reviews The Kiss HHHHH


Linda Sunderland ill. Jessica Courtney-Tickle, Little Tiger, 32pp, 9781788811026, £11.99 hbk


This beautiful hardback book tells the


delightful,


of a kiss. Grandma grandchildren’s


thoughtful house


journey


leaves her and her


grandchild, Edwyn, blows her a kiss as she is walking away. She catches the kiss and puts it in her pocket for safe keeping. The kiss takes the form of a little creature who maintains its glow and life through the love being passed from person to person. The book tells the story of the journey of the kiss. Sadly in the book there is a man who doesn’t understand love and wants to get hold of the kiss as he thinks he will be happy. Grandma rescues the kiss and, at the same time teaches the gentleman about genuine kindness and love. The language


and illustrations


are whimsical and dream-like with a lovely light element which lifts the pages. The whole book is like reading a hug and is a lovely one to share with family-particularly


for a


nanny/grandad and grandchildren as grandma definitely knows best and has life sussed. Layouts are varied with full page illustrations


plus vignettes a powerful and


glorious double-page spreads. One of those double pages has picture


of a women


‘shouting horrid things at her little girl.’ It’s quite shocking as a scene as the emotions depicted are very clear. What a powerful way to show emotions though and the effect on each of us….that’s why I like the book. It’s a simply a lovely story – told well and illustrated beautifully. Snap it up for the spring and it will be a joy all year round. SG


All the Ways to Be Smart HHHH


Davina Bell, ill. Allison Colpoys, Scribe, 32pp, 978 1 911617 55 6, £11.99 hbk


This picture book from Australia has glowing colours that seem to leap off the page and rhyming text that children will very much enjoy chanting. The theme is that everyone is smart in their own way and that, ‘Smart is not just being best at spelling bees, a tricky test.


Or knowing all the answers ever…other things are just as clever.’ The children in this story do all sorts of imaginative and fun things like playing witches or pirates, drawing ‘things with claws’, making boats out of boxes, helping people when they are sad or shy, playing the ukulele, playing space ships, etc. etc. In fact, there are so many choices of things that people can be good at that any child will find something (or several things) in these pages that he or she does well. My only slight caveat is that someone might think they had to be good at all the things mentioned, and that is certainly not the case. The book is a jumbly rumble of busy, bright colours and kids doing fun things – along with dinosaurs, birds and flowers and all kinds of creatures. It will appeal and help children who feel less than academically inclined to realise their own potential and do their best with their own talents and abilities. ES


Rosie is my Best Friend HHHH


Ali Pye, Simon & Schuster, 32pp, 978 1 4711 7250 2, £6.99, pbk


Rosie and her best friend have a very special relationship. They are


Ed’s Choice Wisp: A Story of Hope HHHHH


Zoe Fraillon and Grahame Baker- Smith, Orchard Books, 32pp, 9781408350119, £6.99 pbk


Idris’s home is surrounded by barbed wire, a place where people have retreated into themselves. When the Wisp arrives, blown in on the wind, it is only Idris who sees it and feels its need - a need to unlock the memories of the people who have forgotten about life. This need is expressed as ‘Once.....’ But it is not just the adults who need a Wisp to open their minds - the Wisp comes to Idris but here the word is ‘Someday...’ as it unlocks his dreams and hopes. Fraillon’s text is both direct and poetic. There is no explanation for what a ‘Wisp’ might be, yet there is no difficulty in understanding what is and what it represents. Her vocabulary - words such as ‘gentlied’ ‘rememberings’ could easily have become whimsical. Instead Baker- Smith’s illustrations bridge the gap between the real world and the metaphysical - the world of memory and imagination, of hope


and promise. His bold saturated colours


5 – 8 Infant/Junior Mummy’s Suitcase


HHHH


Pip Jones, illus Laura Hughes, Faber and Faber, 32pp, 9781783708123, £6.99 pbk


This is another lively paperback from the ‘Ruby Roo’ collection. Ruby Roo has a little brother called Barney-the star of another in the series Quick, Barney, Run!. They spend a lot of time together and the series is about big sister and little brother getting up to mischief and using their imagination wonderfully. Ruby and Barney’s Mummy is


full of shadow and light make us see what Fraillon expresses in her words. The effect is visually powerful, rich – almost too rich except that within the spreads his draughtsmanship provides a necessary tension.


It is


a fine line that has been negotiated successfully. There is no miracle at the end; Idris is still in his camp, rather it is a story about humanity and human need; a need not confined to material support but one requiring something more intangible - memories to create the stories and songs that express the self, keeping the spirit alive, hope to visualise a ‘someday’ - a promise of a future. Everyone needs a Wisp. FH


going away so Ruby decides to pack her suitcase for her: with all her very favourite things. There then follows lots of loading up of the suitcase with all the things Ruby feels Mum should take with her. All the pages will make you smile but the little quips that Ruby makes about her mum’s habits mean the humour will appeal both to children and parents too. For example Ruby chooses an abacus because ‘Mummy loves counting! She counts to three all the time.’ Or one to bring us all up short in 2019: ‘Mummy loves her laptop. Tip-tap!Tip-tap!! Every day.’ Once


again Laura Hughes’


illustrations add even more joy to the humorous language – the colour and movement give it a lively charm which is fitting for a little girl and a toddler. Mummy’s Suitcase is a lovely


inseparable, spending every day


together and having lots of fun. The story focuses on one particularly enjoyable and very busy day. Creeping up early to play before everyone is up, they have exciting imaginary adventures as deep-sea divers


or


space explorers, learn new tricks, ‘helping’ with chores, meeting friends and facing dangers in the park and finally curling up contentedly together at the end of a busy day. Ostensibly a


simple account of every day


adventures but look out for the clever twist on the final spread challenging our expectations about Rosie and her best friend. Readers are likely to want to go back to the beginning and read the book again. The


illustrations friends’ are delightful,


with striking use of colour and lots of detail and humour, for example showing exactly how unhelpful the enthusiastic


attempts


helping actually are. This is a


joyful at exuberant


picturebook about friendship between a human and an animal which adults and children will enjoy sharing and returning to. SMc


book to share especially if there is a mummy or daddy about to go away somewhere....but I hope it is not followed to the letter otherwise I’m not sure it would be the most useful luggage for three days! SG


Little Rabbit’s Big Surprise HHH


Swapna Haddow, illus. Alison Friend, Stripes, 84pp,978 1 78895 029 9, £7.99 hdbk


Swapna Haddow is the author of the popular Dave Pigeon series, but this book is nothing like those funny and cartoony books. This is a serious story about helping, and responsibility, and the illustrations are gentle


more sensitive story. Alison Friend is experienced at depicting animals in social situations, and her soft style matches well. Little Rabbit is too small to help with


the chores which mean that her Mum and brothers and sisters are busy, and Mum suggests that Big Rabbit will take her to play with Little Mole and Little Hedgehog. However, Big Rabbit knows that they are out with their families collecting dinner, so he suggests she accompanies him in his work. Little Rabbit is astonished to hear the word ‘work’ as she thought he lay around in the sun all day with his friends, but off they go. They find


Books for Keeps No.235 March 2019 21


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