Rodney Was A Tortoise by Nan Forler

10 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , ,

Published: 15th February 2022
Publisher: Tundra Books
Illustrator: Yong Ling Kang
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Bernadette and Rodney are the best of friends. Rodney’s not so good at playing cards, but he’s great at staring contests. His favorite food is lettuce, though he eats it VERRRRRRY SLOOOOOWLY. And he’s such a joker! When Bernadette goes to sleep at night, Rodney is always there, watching over her from his tank.

As the seasons pass, Rodney moves slower and slower, until one day he stops moving at all. Without Rodney, Bernadette feels all alone. She can’t stop thinking about him, but none of her friends seem to notice. Except for Amar.

With a title like this you know going in it’s going to make you sad, and yet I persevered. I’m glad I did because it is a beautiful story Forler has created about acknowledging that even though Rodney isn’t a conventional pet, or one you could play with in the traditional sense, he still was a pet and Bernadette had all of the same feelings that go with that.

Kang’s illustrations are absolutely adorable. The expressions on Rodney’s face is delightful and the pictures of him and Bernadette having fun together are beautiful and simple watercolours. The watercolours vary from small pictures beside relevant text to full page or double page spreads. I liked how the pictures changed size for their purpose and Rodney was kept as realistic as possible even in all of Bernadette’s activities.

Forler describes grief in a way children can understand, the feeling of hurt in your stomach that won’t go away, and feeling sad that the normal things you would do are different. The symbolism of Bernadette going into her shell is clever and it’s great how Forler uses Amar as an outside force to get Bernadette to come back to the world.

The ending is simple and sweet and Forler doesn’t feel the need to explain anything to the reader. It’s a bitter sweet tale of old friends and new friends and finding a new path after losing someone you loved.

You can purchase Rodney Was A Tortoise via the following

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Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Weirdo by Zadie Smith

03 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , ,

Published: 15th April 2021Goodreads badge
Publisher: Puffin
Illustrator: Nick Laird
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Meet Maud: a guinea pig who inexplicably wears a judo suit – and not everyone understands or approves. When Maud is thrown into a new and confusing situation, it takes brave decisions and serendipitous encounters for her to find her place and embrace her individuality.

The charming characters of Magenta Fox, whose work is evocative of Raymond Briggs and Janet Ahlberg, perfectly offset Zadie and Nick’s warm, wry prose.

Weirdo is an endearing story about the quiet power of being different by two veteran writers, and introduces an exciting debut illustrator. Together they have created a picture book that adults and children alike will treasure.

I am a sucker for a cute illustration and a guinea pig in a judo suit was hard not to pick up. I liked this story because it shows that everyone is different, we all do and like different things which doesn’t make us strange and Smith shows us that embracing other interests can be fun and beneficial.

Maud isn’t even that weird, but being different to those around her made her weird and their unwillingness to get to know her perpetuated their opinions of her. After trying to change herself to fit in with the other pets Maud finds someone who helps her realise that being different is ok, and being different makes her her own person and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Officially nameless until Kit gets home the story alternates between calling her Weirdo or The Surprise before being dubbed Maud by Kit. I loved how Smith has Maud call herself The Surprise but has others call her Weirdo, it’s a great distinction on who others think she is verses who she sees herself as.

The mean pets see the error of their ways and is a nice demonstration of people not liking anything new or different, or changes to their way of doing things. Smith has told the story well without needing to drive the point home, instead they focus on Maud and her journey which I loved. You can’t make other people like you, and it’s much better to like yourself first.

Fox’s illustrations are adorable, and I love the layout of the pages that help show movement and time passing. The different perspectives and scales are great as well, switching between pet level and human level. The tiny details are fantastic too; the pictures in background frames, details of the surrounding building and characters. It all works together to show the wider world as well as the micro world of Kit’s pets.

This is a fun story that isn’t too heavy on messages but still manages to make you understand being different is ok, and being weird actually makes life that little bit more enjoyable.

You can purchase Weirdo via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

 Wordery | Angus and Robinson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

What Happened to You? by James Catchpole

27 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , ,

Published: 6 April 2021Goodreads badge
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Illustrator: Karen George
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

This is the experience of one-legged Joe, a child who just wants to have fun in the playground. Constantly seen first for his disability, Joe is fed up of only ever being asked about his leg. All he wants to do is play Pirates.

But as usual, one after the other, all the children ask him the same question they always ask, “What happened to you?”

Understandably Joe gets increasingly angry until finally the penny drops and the children realise that it’s a question Joe just doesn’t want to answer…and that Joe is playing a rather good game…one that they can join in with if they can stop fixating on his missing leg.

Because children are children, after all.

I really liked this book, more than I thought I would. I picked it up based solely on the front cover and my curiosity of the story, but by the end I was surprised of the story direction. I thought it might have been a simple plotless book about understanding people were different but instead it’s a great story that demonstrates people are different but also have no obligation to tell you about it.

Immediately we’re told of Joe’s discomfort at having to meet other kids. Even as a young kid Joe is tired of people asking about his leg, interrupting his playtime. I loved that we start by seeing Joe playing, using his imagination and enjoying himself then show the trepidation as someone joins him. Catchpole doesn’t let us off easy though as page after page drives home Joe’s discomfort at the intrusive questions by the kids.

The illustrations and the text work well together as you can’t escape the visual of the kids ganging up on Joe, badgering him with questions and demanding an answer to their own curiosity. George keeps them simple but relevant and they are a great expression of Joe’s imagination.

I also liked how Joe turns the kids questions back on them, to ask their opinions. It’s great to show a young kid already have agency to make people understand how rude their questions can be, even if they are only curious. Catchpole also makes a great point of asking the question why people need to know. No one owes you an explanation. Of course everyone learns their lesson at the end, but what was great was that Joe isn’t the one to initiate it. Catchpole has told a great story about being yourself, using your words to push back against conversations you don’t want to have and it’s a great example that could be used in a myriad of other situations and circumstances.

You can purchase What Happened to You? via the following

 Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

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Wait! by Beck and Matt Stanton

20 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , ,

Published: 19 March 2018 Goodreads badge
Publisher: ABC Books
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

‘Wait! Just wait!’ You find yourself saying this all the time, right?

Well, we’re sorry, but you’re gonna hate this book!

This book is going to make you wait too. Once you and the kids start reading it, you can’t do anything else until it’s finished.

You’ll just have to … wait.

And the kids will love it!

I love the Stanton Drive Kids Crazy books and this is another to add to the list. While it wasn’t as funny as the others to read to yourself, I can see how reading this out loud would be a fun activity, and one that certainly plays up to the words in the book.

The creative use of the text to infer and influence speech is amazing and when you have wiggler and impatient people then this is a great torturous read. There are multiple activities to do while you ‘wait’ with each page, humming, patting your head, wriggling your toes. It’s also makes you stay by saying you aren’t allowed to leave until you finish, which also brings in great grown up involvement as well.

Beck and Matt have definitely tapped into a great formula with these books and it goes against usual reading conventions by making you very aware you’re reading a book and lets you interact with it in innovative ways.

You can purchase Wait! via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

I’m Sticking with You Too by Smriti Prasadam-Halls

13 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , ,

Published: 7th September 2022Goodreads badge
Publisher: Simon Schuster Children’s UK
Illustrator: Sam Small
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

Much-loved characters Bear and Squirrel are back! And they’ve found the perfect rhythm for their friendship. Until, that is, Chicken turns up… She wants in! But how will Bear and Squirrel feel about accepting a new friend? Will they come to see that some things work out when we do them together. That two can be good…but three can be BETTER?

This beautifully written, gorgeously illustrated follow-up to the bestselling I’m Sticking with You is the perfect book for examining how, even if new friends might disrupt the rhythm at first, the sense of belonging that friendship can bring has the potential to make your heart sing!

It’s a sweet story, one that is enjoyable but I felt may have been a smidge too drawn out. I can see what Prasadam-Halls was doing though, and in terms of the musical nature of the text and the story being told, there is justification to the length.

Chicken wants to join the rhythmic duo of Bear and Squirrel but they are a tight-knit duo who don’t want to ruin their good thing. Prasadam-Halls acknowledges that they aren’t being mean, but to them it wouldn’t work out and it’d throw off their groove.

The story is told in rhyme which makes it a quick read as you get caught up in the rhythm. Something that is a plus because there’s a few pages, though few words on each page. The illustration layout and the position of the text helps you get the beat right as well as enhances the story being told.

Small’s illustrations are great accompaniment and I liked the expressions and activities each character was doing. Minimal facial manipulation doesn’t stop there being great expressions and feelings of the characters.

There is very much a troubadour or minstrel group singing through the forest vibe from the story. Bear and Squirrel playing their instruments and sing along, then the three of them at the end is like a pictorial musical number. I liked how at the end it turns out they still don’t have a rhythm together, Bear and Squirrel were right, but they learn it doesn’t matter.

You can purchase I’m Sticking with You Too via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

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