Published: 02 Mar 2021
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Illustrator: Steve Antony
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars
The green lizards and the red rectangles have finally learned to live in harmony together … but what happens when a blue ball appears from nowhere?
A timely story about celebrating diversity and learning to get along, told with style and simplicity.
Antony shows us the world is greater than red rectangles and green lizards with the arrival of a blue ball to the now peaceful society. The blue ball is an outsider to the harmonious society created by the red rectangles and green lizards and therefore is an enemy and must be banished. A literal wall is built to keep it out – once again raising questions about the red rectangles sentience – separating the blue ball from the others.
I love Antony’s use of colours because they are bright and bold, and solid so there is only red, green and blue to work with. Also making the objects and animals sentient they are “alive” and can tell a story and have a message without needing a complex world or storyline behind them.
Once again the illustrations help raise the story as the blue ball’s imposing size on the red rectangles and green lizards shows difference and fear of the unknown. Another strong point is there are no reasoning behind the prejudice. It isn’t mentioned that the ball’s size, shape or colour are what make it exiled, it’s just different so it must go. This simplifies the story to its main points and brings the message home that it isn’t one reason that the rectangles and lizards object to.
Like in the previous book, Antony shows us that it sometimes only takes a couple of individuals to make a stand and change things for the better – the loudest voices of hate can be drowned out by the majority of people standing up for what’s right. This is a great story about how different isn’t always bad and how growing and accepting can be beneficial for everyone.
You can purchase Green Lizards and Red Rectangles and the Blue Ball via the following
QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository
The Green Lizards wanted to defeat the Red Rectangles.
Lost in a Good Book 