Picture Books: May 2006 Archives

This book’s success lies within the fact that it is first and foremost a book about families and about love and a book ‘about adoption’ second. It does not moralise, preach or condescend through repeatedly stating how ‘special’ it is to be adopted, indeed Lucy has friends who, like herself, are adopted.

In addition to depicting Lucy’s own need to grow and develop within loving, caring family relationships, the book also outlines the need that Lucy is able to fulfil for her mum and dad who badly want a family. The awareness Lucy has of her past is great and the text is unambiguous about the fact that she was too young to remember her time in a Children’s Home in Russia though, nonetheless, having been adopted is clearly an integral part of the person Lucy now sees herself to be.

There is a wonderful double-page spread in the book where Lucy and her father look up at the stars in the night-sky and make wishes together. An intriguing depiction of the bedroom whose walls open out into the night stars forms the backdrop against which Lucy and her father are embraced. It brings to mind beautifully the type of kinship that we as humans are able to attain when our hearts and minds are open to the needs of others and ourselves. A reassuring and life-affirming read for anyone, not just those who have been adopted.

“Get out, help out”

That is Mr. Zooty’s motto. Sam, Lucy and Mrs Taylor have little money and are out collecting leaves one day for luck. Luck favours them, as Mr Zooty, a philanthropic feline, happens to be in the vicinity.

Mr Zooty pretends to be a hobbling old cat and feigns fainting. The family take him home whereupon he reveals his true persona, giving each of the family a wish. Sam wishes for pancakes, Mr Zooty adds maple syrup, Mrs Taylor wishes for a ruby red purse to help alleviate her worries, Mr Zooty adds a new hat, but when Lucy makes her wish a hot air balloon arrives which was not what she wished for… perhaps this will take them to her wish? Eventually the group arrive at a kitten which was what Lucy wished for, but Mr Zooty’s generosity and perception into the needs of other knows no bounds as his additions to Lucy’s wish show… Mr Zooty explains how, everybody needs a little help sometimes.

There is a marked juxtaposition between the dark and overcast illustrations of the flat and the bright and cheerful illustrations that portray nature and depicting Mr Zooty's generous nature, these provide colour light and life. Characters are brilliantly realised and respond to their environments in a way that will resonate emotionally with young children heping to show the importance of helping those who surround us...

When Edwardo kicks, he is called rough, ‘the roughtest boy in the whole wide world’ and so it is he becomes roughter and rougher. When he makes a noise he is called very noisy, when he is nasty to other children he is called a nasty bully, cruel, messy, dirty… Poor Edwardo faces a catalogue of castigations. With Burnigham’s typical deftness of hand, things begin to change when he kicks some flowers and they land on a patch of earth and a passer-by believes he is starting a garden… Gradually attitudes towards Edwardo begin to change until he becomes the loveliest boy in the whole wide world!

This light-hearted but heartening picture book shows the importance not only of moderation in behaviour on the part of children, but moderation in the way that we as adults treat that behaviour, a warmly affectionate tale.

The story drops straight in, without any pre-amble, to an unnamed boy opening his front door to find a penguin. Presuming it must be lost, the boy sets out to return the penguin to its rightful location, not knowing where that might be. After rowing to the South Pole and dropping the penguin off, the boy finally realises that the penguin just wanted a friend, and a heart-warming reunion follows. Lost and Found is a touching, subtly moral story that encourages the reader to think beyond the seemingly obvious. One is utterly endeared to the silent penguin as he unquestioningly follows the boy, unable to convey his true desire for company. The unanymity of the boy is sure to appeal to young readers who will enjoy filling in the gaps, or indeed placing themselves in the starring role. Similarly, the uncluttered, open spaces between the pictures and text, and the big blocks of colour across double-page spreads leaves room for the imagination to breathe. Appealingly simple, gently atmospheric and pleasingly reassuring, Lost and Found is certainly deserving of its acclaim.

A ‘super-size me’ for the small of stature. Benny doesn’t like vegetables, not carrots, peas, broccoli or any of these… No, Benny is a boy who loves burgers – he just can’t get enough of them. In fact, burgers are the only food Benny will eat. Then, one day his mother warns he will turn into a burger and one day that prophecy comes true, so begins a day in the life of a burger, no!, a boy...

“Burger Boy” is a playful and good-humoured reworking of ‘The Gingerbread Boy’ made modern for generations grown up on happy meals. Interplay between talented new illustrator Mei Matsuoka’s hugely appealing, brilliantly colourful and zany illustrations together with established critically-acclaimed author Alan Durant’s wryly humorous text creates a wonderfully accessible, much-needed-child-friendly treaty on the importance of a balanced diet posing as defence against the findings published in a paper on June 11, in the British Medical Journal stating “a junk food dietary pattern at age three was significantly associated with obesity at age seven”.

At the rough cost of only two fast-food children’s meals, this engaging picture-book with poetic diction, making it perfect for reading out loud, might just be one of the best purchases you make! As the ending will prove, this is not so much a book about abstinence as one about moderation and balance.