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Picturebook Reviews
Bert and the Bubble
Kim Hillyard, pub. Ladybird Books
Bert is a frog, as are all his friends, and one day he finds a bubble, beautiful and very shiny. He lets Sandra hold it, but she’s not careful, and it bursts. The same thing happens with his next bubble, and it’s Norman who pops it. So, when Bert finds another, enormous bubble, he builds a fort to keep it safe, and hides himself in the fort, too. Days pass, and then his friends tap on the door, and keep tapping until he comes out. They promise to be more careful, and they all have a lot of fun with the bubble until, inevitably, it bursts. His friends are apologetic and sad, but Bert says that playing with the bubble with them was the most fun of all.
This is a very charming story about being careful when playing with other people’s possessions, but in reality, bubbles hardly last any time at all, and certainly one bubble, however large, couldn’t be played with all day, even if great care is taken. The cover declares that this is a story about sharing, and the illustrations are fun, add this one to a collection with some of the many other books around the subject.
Diana Barnes
Dragon Flower
Chen Jiang Hong, trans. Alyson Waters, pub. NYRB Kids
Mae is a very young girl travelling with her father and extremely sick mother on a horse and cart for months in search of some magical flowers, the only possible cure for her mother. The exhausted family camp in a village by a mountain, Mae falls asleep determined to find the mysterious plant. Woken by a beam of light she follows it into a foreboding forest and through a hidden door into a cave. A whirlwind picks her up and carries her into a cavern filled with the ruby red flowers she has been desperately searching for. As she begins to pick them a large angry dragon appears; she is stealing his flowers. After she bravely explains why she needs them the dragon makes her a deal. She can take the flowers to save her mother but only if she rescues his injured young son who has fallen into a pit.
There is a traditional Chinese folklore feel to the watercolour illustrations. The story has many classic fairytale features including Mae unquestioningly accepting the fantastical and mysterious events that occur alongside her ordinary and mundane existence and of course there is a happy ever after, although due to the delicate subject matter – a dying mother miraculously revived by a special flower - this is a book that may require sensitive handling.
Mae is a wonderful heroine, her trailing blue cloak makes her look like a superhero, she is unfalteringly bold, brave, determined, kind, compassionate, and so expressive in her appearance and movement. The reader cannot help but be captivated by her. Where the text is quite understated and straightforward the illustrations are big, dramatic, vivid, and energetic, especially the bright red dragons with gold whiskers (mirroring the red petals and gold stamens of the special flowers) and the panoramic atmospheric brooding environments and landscapes.
This is a compelling, magical, tender, quest adventure packaged in an eye-catching large square format, an enchanting picturebook fairytale.
Natalie McCrystal Plimmer
Enchanted Beach
Esther Freud, illus. Emma Chinnery, pub. Walker Books
Are you one those people who visit beaches in the warm weather, on sunny days or simply when you are on holiday and there is one nearby? Have you ever considered visiting the beach no matter the season?
I am among the latter. I am not a huge fan of the ocean but I think beaches are fascinating places, all year around. I have had some wonderful wintry walks on beaches and there is something very bracing and wonderful about it. Beaches change daily. In this gentle story one boy and his dog discover that, for them no one day at the beach is ever the same. Beaches are a natural feature of the world, they are wide open to the forces of nature, not only the oceans. There can be storms or sunshine, castles built, games played, picnics (complete with sandy sandwiches) consumed and best of all (in my opinion) treasure hunting. Maybe you’ll dig down in the sand, comb the surface or find some rock pools. However, you hunt you’ll soon find that the wonder of the beach is that it offers so much no matter the season.
Embrace the power of nature, the seasons and the sheer joy of the outdoors where the wonder of discovery changes every day. Start with this delightful book and then see where your own adventures will take you.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
Frank is a Butterfly
Alex Latimer, pub. Oxford Children’s Books
Frank is a plain, dull-brown, medium-sized caterpillar. He doesn’t have any pretty stripes, spots and zigzags or the bright colours and hairy bristles of his fellow caterpillars. But Frank is absolutely fine with that. He’s happy in the sunshine with his gorgeous view of the river munching on delicious leaves and enjoying the company of a myriad of tiny insect friends. As the caterpillars build their tiny chrysalises they’re full of excitement about how beautiful they'll look when they hatch…only to be bitterly disappointed with their new looks, convinced they’re not beautiful enough to fly around. Only Frank is ecstatic, now able to fly to the river with his strong brown wings, make new friends who don’t care about appearances and explore the wonderful world of nature together.
Frank is a fabulous and unforgettable hero. Completely satisfied with his leafy lot in life and ecstatically happy and confident in his own wings, he knows that looks aren’t everything and refuses to compare himself to others or envy what he doesn’t have. In a society which judges by appearances and where we’re constantly encouraged to measure our lifestyle against that of others on social media, this is a powerful and timely reminder to all of us to ‘be more Frank.’
With its bold, bright, characterful illustrations and a simple explanation of the caterpillar to butterfly metamorphosis this is a must have for any KS1 classroom or primary school library. It is so much more than another life cycle book though. Very funny speech bubbles between the insect friends make it a perfect and popular read-aloud, a story to revisit again and again. Packed full of positivity and deadpan humour, this is the ultimate feelgood picturebook, reminding every reader, young and old, that they’re amazing, unique - and enough - as they are.
A companion story, Godfrey is a Frog, is equally inspired and inspiring. Buy both, they’re utterly brilliant.
Eileen Armstrong
How to Catch an Idea
Forest Xiao, pub. Orchard Books
A young girl sets off in her yellow wellies, with her panda backpack and a butterfly net, to find an idea, a big “super-shiny sparkling idea that is all my own.” Accompanied by a red squirrel, she asks various people for help: a farmer advises her to give an idea time to grow, a mathematician says there are too many ideas to count, but sometimes too few, and a baker, in response to her question about making the same idea over and over, tells her that no two buns are exactly the same. Asking a giant is no help, as her voice is too small and far down to be heard…
Disappointed, she decides it’s time to go home and sets off. On her way back, she meets a fisherman, who says that sometimes you have to let the ideas come to you, and she realises how many ideas she has found along the way. She remembers that, early in her quest, a traveller had told her to go 5 miles in each direction, which of course would bring her back to where she started, so she knows exactly where to go, and sits still to let an idea come to her.
The illustrations are lively- she is a sturdy little girl with a very round face, and the people and animals she meets are similarly sturdy. This is an attractive book, in bright colours, and it may lead to some interesting questions and discussions about the nature of ideas.
Diana Barnes
The Last Egg
Sofie Laguna, illus. Jess Rackyleft, pub. Allen & Unwin
Goodness this book created a range of emotions when we read it. There was joy, lots of joy, there was that feeling of sadness when you feel the tears form but not quite fall, followed by the overwhelming feeling of joy, for the happy ending and also for the beauty that shines through in the message that love, kindness and loyalty are the most beautiful gifts any of us can ever share.
Mother Bird and Father Bird have discovered a large blue egg in their nest. It isn’t one of their eggs but they treat it as their own. Keeping it warm, nurturing it. There is a problem though, the egg is taking much longer than usual to hatch. Not that they will give up on it, even if the freezing winter is drawing in. With the winter comes a cold so deep that when the egg hatches, a dragon no less, Mother Bird can’t wake Father Bird and the dragon flies off. This is where the tears threatened until, turning the page we discovered one beautiful surprise after another. The baby dragon hadn’t abandoned them, he had gone to find help.
This book is more beautiful than I have the words for. It reminds us that love, resilience and kindness are all we truly need and here they are shared with us in abundance. A gentle story with incredibly appealing illustrations, perfectly gentle and accessible for young readers. An absolute must for libraries and homes everywhere.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
Let’s Be Earthlings
Mary Murphy, pub. Otter-Barry Books
This colourful and vibrant picture book celebrates life on Earth through the eyes of a little yellow alien who transforms into an Earthling when he lands on “the Universe’s favourite planet.”
On developing Earthling eyes, nose, mouth and ears, the alien proceeds to explore the world through his new-found senses. First tasting the delicious fruit and nectar available to Earth’s creatures, before finding out about different animal homes. The alien then shoots off in seemingly random directions exploring gravity via flight, swimming and jumping; surprises through camouflage and lifecycles; and play through babies and children. Eventually, the alien is joined by his friend, who also becomes an Earthling and they join in a colourful parade with all the other living creatures introduced throughout the book.
In attempting to illustrate all of life on Earth, this simple tale for very young readers inevitably skips over the surface of the subject matter and lacks any clear plot. However, the charming illustrations hold it all together and this charming book would serve as a stimulus for much further discussion. I would recommend it as a joyful introduction to the natural world for foundation and early years.
Janet Ling
Minna’s Masks
Louise Gooding, illus. Irina Avgustinovich, pub. Dorling Kindersley
A picturebook story that can very much be enjoyed by young readers whilst also helping caregivers with its introduction to masking. It is the first in a promised series, the overarching title of which is Wonderfully Wired Stories and is written by Minds Ambassador and neurodiversity advocate Louise Gooding. This is an important book; I believe the series will be too and will be perfect in settings where children have teachers or other care givers.
Minna is a bright and happy young girl, the illustrations show her happy, smiling, wearing bright colours and enjoying play. Sometimes though Minna needs to feel brave and the first time we experience this with her is when she is facing her very first day of school. Usually when Minna needs to feel brave she chooses a mask to wear but for her first day at school she forgot to take her masks and it makes her feel very nervous. Soon that becomes a feeling of being overwhelmed, something some readers will be familiar with. Fortunately, one of Minna’s new classmates shows her his own mask, one that he carries in his back pocket and she realises she is not alone.
Empathy and compassion exude from this book, there is lots of lovely colour, realistic illustration and happiness and illustrator Irina Avgustinovich has been able to interpret the words of the story to ensure we understand and know how to create safe environments for those who might need them. Beautiful.
May Ellis
Perfect Pedro
Simon Philip, illus. Ella Okstad, pub. Oxford Children’s Books
Pedro likes everything to be perfect, or at least his interpretation of perfect. All of his possessions have to be in the right place; he does perfect roly-polies he spells his name perfectly. Whilst he has lots of friends, they do not meet his high standards as a partner for the school talent show, until he meets Poppy. All goes well until she fails in her table manners, so Pedro has to do his act on his own. However, not everything goes well and he realises that perhaps he needs a less than perfect friend to help him.
This is a delightful which looks at how we all interpret the concept of perfect. As adults we are aware that this varies from person to person, but young children have to learn and also accept the idea that flexibility is something they need to learn. Part of this learning process is for young people to see that everyone has got their own positive skills and ideas, so that when people work together, they balance all of these attributes, which makes for happier outcome. The illustrations are so bright and energetic and they really add to the overall joy that we find in the book. This is one of those books that would be fantastic to read in a small group, as there is plenty of opportunity for interaction for the audience. A great read for nursery and beyond.
Margaret Pemberton
This Way Up
Tom Percival, pub. Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Tom Percival has the very happy knack of creating wonderful stories from what could be perceived as very simple ideas. This story has two central characters and the first that we meet is called Queetle. Queetle has been pondering the differences between up and down. They believe that if you lie on your back then up is the direction that your nose is pointing, and all of their friends agree. However, when they are out walking one day they get lost and meet another character called Meeple, who totally disagrees with Queetle. They end up having an enormous row and Queetle storms off, but then they fall and end up near Meeple, so that they can see why they have their version of up. This leads to a change of heart and an understanding of a different viewpoint.
This is a wonderful story about our perception of the world around us. We find ourselves in these situations all the time, where we have a strong belief which is challenged by a differing point of view. The initial confrontation leads to strong disagreement, but it is possible to compromise. The characters in this story as just brightly coloured fuzzy balls, but with faces and arms and legs and it is amazing how much we can believe in these images. Children as young as nursery will engage with this and there is an opportunity to create their own versions of the story using thumb prints, as always this is highly recommended.
Margaret Pemberton
