moved into a gloomy house full of clutter and having nobody to play with, young Cornelia wearing a blue cape, goes outside to explore its forest environs with her dog. Among the tall trees a ladder descends. Up go girl and dog high into the


treetops where there’s an exciting- looking


treehouse,


lots to notice in Pawel which demand


Ahlbergs’


Funnybones or Mexican Day of the Dead images and children will warm to them. Pawlak used spatial collage to create his artwork, layering thin paper over


cardboard shapes to


produce a raised and textured effect, and there’s a theatrical feel to his layouts,


particularly the wordless


spreads, which reflects his set-design experience for puppet shows. The translated


text, exploring and while


functional, isn’t the strongest aspect of this book. But the artwork is really worth


will inspire


children’s own storymaking and other creative responses. CFH


Beast Feast HHHHH


Emma Yarlett, Walker Books, 32pp, 978 1 4063 8663 9, £10.99 hbk


Beast by name but perhaps not entirely so by nature, for when he catches something tasty for dinner he decides to share the repast – a little boy whom he names Dinner -with his friends. He writes letters to them inviting them to a feast. Dinner however has no desire to be consumed and resolves to try and get Beast to change his menu. Beast’s friends too want changes


made to the meal for each includes instructions for cooking Dinner along with their acceptance of his invitation. One desires a salty meal so Dinner talks Beast into going for a swim in the ocean; another wants slimy food so Dinner’s suggestion is a swamp visit. Over


several days Dinner’s


playful notions have an effect on Beast: he’s actually enjoying the company of the crafty Dinner but has the lad sufficiently beguiled the cook to save himself from the pot? With vibrant illustrations


full of


delicious details, a page turner of a tale (with touches of Scheherazade) that includes five letters, recipes yummy and yucky and lots of tasty wordplay Emma Yarlett has herself cooked up a delectable picture book offering that will most certainly have listeners demanding ‘more please’ whenever you share it. JB


outside


lounging in a hammock, is a boy who introduces himself as Fredrik. He invites Cornelia to


see which, his


numerous inventions within – hanging beds, platforms aplenty and all kinds of plants. Best of all, says her host is his jungle machine, and after some button pushing and wheel turning, tropical plants appear. These grow into a fully–fledged jungle with vines to swing on and wild animals roaming. Suddenly there alights a huge red- feathered bird and upon this they fly to a river where a boat awaits. After a river trip, it’s time for Cornelia


to go home, but Fredrik’s invitation to come every day is one likely to be accepted by the departing girl as she returns to her parents, obviously feeling more upbeat about her new situation. All this unfolds through fantastic


Gorey-like gothic spreads (several of which are wordless) detailing their adventure,


hundred or so words of Tiny and Teeny HHH


Chris Judge, Walker Books, 32pp, 9781406370928, £12.99 hbk


This picture book would surely inspire the writing of many more books about small people living in small items familiar to children. It also has an intriguing pair of holes in the front cover which definitely make you want to peek inside. You have to look really closely and carefully at the book as there are lots of lovely details in there: mini libraries within books and a hotel made out of a tall coffee pot are just some of the unusual buildings in the book’s town, Glengadget. Teeny and Tiny live in an apple


house and the author immediately enourages the reader to look at it carefully. Involving the reader in the world is a great way of starting the book. The characters spend their time helping others in their town – each page offering more detail about what it is like in the tiny town. One day a calamity occurs – the apple house is crushed. Teeny and Tiny have to move into the ‘Grand Hotel’ (the one made out of a coffee pot) but they are really unhappy as this isn’t their home. Luckily the


townsfolk help


them out and take them on treats to help them recover. Meanwhile they have been working on a new home for the miniature pair and the end of the book is truly a happy resolution with


which leave plenty of space for allow readers their own flights of fancy thanks to this immersive tale. JB


together with a mere dialogue


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