BfK 5 – 8 Infant/Junior Footpath Flowers HHHHH


JonArno Lawson, ill. Sydney Smith, Walker Books, 32pp, 978 14068 4, £11.99 hbk


I revisited this exquisite wordless book today as I showed it to a friend and fell in love with it all over again as I discovered things I’d missed on previous readings.


of collaboration between Canadian poet, JonArno Lawson, who supplied the storyline, and Sydney Smith who has translated it into visual poetry using minimal colour for much of the narrative.


Hand in hand, a little girl wearing a red hooded top and a man walk through an urban landscape apparently in silence. The adult’s attentions are for much of the time on his mobile phone, the shopping and the whole business of getting home. The child in contrast notices the small things around her, in particular the wild flowers that are growing in seemingly unlikely places such as pavement cracks, a subway wall, between flagstones. She stops to pick them and drink in their scent, and before long, has collected a bunch. As the two cross the park, the girl notices a dead bird on the path and stooping down, reverently places a floral offering on its unturned breast, then runs to catch up her father.


Together they pass a man sleeping on a bench; he too is given a floral gift; so too a dog behind whose collar the child tucks several of her flowers and on arriving home she adorns her mother and siblings with the rest of the bunch, all except a single flower. That remains in her hand as she continues walking …


This poignant story is so rich in visual detail that words would be completely superfluous and full colour, a distraction. What is key here is that what we are shown in both whole page scenes and smaller frames, is always from the child’s perspective; that and the fact that the father allows the child sufficient space and time to stop and pay close attention to the small wonders around her (as is the way of young children), stopping with outstretched hand to wait at appropriate times.


This is a real gem; I cannot recommend it too highly.


JB It’s a Groovy World, Alfredo HHHH


Sean Taylor illus Chris Garbutt, Walker Books, 32pp, 9781406324136 £11.99hbk


Sean Taylor has already made his mark with Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise where he was partnered to great effect with the illustrator Jean Jullien. Here he works with Chris Garbutt to


lively picturebook where text and illustration match. Alfredo is a frog with a problem. He wants to dance - there is a birthday party to attend with


create another It is the result


groovy dancing. But all he can do is ... yes, jump!


Taylor’s unfussy storytelling makes use of plenty of dialogue to drive the action on, while exploiting the energy of the repeated word ‘jump’. His text is complemented by Garbutt’s ‘groovy disco’ style where bold, neon colours and stylised images keep the movement of the story going right to the party at the end. However it is not completely frivolous; the fun is combined with a moral – that being different is not necessarily a disaster. A very enjoyable picture book that would be appreciated by children in KS1.


Remarkable Animals: Mix & Match to Create 1,000 Crazy Creatures


FH HHHHH


Tony Meeuwissen, Frances Lincoln, 32pp, 978-1-84780-632-1, £12.99 hbk.


Here is a welcome new edition of a favourite novelty picturebook bringing the


ten animals: Platypus, Trunkfish, Baboon, Alligator, Weevil, Ruby-topaz, Opossum, Caterpillar, Hermit and Mohoohoo. Each page is divided into three liftable flaps, one for the creature’s head, one for its trunk and one for its tail. Lift a flap and see what’s beneath – you’ll find the


reader playful activities with


from Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting. From Vincent’s chair to a haystack and finally a ladder, Katie is, with help of the people from the paintings, able to catch the stars and return them to their rightful place.


Paintings magical and vibrant as the Master’s himself swirl in rhythmic marks, built up with layers of small bright strips of colour, allowing the viewer to blend into other colours as Pointillism did with dots. Mayhew obviously loved doing this book as his admiration of the passion in Van Gogh’s work is evident.


A wonderful way to introduce children to a love of art and the exciting painters who make it.


JNH


The Most Wonderful Thing in the World


HHHHH


Vivian French illus Angela Barrett, Walker Books, 32pp, 9781406339680 £12.99 hbk


The


French and Angela Barrett is magic. And nowhere is this more apparent as in this reworking of a traditional fairytale theme; the contest for the hand of the princess whereby the suitor must produce


that seems impossible – the most wonderful thing in the world.


for example, the Platypus can, with a flip of the head flap, become a ‘Tratypus’ while the Alligator, with a lift of the middle flap, becomes an Alleevitor – a bizarre creature that crawls into beehives and can be found ‘embedded by the nose, legs waving helplessly in the air’. There are 1,000 possible curious combinations and the written text accompanying each page changes ingeniously as the flaps are turned. Young readers not only enjoy the visual entertainment – the colours and patterns of the animals are hugely attractive and eye catching – but also encounter the curious names for the newly created animals and some humorous thoughts about their habits and lifestyles.


Many children both below and above the suggested age range would be amused by the transformations of the animals and likely to respond creatively. I can imagine the book as the centrepiece of a classroom display of children’s drawings of their own invented creatures matched with ideas for witty names and verses. But perhaps make sure that ‘budding zoologists’ do not miss the endnotes about the ten ‘real’ animals.


MM Katie and the Starry Night HHHH


James Mayhew, Orchard Books, 32pp, 978-1-40833-243-6, £6.99 pbk


James Mayhew takes the concept of stepping into paintings to a new level by linking the things needed for catching the squirling, whirling stars


22 Books for Keeps No.213 July 2015 creature is transformed. So,


French places her story in an island kingdom (surely Venice; certainly Angela Barrett’s title page suggests this). Though the author specifies no particular period, the artist has chosen not a medieval age, but rather an elegant Edwardian setting (a nod to Wilde, perhaps?). Certainly it is a backdrop that suits both the direct, uncluttered prose of the storyteller and the cool palette and delicate lines that characterise Barrett’s work. Of course it is a love story - the heart-shaped windows through which the reader enters this world ensure that this is not forgotten. However, the motif is not overused, rather the illustrator compliments the text moving from the enclosed rooms of the King and queen, to storytelling borders as suitors bring their gifts and the princess explores the city to colour saturated spreads where emotion is central. This is a book to delight any child; one where the story is as satisfying as the illustrations, whether it is shared at bedtime or read silently to oneself.


FH What the Jackdaw Saw HHHHH


Julia Donaldson, Nick Sharratt ill, Macmillan, 25pp, 978 1 4472 8083 5 £11.99 hbk


What the Jackdaw Saw was a story originally written in 2012 by Julia Donaldson with a group of 20 deaf children attending a workshop organised by Life and Deaf (a not-for- profit organisation) during her term as Children’s Laureate. This picture book celebrates their work.


The book tells the story of a jackdaw something partnership between Vivian who wants to invite


his party. He flies over seaside, farmland, town and forest and spies lots of busy animals and people but wherever he goes he is confused to see a creature touching its head and no one interested in his invitation. After getting stuck in a black cloud during a storm and crashing into a tree he asks a wise owl why no one had warned him. The owl informs Jackdaw everyone was warning him; by touching their heads they were signing danger. Jackdaw quickly learns the sign for party and a new way to communicate his invitation. Soon he has lots of excited guests and his beach party is in full swing.


Nick Sharratt’s bold and colourful illustrations bring the text to life as does the extra detail, for example hinting at the approaching storm. The repetitive story pattern and rhythm make the book fun to read aloud.


This is an enjoyable story with lots to talk about for both deaf and hearing children. The end


illustrations showing how to sign more words from the story, invite all readers to have a go.


SMc The Cleo Stories:


The Necklace and the Present HHH


Libby Gleeson, illus. Freya Blackwood, Allen & Unwin, 72pp, 978-1-7433-1527-9 £8.99 hbk


This hardback storybook contains two stories about a young girl called Cleo. In the first story she goes to her friend Nick’s sixth birthday party and gets jealous of the necklaces the other


home she tells her parents that she has to get a necklace, but Mum and Dad think she needs to wait for her birthday. Cleo says if she doesn’t get one she’ll ‘be sad for all of my life’, but then she sees Uncle Tom’s tattoos and gets an idea. In the second story it’s nearly Mum’s birthday and Cleo is desperately trying to think of what she can give her. She finally comes up with a wonderful idea, and with a little help from Uncle Tom, she gives Mum the best present ever!


These


stories that many children will relate to. They’re set in Australia, but this is evident only occasionally, for instance when Cleo counts up her cents, or remembers that they went to the beach and swam on Christmas Day. The colour illustrations have an old fashioned, Shirley Hughes-like quality to them, well suited to the warmth of the stories.


RW Sixteen String Jack and


the Garden of Adventure: Where Peter Pan Began


HHH


Tom Pow, illus. Ian Andrew, Birlinn, 40pp, 978-1-7802-3393-4 £9.99 hbk


Daisy and her grandmother are in the overgrown garden of a dilapidated house. Granny says the


garden are simple, very charming girls have. When she comes papers, with friends to


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