Books of the Year 2019
This year, our reviewers have read and reviewed over 300 books for Books for Keeps, but that’s still just a fraction of the publishing output. Which are the books we’ll still be reading in 2020 and beyond? We asked those in the know to choose their books of the year.
Daniel Hahn is a writer, editor and translator.
In Chris Naylor-Ballesteros’s beautifully simple The Suitcase, arrives from far away,
a creature after a hard
journey – but it takes a little while for the other animals to learn to be kind to him. This new picture-book is a much-needed lesson in compassion, subtly taught through a story of lovely, uncomplicated hospitality. And as it happens, so is Oili Tanninen’s Button & Popper, newly translated from the Finnish by Emily Jeremiah: this describes how the eponymous twins and the rest of their big pixie family find themselves a winter home. It
was first published more than 50 years ago, and it shows its age – the gorgeously stylish three-colour geometric illustration, the striking design and the roundabout story – but it’s all the better for that. Finally, Lampie and the Children of the Sea, a novel by Annet Schaap, translated by Laura Watkinson, introduces us to Lampie (the nickname comes from her former lighthouse home), who makes a new friend. But because he is a ‘monster’, Lampie must fight for his rights and his freedom. It’s a gripping and magical adventure, rich in fairy-tale elements, not all of them immediately apparent…
Teresa Cremin is Professor of Literacy, Open University
My two front runners this year are Toffee by Sarah Crossan and The Runaways by Ulf Stark, illustrated by Kitty Crowther. Both explore relationships between their young protagonists and an older character – one of whom is a frail stranger with Alzheimer’s and the other a hospitalised grandfather. Both involve running away and both hurt. However, the sensitivity with which they are written, the moments of light relief and the tangible connections between the characters help to reduce the pain. Crossan’s spare verses draw you in, as do Crowther’s childlike illustrations. These are books to keep, they echo in the mind and deserve re-reading.
Louise Johns-Shepherd is Chief Executive, Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE)
The text of picture book The Undefeated is a poem by Kwame Alexander highlighting the important contributions of a wide range of African Americans through history. The elegance of the language and the rhythm of the words are so well suited to a picture-book format and when married with Kadir Nelson’s heart-stoppingly beautiful illustrations the outcome is an absolutely breathtaking picture book. Every word, brushstroke and blank space is wonderfully placed and you are carried through the book on an emotional rollercoaster to the joyous last page. I defy anyone not to be moved by this book, its words, its pictures and its important and undeniable message.
Darren Chetty is a teacher, doctoral researcher and writer with research interests in education, philosophy, racism, children’s literature and hip hop culture.
Zanib Mian’s debut Planet Omar Accidental Trouble Magnet is a fast-paced and hilarious tale of Omar, his family, his classmates and his neighbour Mrs Rogers – ‘John, The Muslims are frying smelly onions again!’. Omar loves bike-racing and biryani and is the kind of frenetic, curious child to whom all children can relate. Mian’s story, illustrated by Nasaya Mafardidik is a masterclass in telling a story of a young Muslim child who survives and thrives in a world where anti- Muslim racism exists. I can’t wait to see what Omar gets up to next! (An earlier version of the book, self-published as The Muslims won The Little Rebels Award 2018.)
Miranda McKearney is the founder of EmpathyLab
At EmpathyLab, we look at books through an empathy lens, thinking they can be used more consciously to build children’s perspective taking, and understanding of others. It’s easy for an empathy collection to get rather dark, so Emily Gravett’s Cyril and Pat immediately struck a chord. It hilariously exposes our absurd tribal tendency to see the ‘other’ as threatening, something which desperately needs challenging, in today’s divided world. Cyril is a lonely squirrel, until he meets Pat (a rat). All the park creatures disapprove of their friendship, because ‘Pat is not like you and SQUIRRELS CAN’T BE FRIENDS WITH RATS’. The book has Gravett’s hallmark exquisite balance of words and pictures and the pace is brilliant. I especially love the last, harmonious page where the re-united friends are together on a branch against a lemony sky, surrounded by poppies.
4 Books for Keeps No.239 November 2019
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34