BfK 5 – 8 Infant/Junior continued


that mix pen and ink, watercolour, fabric collage and subtle colours and hues. The expressions and sense of movement of each animal are successfully captured and the use of pattern and fabric designs adds visual interest and does not detract from the depiction of the natural world. The artist’s introduction expresses desire to use the


her


of pattern and detail in nature ‘to express the everyday joy, drama and flamboyance of the animal kingdom’ and she certainly succeeds in this aim with a picture book that should have a wide


animal-loving children to adults and art and design students. SR


Where’s the Baboon? HHHH


Michael Escoffier and Kris Di Giacomo, Andersen Press, 40pp, 978-1-7834-4482-3, £6.99 pbk


Is it a game? Is it a story book? It’s a bit of both and whole lot of fun. Animals are up to all sorts in these muted spreads showing school scenes. It’s up to the reader to find the hidden words and the lurking animals that make the answer. ‘Who can count to a ThOusAnD?’ The toad of course! Children will love spotting the words within the words, and the stylish illustrations offer clues to help. But where is the Baboon that the cover promised? It’s a big surprise – but you’ll have to wait for


appeal, from young inspiration


his explosive entrance! A fun premise is paired with quirky illustration in this unusual book. It could inspire a word hide-and-seek game of your own. The tall format is striking and the paper is thick and luxurious. A fun little book for an inquisitive child! KC


Bijan and Manije HHH


Ali Seidabadi, ill. Marjan Vafaian, Tiny Owl, 32pp, 978 1 910 328 14 9, £12.99, hbk


This is a retelling from the Shahnameh, the Book of Kings, the Persian epic collection


10th century. In this tale a young Iranian knight, Bijan, goes into a neighbouring kingdom to deal with a herd of wild boars and is betrayed by a companion into visiting the palace of a cruel tyrant, King Afrasaib. There he falls in love with Manije, the daughter of the king. When the king discovers their romance, Manije is banished and Bijan is thrown into a deep well to starve. Fortunately, King Khosrow of Iran hears of Bijan’s plight and sends Rostam, the kingdom’s greatest knight to the rescue. Bijan and Manije accompany Rostam back to Iran, where they are married. This is a beautifully produced book, with stunning illustrations


Vafaian. Her richly coloured, intricate and strangely distorted plants and human figures conjure up a world


by Marjan brought together in the


which, although the costume and appearance of the central figures seem to have a historical


belongs entirely to the imagination. The


However, I am not sure that, beautiful as it is, this works as a picture book. The illustrations decorate rather than dramatise the story and, given their mesmerising strangeness, the text that they accompany seems bland and skeletal, as if told in a series of telegrams. It may not have helped that the text has passed through three modern authors. Originally retold by Ali Seidabadi, it is translated by Azita Rassi and edited by Nicolette Jones. It may just be that the tale itself is unsuited to a picture book format and has lost too much in its reduction. CB


The Liszts HHHH


Kyo Maclear and Julia Sarda, Andersen Press , 40pp, 978 1 78344 515 8, £12.99


Surely one of the most stylish picture book offerings of the year, this slim tall format is as elegant as the characters it holds. Stunning art deco-inspired illustrations depict the Liszts, a family who enjoy making lists. They make lists for all sorts of unusual things. In fact they are all so busy making lists they hardly notice that a visitor has arrived. He is most definitely not on the list, but perhaps there is something to be said for leaving room for the unexpected! A beautiful hardback production from Andersen Press makes this a


8 – 10 Junior/Middle Penguin Problems HHHHH


Jory John, ill. Lane Smith, Walker, 36pp, 978 1 4063 7599 2, £11.99, hbk


Lane Smith is possibly best known in the UK for his collaborations with Jon


illustrations Scieszka. Here


a day in the life of a world weary penguin (think Walter Matthau in grumpy mode). Jory’s story is mostly Penguin’s litany of complaints about his life: the weather (“It gets light way too early”), other penguins, the saltiness of the sea and the dangers of its predators, the silliness of his waddling walk, his flightlessness, and that nobody else cares about any of these problems. By far the longest speech in the book comes from a passing walrus who points out that, actually, Penguin has a lot to enjoy and be thankful for. This is the kind of cool sophisticated humour that seems distinctly American (The New Yorker, Jules Feiffer, Peanuts etc.), and which relies on dialogue and pictorial characterisation. Lane Smith’s illustrations focus on Penguin himself against a subtly textured white background. The components of the icy environment – the sea, mountains, sky, predators and walrus – are shown in rippled shades of blue in various intensities, and the sun appears indistinctly in dappled hazy


for Jory John’s tale of he provides


yellow. Lane Smith’s characterisation of Penguin and his world somehow endorses neither Penguin’s view of life nor that of the walrus, maintaining the humorous ambivalence of the text. Even when you think that, post walrus, Penguin may have accepted that things are not so bad – “This is my only home, and this is my only life” – the final page pictures him as a tiny black silhouette on a mound of snow against a dark grey blizzard sky, complaining once again, “My beak is cold. It gets dark way too early.” This is humour that offers a warning against both morale sapping negativity and sentimental complacency, and maps out a space in which most of us make our lives. CB


Nightlights HHH


Lorena Alvarez, Nobrow, 978191062013, 56pp, £14.99 hbk


the lights that come to her in the night and then captures them on paper in the daylight. Her drawings are her escape and refuge from a reality that includes over-strict teachers and bullying classmates. However, there is a danger when the imaginary tries to take over.


A luminous colour palette brings Sandy’s imagination to life. Filling expansive double page spreads the


24 Books for Keeps No.222 January 2017 Sandy is a dreamer. She catches


reader is invited into this world in which Sandy can act out


and frustrations, finding the validation she longs for. It is a seductive world posing a choice that is a real one; will Sandy make the right one? Alvarez’ presentation is clear and uncluttered enabling young readers – even those less familiar with the graphic novel format – to access the story easily. There is a clear distinction between the world of the convent school and that of Sandy’s imagination. The plot develops with just enough jeopardy to create a real tension. The conclusion is open ended – as it should be. FH


The Stone Age: Hunters, Gatherers and Woolly Mammoths


HHHHH


Marcia Williams, Walker Books, 32pp, 978-1-4063-7083-6, £12.99 hbk


The Stone Age was a period in the history of the world that lasted for more than three million years. How do you introduce the


to what we have discovered about how people lived over such a vast timescale? Marcia Williams does this splendidly by setting what we know or can imagine in the context of exciting stories about a fictional Stone Age clan, Clan Woolly. The storyteller is Sparrow, a Stone Age inventor, who


under 11s her fears


has some help from Rocky, a playful animal. But first a ‘Dear Reader’ letter explains how we know something about people’s lives so very many years ago. Bones and stone tools unearthed


inform speculation, but we ‘have to imagine many things about Stone Age lives’. The book is organised in six sections, arranged in time sequence: ‘The Last Neanderthal’, ‘Hunter Gatherers’, ‘The Miracle of Fire’, ‘Man’s Best Friend’, ‘From Nomads to Farmers’ and ‘The End of the Stone Age’. The timeline at the bottom of each spread also supports young readers’ developing sense of chronology. As in her other books, Marcia uses a distinctive comic-strip format which enthuses and connects with her readers. The size of the lively, colourful cells varies and some large ones showing people active in prehistoric landscapes are included; and there is a block of text at the foot of each one as well as witty comments in speech balloons. Readers are drawn into the life


of the people of Clan Woolly who we first meet sharing the earth with the more ancient Neanderthals that they eventually replaced. Why did the Neanderthals die out?


likely that they could not survive the rigours of the Ice Age. A main message in the book is that inventions were major shapers of people’s lives as


It seems by archaeologists help illustrations are reality, remarkable.


perfect present for anyone with an artistic eye. Sarda’s illustrations bring to mind filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Jean Pierre Jeunet. It’s a book to pore over. Sophisticated children will love the intricacy of the images. A peculiar story about a peculiar family packaged in a book that is instantly appealing. KC


Zoo Boy and the Jewel Thieves HHH


Sophie Thompson, ill. Rebecca Ashdown, Faber & Faber, 192pp, 978-0-5713-2520-7, £5.99, pbk


This sequel to Zoo Boy by artist Rebecca Ashdown and writer Sophie Thompson continues the adventures of eight-year-old Vince, who is able to talk to the animals at the zoo where his father is a keeper. Vince’s next door neighbour has been robbed and Vince determines to become a super sleuth and solve the crime with the help, or hindrance, of his animal friends. A series of increasingly silly antics ensue as the cast of eccentric characters try to track down the jewel thieves. This


in a quirky style light-hearted tale interjections and asides


narrator. The text contains plenty of wordplay, many ridiculous names and a varied vocabulary. The font is large and clear and the text is broken up by diary entries, songs and brilliantly expressive and humorous illustrations by Rebecca Ashdown. It should appeal to 7+ readers who enjoy funny animal stories and zany humour. SR


with constant from the


is written


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