Scene setters
Alison Boyle
Wednesday, January 10, 2001
Sit down and experience the cold beauty of Antarctica and the humming warmth of an African noon in these picturesque children's books, reviewed by Alison Boyle CLEVER TORTOISE. Written and illustrated by Francesca Martin. (Walker Books, 9.99).
CLEVER TORTOISE. Written and illustrated by Francesca Martin. (Walker Books, 9.99).
You are probably familiar with this traditional African story about a smaller animal who succeeds in tricking two bigger animals that are causing trouble in the community. Here, Tortoise (Kobe in the Kiswahili language) is the one who musters all the other animals to set up a tug-of-war challenge between two bullies, Hippo and Elephant. The illustrations are in fine pencil, rich but not over-bright, with amazing detail invested in the butterflies, slugs, and other tiny creatures on the ground and in the air. Calm, African-textile style patterns at the top and bottom of the pages provide a pleasing frame for the story pictures in between.
NANU, PENGUIN CHICK. Written by Theresa Radcliffe and illustrated by John Butler. (Viking, 10.99).
The bleakness and beauty of winter in Antarctica is portrayed memorably in this perfect concoction of text and picture. Nanu is an emperor penguin chick whom we first meet peeping out from the fur at her father's feet. In the distance, the small awkward figure of her mother is waddling towards them.
She relieves the father of his duties for a while (he needs to eat after months of babycare), and there follows an unsentimental portrayal of a dual responsibility to protect their vulnerable chick and find enough food for the whole family. The text combines nature facts with poetic descriptions, and the illustrations express the essences of the landscape by focusing on the soft down of a penguin's tummy, the faintest of winter sun-glows, and the aquamarine blue of the melted snow of the sea where predator seals swim, watching and waiting for their next penguin meal.
A KITTEN CALLED MOONLIGHT. Written by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Christian Birmingham. (Walker Books, 9.99).
This is a lovely idea for a book, centred on the re-telling by a mother and her daughter about a real-life incident. It could provide a useful focus for older children in the nursery, when looking at different kinds of stories and how characters are portrayed in books. It's a complex narrative, however, switching between a story of the past, when a little kitten was discovered by the girl and her mother, and the present day. I found it quite hard to read the first time round, but it's the kind of book that will grow on you. The beautiful illustrations show a cosy hug between the girl and the kitten who's found a happy home, and the captivating seashore setting.
WHO IS THE WORLD FOR?. Written by Tom Pow and illustrated by Robert Ingpen. (Walker Books, 9.99).
You may have some of this fine artist's work in the nursery already. In this book, a series of animals including lions, bears, and hares are shown in their natural habitats, and they are linked by a repetitive narrative pattern. A young animal asks its parent whom the world is for, and aspects of each physical environment are picked out. There are some great images, for example the one of the hippos shown close-up in the water, a mother and father with baby in between: 'Who is the world for?/The baby hippo asks his mother/as they lie together, so close in the water/their backs are like stepping stones.' Another favourite is the image of a baby whale swimming by the side of his mother, 'like a tiny tug in the shadow/of an ocean liner.'
THE EGG. Written and illustrated by MP Robertson. (Frances Lincoln, Pounds 9.99).
The egg is enormous, shiny and spherical, golden-coloured and smooth. It catches the sunbeams that radiate through the chicken coop rafters. The chicken that has supposedly laid the egg is perched precariously on top when George discovers her one morning and takes them both inside on a wheelbarrow.
In a puff of smoke the egg hatches, a dragon emerges, and George teaches it how to fly. The illustrations show the dragon perched high on two chimney pots, then swooping down with skin-taut, bat-like wings, then dripping saliva on the poor watching George. When the dragon finds a dragon community, it decides to leave, but not before taking George (who is the spitting image of Harry Potter) on a trip through the night sky.
THE STORM. Written and illustrated by Kathy Henderson. (Walker Books, Pounds 9.99).
The text is as evocative as the pictures in this very accessible and appealing story about a boy who stands on a high grass bank at the start and shouts to the landscape, 'All this is mine!' The elements soon prove him wrong. 'All night long the wind raged. It stirred up the sea, bent trees, crashed tiles, smashed flowerpots, rattled at the doors and windows and tore through the dreams of people sleeping.'
The illustrations are strikingly textured and full of energy. Nature rears her head and storms attack the house where the boy and his mother live, so they move up the cliff to Grandma's for the night. Next morning, when the sea laps against the sand 'quiet as a lamb', the boy stands on the beach and whispers to the wind 'All this is yours'. The storm reflects the extreme weather conditions people are currently facing, reminding us of our ecological responsibilities.