No.247 March 2021

Jon Agee Authorgraph interview Libraries in Lockdown How to encourage children’s writing Plus Elle McNicoll, Em Norry and George Butler

www.booksforkeeps.co.uk the children’s book magazine online CONTENTS March 2021 Guest Editorial: 2 Guest Editorial Let Them Play Piers Torday Let them Play says Piers Torday ______I write this the day before the schools are due tool to assess grammar attainment. I set various 3 Inclusive Storytelling: to reopen after what is hopefully be our final creative writing challenges and competitions last author Elle McNicholl introduces the Own Voice movement. lockdown, and the talk from government is summer, and both the volume and quality of the ______already - sadly and predictably - full of longer response was inspirational. 4 Unlock a Love of Creative Writing There’s school days, shorter holidays and intensive What struck me most from the National Literacy never been a better time to academic catch up classes for children. Trust research conducted in the first lockdown encourage children’s writing, Of course, even with the phenomenal efforts of (mentioned in the last issue), is how often says Joanne Owen ______so many teaching staff and parents at home, some children who did read and write more during 6 Authorgraph: Jon Agee children will need to catch up on some missed lockdown, mentioned time as a key factor. And interviewed by Jake Hope ______academic learning. Reports of online fatigue, that when they did, it made ‘them feel better’, 8 Ten of the Best: books fading morale and low engagement as we near offering a ‘valuable source of calm, escapism and that connect children with the end of lockdown are widespread. There is relaxation.’ In other words, they did it for fun. nature, selected by Ann Lazim ______also another cohort of children, who have not But they learned at the same time. 10 Beyond the Secret been able to benefit from home learning because In an anxious, data driven world, reeling from Garden: East Asian of lack of access to reading materials, screens and a pandemic, we must resist the temptation to Characters in British Children’s wi-fi, amidst other deprivations. These children Fiction by Darren Chetty and timetable, coach and measure children into some Karen Sands-O’Connor will need all the extra support they can get, both perfectible version of themselves that can never ______now and in the future. 12 Drawn Across Borders exist. We should give them as much time and space introduced by George Butler But for many, learning has not ‘stopped’, and to reconnect with each other as they need, alongside ______the gaps in attainment will be assessed and dealt opportunities to express themselves through 14 I Wish: Em Norry chooses ______with accordingly over the coming year. What is writing, performance, music and art, and chances 14 Good Reads chosen far more serious, and affects every single child, to excel physically on the games pitch as well as by young people at Toot Hill has been the pause in emotional and creative mentally in the classroom. The intuition, confidence School, Nottingham ______development, through the absence of play. and creative skills gained from these activities is the 15 Telling the Story of They face a looming mental health crisis, after catch up these play deprived children need. by Helen Bate ______Chernobyl months isolated from friends, deprived of crucial Talking down a ‘doomed generation’ because of 16 Libraries in Lockdown: social engagement at a critical point in their a year of home-schooling and missed exams will secondary school librarian emotional lives, not to mention physical exercise, help no-one. But there is no doubt that the school Kristabelle Williams describes and participation in group activities such as drama children of today face considerable challenges how she’s kept her library open ______and music. Referrals to mental health services for – the climate crisis, an increasingly complex, 17 Obituary: Victor Ambrus young people have skyrocketed, and research interdependent and turbulent geopolitical remembered by Nicholas Tucker ______from Great Ormond St Hospital suggests record landscape and entrenched social, racial and 18 Reviews levels of ‘play deprivation.’ gender divides. Under 5s (Pre-School/Nursery/ As many school leaderships recognise, what They can be met and overcome. But to do so, Infant) + Ed’s Choice children most urgently need now is not academic the adults of tomorrow will need every ounce of 5-8 (Infant/Junior) 8-10 (Junior/Middle) + New Talent catch up, but a chance to play with each other creativity, imagination, emotional intelligence and 10-14 (Middle/Secondary) and learn how to be children again. resilience they can lay 14+ (Secondary/Adult) ______The irony is that when home schooling was in their hands on. It can 30 Classics in Short No. 146 its pandemic infancy, as teachers and parents never have been less Nonsense Songs and Amblongus scrambled to rearrange their lives, a lot of children frivolous to say, above Pie Brian Alderson reflects on in this country found time to read and write. They all else, ‘let them play.’ one of the most original and accomplished children’s books of chose books, from comics to classics, that they Piers Torday’s latest the 19th century. wanted to read. They were allowed to read at their book is The Wild ______own pace, and weren’t tested for comprehension Before, published COVER STORY every five minutes. They wrote for pleasure, This issue’s cover illustration is from in August by Quercus The Weather Weaver by Tamsin enjoying storytelling for its own reward, not as a Children’s Books. Mori, illustration by David Dean. Thanks to Uclan Publishing for their help with this March cover. Books for Keeps is available online at Books for Keeps www.booksforkeeps.co.uk March 2021 No.247 A regular BfK Newsletter can also be sent by email. ISSN 0143-909X To sign up for the Newsletter, go to © Books for Keeps CIC 2016 www.booksforkeeps.co.uk and follow the Newsletter link. Managing Editor: Andrea Reece If any difficulty is experienced, email addresses can also be Editorial advisor: Ferelith Hordon sent to [email protected]* Assistant Editor: Eloise Delamere Email: [email protected] Editorial assistant: Alexia Counsell Design: Louise Millar Website: www.booksforkeeps.co.uk Editorial correspondence should *Email addresses will be used by Books for Keeps only for be sent to Books for Keeps, the purpose of emailing the Newsletter and will not be 30 Winton Avenue London N11 2AT. disclosed to third parties.

2 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 Inclusive Storytelling Elle McNicoll introduces the Own Voices movement and explains why it’s so important.

There are so many wonderful things about learns to drown out the hatred and prejudice of others. She taught being an author. Most of them are to do me a great deal while I was writing. with the incredible people who become Then there are the bad faith actors. The ones who pretend that your readers. It is the privilege of my life by uplifting underrepresented writers and calling out harmful that people share their stories with me, stereotypes, you’re being censorious. And look, if I say ‘ableism is after reading my debut. A Kind of Spark bad’ and you feel attacked? That may just be a problem you should has become this bridge between me and handle and not me. Envy, bitterness and good old-fashioned ‘we so many people like me. don’t want people like you in our club’. I’ve had it thrown my way. I’m neurodivergent. I have a brain that I’ve been called a token by someone who has never read my work. is wired differently. It made school and If I cared about all of this, I would never write. And I write childhood challenging and difficult for me every single day. I ask that the industry do better. Selecting one a lot of the time, especially as I was bullied a lot for being different. marginalised author a year is not good enough. The Now, I use my personal lens and my experience to write Own Voices movement requires publishers to not only the books that I so desperately needed as a lonely kid seek out diverse writers, but also hire more inclusively. in the library who was hiding from sneers and jeers and Make those rooms full of people who are all different bullying. I tell my truth and I write ND heroines with and can all bring their own unique perspective to the tons of heart, brains, guts and spine. table. And the response has been life-changing. People reaching I really don’t think ‘hire more inclusively and support out with their own stories, kids sleeping with the book diverse authors’ is that controversial, but my mentions because they love it so much. Students writing me long prove me wrong. letters. Teachers who say they finally feel able to have Here are the usual boring gripes people like to send my conversations about neurodiversity. It has been intense. way, unasked for may I say: The book has been nominated for a bunch of awards, ‘You can’t speak for everyone’. and won Blackwell’s Book of the Year and the 2021 Never claimed to. No Own Voices author has. If you Blue Peter Best Story Book Award, but the real prize knew the movement, you would know that. is undoubtedly the connection I now have with readers. ‘Why can’t I write what I want?’ This is the positive side of being an Own Voices author. You can. I’m supporting marginalised authors. That shouldn’t make However, there are negatives as well. For those unaware, Own you defensive. Voices is a movement in the book world that was created in order to ‘Own Voices authors can still get things wrong.’ lift up and support authors who are underrepresented in the industry. Yes. Let’s then afford them the same grace majority authors have It’s a beautiful thing. I’ve loved my Own Voices community, as a been given since the beginning. They’ve been allowed to get messy, disabled author. to make mistakes. They still are. It is not the job of an Own Voices But there are people who don’t understand. And those who want to author to tell the story of their entire community. Merely their own. see Own Voices authors continually excluded from the book world. Because you see… the book industry can sometimes be a little like As a disabled person, most books about people like me are not that playground I once ran from. There are bullies. There are mean written by other disabled people. They are not edited by disabled girls. There are cliques. people. They are not published by disabled people. They are not Only this time it’s different. This time, I’m not alone. I have an reviewed by disabled people. This creates problems in multiple incredible community. The people who care about inclusive books, ways. Misinformation can go unnoticed and harmful stereotypes can as well as the authors who write them. The brilliant disabled writers be printed over and over again. and editors I now call my friends, many of whom worked on my two By shutting certain voices out of the room in publishing, the varied books before they were published. So that I could incorporate other and diverse work of storytellers is not able to flourish. neurodivergent viewpoints. Own Voices is the antidote to this. By uplifting marginalised They are the force field keeping out the prejudice, the sneering, the creators, and encouraging them to write about whatever they want disdain and other people’s insecurities. and in whatever genre, the stories that are often excluded from My new book, Show Us Who You Are, is a futuristic novel about a the mainstream suddenly have a place to thrive. Organic diversity. mysterious corporation that makes digital holograms of Inclusive storytelling. real people. Two ND kids, Cora and Adrien, are going I am proudly Neurodivergent and I write proud to throw a spanner in their works. Some people were neurodivergent books. I happily introduce myself as an surprised that my second book was a) Science-Fiction Own Voices author so that ND readers can identify me and b) had more neurodivergent leads. But why not? as a member of the community that I write about. That There are so many ways to be neurodivergent. So many is it. Fin. It’s that simple. ways to be the hero of a story. I could never let A Kind You would be astonished at how much grief I get for it. of Spark be the only ND story I told. There are your regular trolls. The ones that call me slurs Own Voices authors are diverse, multi-faceted and and tell me that I should never be proud of what I am. ready to change the industry for the better. They bother me the least. I think it’s safe to say there is No more single stories. something deeply wrong in a person’s life if they have A Kind of Spark and Show Us Who You Are are to hurl abuse at people they don’t even know. Besides, published by Knights Of, £6.99 pbk the whole point of A Kind of Spark is that the heroine

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 3 Unlock a Love of Creative Writing

Inventing new worlds, exploring new experiences, probing new ideas - creative writing is unrivalled in its capacity to engage and entertain children, all the while honing vital skills of empathy and imaginative thinking. And right now, given that there’s scant opportunity to explore the world outside, the intrinsic value of the imagination – and the joy to be had from imaginative writing –is more pertinent than ever. Few feelings beat the satisfaction and fun to be had from creating your own worlds and characters, and the lock-down experience presents a perfect opportunity to foster that sense of satisfaction and fun –there’s no better time to unlock a lifelong love of creative writing. Joanne Owen suggests ways to do just that through activities to spark story ideas, and projects that offer young writers the opportunity to write with real purpose. Sparking inspiration Once a story has suggested itself through the answers and been partially created aloud, ask young writers to put pen to paper to Fear of the blank page can be a big obstacle, but there are plenty write-up their story. of effective ways to banish blank-page-blues, not least when you give activities a collective framework and move from off-the-page Flash fiction discussion to on-the-page creativity. This five-minute burst of activity is excellent for warming-up the Every object tells a story imagination, plus few things beat the sense of urgency that comes from a ticking clock. Ask young writers to transform three words Objects are excellent for sparking story ideas, and in workshops I usually into a short story in five minutes. The more absurd the better – contextualise this activity by saying that writers are a bit like explorers how about a pineapple, a policeman and a parrot? Alternatively, and archaeologists, digging up stories and ideas through objects. Ask ask writers to note down the last thing they ate, what they want to budding writers to pick an interesting object to use as a springboard for be when they grow up, and an item of clothing they would never digging up a story idea. Any object will do (which is one of the beauties wear. So, you could end up with a story about, for example, a tutu- of this exercise), but old photos, postcards, maps and ornaments work wearing footballer who loses a cup final because he scoffed too well. Next, pose a series of questions about the object: much chocolate before the match. Once writers have their three • What is it? words, set the timer for five minutes. • Does it have any special value or powers? • Where is it? Where did it come from? (the story setting) Starting out and weaving back • Who does it belong to? Is it theirs, or did they find it, or take it Story-starters are a perennially effective tool for sparking story ideas – from someone else? simply provide a selection of opening lines or titles and, as with • Does someone else want it? Why do they want it? (this could the ‘every object’ activity, encourage young writers to ask questions set-up the story conflict, the action, the what-happens-next) about scenarios suggested by the line. As before, the bones of a story will form from the answers. Providing the last lines of stories works well too. Again, encourage questions, this time working to unravel the story backwards. How about this for a last line? ‘Remind me to never, EVER, wear Grandad’s wig ever again!’ What on earth happened when they wore it? Why did it happen? Was it Granddad’s fault? Who wore it? And so on, until hey presto! – stories emerge for writers to develop on the page. Fiction from Fact Finding out fascinating facts from the fields of sport, science and nature can provide a fruitful foundation for writing stories, especially for children who are less comfortable letting their imaginations run wild. What’s more, asking individuals to use their favourite hobby

4 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 or interest as a springboard gives them a deeper sense of agency, which in turn is a powerful motivator - more powerful than being told what to write. Having said that, it’s useful to provide a few examples to get their research going – hummingbirds are the only birds that fly backwards; Venus and Uranus rotate backwards (facts not involving retrograde movement are also available). Fact selected, it’s time to transform it into a story. ‘Pass the Person’ Prompter After contextualising characters as being like people in our real lives (i.e. they’re what make life interesting), gather an assortment of costume accessories in a box. Seat your young writers in a circle and play music as they pass the box, as you would to play pass the parcel. When the music stops, the person holding the box picks an item from it to prompt ideas for a character – what kind of person would wear a hat/scarf/cape/helmet like this? To accompany this activity, create a character profile worksheet with space to fill out things like character name, age, occupation, likes and dislikes. Completed worksheets can be used as the basis for individuals’ short stories. To deliver this remotely, pick an item yourself and ask individuals to come up with a character based on the item.

Writing with purpose Discovering the pleasure of writing goes hand in hand with writing for purpose i.e. having a reason to write is hugely motivational, and often intrinsic to unlocking a lasting love of writing. Here are a few ideas to do just that: Make a magazine or newspaper Budding writers could take on expert roles as, for example, news reporters, sports correspondents, book reviewers and comic strip creators to make their own magazine. The sense of ownership prompts enthusiasm and a strong sense of purpose, especially if the finished work will have an audience. Arrange a Festival of Words Easily adaptable for a school or home context, holding a Festival of Words is a fun way to celebrate and showcase creativity. Task individuals to create work to perform at a live event (in person or online). Short stories and plays; poems and comedy sketches – think of it as a talent show of the written word. Write for reward Entering writing competitions is a great motivator, offering the thrilling possibility of winning a prize alongside a sense of being part of something bigger. Highlights include the Henrietta Branford Writing Competition 2021 that’s run in conjunction with the prestigious Branford Boase Award and open to anyone aged 19 and under with an entry deadline of 23rd May 2021. Alternatively, the Radio 2 500 Words short story competition is open to children of 13 and under.

Writing resources How-to creative writing books How to Write Your Best Story Ever by Christopher Edge The Usborne Creative Writing Book by Louise Stowell How to Write a Story by Simon Cheshire You Can Write Awesome Stories by Joanne Owen Recommended online resources www.worldbookday.com has a brilliant “stay at home” activity hub and information about online events and workshops hosted by authors and illustrators. Similarly, authorfy.com offers a daily Joanne Owen is a writer, reviewer and “10-minute challenge” set by talents from the children’s book arena. workshop presenter. Her books for children The National Literacy Trust is a treasure trove of fun book-themed include the Martha Mayhem series and You Can Write Awesome Stories, an resources, especially the Words for Life site. Booktrust’s Hometime interactive how-to guide to creative writing. offering includes activities and competitions, while the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education has a host of free resources covering story-writing, poetry and developing imaginative skills.

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 5 Authorgraph Jon Agee interviewed by No.247 Jake Hope Jon Agee arrives for our interview buzzing with energy and enthusiasm after an early morning tennis match. Born in 1959, he didn’t have the internet, iPhones or any digital distractions as a child. Jon’s mother, who was herself an artist, gave him and his sister a pad of paper and drawing was their entertainment.

The earliest children’s book writers and illustrators that Jon was When he left college, a publisher suggested Jon tried writing a attracted to were British. He was captivated by the nonsense poems picturebook for children. ‘They looked at my portfolio and said of Edward Lear, ‘It was fun as a child to see grown-ups being silly there were a lot of pictures which had little stories and they felt because my parents were not so silly. They were very proper and maybe one could be the basis for a book.’ He fell into publishing grown up.’ Winnie the Pooh by A A Milne and E H Shepherd was almost by accident. In 1981 he was living in New York City ‘It was another favourite ‘there’s a gentle droll humour and I didn’t realise at a very quiet time in publishing. In those days you could make an the time just how wise the stories are.’ Jon found Alice in Wonderland appointment with a publisher and possibly meet with an editor. fantastical, mysterious, dangerous and scary but, ‘Edward Lear more Jon had a meeting with Random House, when he got back to his than any of the others stuck with me. There was something about the apartment there was a message on his answering machine ‘the editor stories and poems for children but they were often for adults, they had raced back to ring me after the publication had been agreed’. were odd and silly and it just appealed to me. When I began writing Jon’s first book was If Snow Falls. ‘It is a very small book It only and illustrating books myself, a lot of my early books were for grown- has two sentences. I was just learning how to do picturebooks at the ups. I suspect Edward Lear had something to do with that. ‘ time.’ Jon feels much of the book is very much like a movie with Another influence from a young age was the New Yorker magazine a camera that zooms in on a house. ‘I really learned by just getting which Jon still gets to this day ‘My parents had these old albums into it and finding that a picturebook is normally 30-40 pages and a which were just the cartoons. As a kid I would flick through these handful of sentences and then there are all these other elements like cartoons which were really meant for grown-ups. Some of them I the page turns, it’s not simply enjoying one single image, it’s how understood, some went over my head. Edward Lear and the New these images relate to one another.’ Yorker dovetailed and had a sensibility I shared.’ Jon’s artistic process begins with filling notebooks with loose Jon went on to study at Cooper Union School of Art where despite drawings. ‘I try to draw situations which are unusual or where I’ve enjoying painting static images, he became particularly interested in turned things on their head.’ There have been times when he’s gone film-making and animation. ‘I wanted to tell stories, that was where through notebooks and picked through the thread of ideas.’ One film and animation came into it.’ Towards the end of his time at was Little Santa about Santa Claus as a very young child. His family Cooper, he began to produce cartoons and comic strips, which he are grumpy as they hate living in the North Pole and want to move shared with friends but never showed to his teachers or professors. to Florida. ‘Santa loves the snow and ice and is crazy about it, I ‘They were very personal. Much more personal than anything I knew they were wanting to leave but at that point I got stuck. I created for school. Some were just one image, some were stories.’ loved the premise and the idea that Santa didn’t fit in but didn’t know where to go from there. I put it aside for a couple of months and when I pulled the notebook off the shelves a couple of months later it gradually just unfolded. They were all ready to go to Florida and there was a blizzard. As Santa was the littlest one, they sent him down a chimney to go and ask for help, he met a reindeer and some elves and the story came together.’ Talking about Life On Mars, Jon describes how one of the ‘unique elements to picturebooks is how one thing can be said in the text yet something quite different or more elaborate can be

6 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 happening in the pictures.’ For him, this is one of the joys of creating Alongsidehis picturebooks, Jon has created numerous much loved picturebooks. In Life on Mars, ‘there is something happening collections of wordplay including tongue twisters, anagrams, where the narrator is clearly not seeing what is following him and palindromes and oxymorons. ‘The ones I’m most known for is the humour comes from that. There’s all this incongruity which palindromes. In 1991 I published a book called Go Hang a Salami! can happen between text and pictures which is very dynamic. I I’m a Lasagna Hog! At the time there was only one cartoon book love that!’ of palindromes, I didn’t know much about them but started creating For the joys the form has, it also has challenges. ‘If you have pictures them myself. They are funny sounding, magical and off-beat but that go across the gutters because of the way the binding works, absolutely need a picture. Children love them when I visit schools you lose them and it can be a bit of a headache. If someone does a and it turns out I’m pretty good at them.’ Jon has a forthcoming book painting, they don’t have to worry that they need to leave room for this autumn, Otto where all the dialogue will be in palindromes. words and for the gutter.’ Jon describes The Wall in the Middle Many of Jon’s books have been lauded with accolades and critical of the Book as his revenge on the gutter. ‘I was able to put a acclaim, asked what his proudest achievement has been, he physical wall in the middle of the book and the pictures couldn’t comments ‘the fact the books are still in print and that people are get across. It was liberating to treat the gutter as though it was an reading them and find them relevant. I’d love to think the books are impenetrable barrier.’ Jon was looking for a way to turn this concept changing people in a good way, expanding their imaginations and into a story. ‘I’m always looking for ways to tell an interesting story. helping them to feel more creative.’’ It also happened that this made an interesting comment on judging Books mentioned people without getting to know them.’ The book was endorsed Little Santa, Dial Books, 9780803739062 hbk by Amnesty International, something that Jon never considered Life on Mars, Scallywag Press, 978-1912650156, £6.99 pbk would happen with a book of his, but which is describes, with characteristic modesty, as a really pleasant surprise. The Wall in the Middle of the Book, Scallywag Press, 9781912650057, £7.99 pbk Jon’s picturebooks are enjoying renewed attention in the UK thanks The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau, Scallywag Press, to Scallywag Press. Sarah Pakenham was introduced to Jon’s work at the Taipei Book Expo in Taiwan. The relationship was a special 9781912650576, £12.99 hbk joy for Jon as it meant being reunited with his former editor Janice Go Hang a Salami! I’m a Lasagna Hog!, 9780440830450, pbk Thompson who published The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau at Faber & Faber in 1988. The chance to revisit the work has been welcomed by Jon. ‘I always felt it needed to be larger. Most picturebooks these days are a bit bigger. The new book is a bigger format and is 40 pages.’ This has enabled the metafictional ending Jake Hope is chair of the working party for to be emphasised with the picture and accompanying line of text Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals. He is a children’s book and reading development where Felix ‘returned to his painting’ to have their own individual consultant. His book Seeing sense: visual pages. ‘Everyone acknowledges when they finish a book there is literacy as a tool for libraries, learning always at least one picture where you wish you could redo that and reader development, is published by picture. With new paintings and revised layout, this version is the Facet Publishing, 9781783304417, £39.95. director’s cut!’

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 7 Ten of the Best Books Connecting Children with Nature

There’s no substitute for 10observing the natural world around us at first hand, whether we live in an urban or a rural environment. Books can develop this interest, delving more deeply and widely, and help us to expand our ideas about what constitutes a wild place. Ann Lazim chooses ten that help children to do that and provide the groundwork for going beyond appreciating nature to protecting the environment A First Book of Wildlife in Your Garden Nature Mike Dilger and Sarah Horne, Nicola Davies and Mark Bloomsbury 978-1472913432, Hearld, Walker, £12.99 pbk 978-1406349160, £12.99 pbk Exceptionally clear photographs No contemporary children’s make this a useful guide to the author has done more to connect variety of animals, birds and insects children with nature than Nicola that may be found in British gardens. Davies and it’s hard to choose However, this is much more than an just one book from her prolific identification guide. Each section of output. Here seasonal sections the book is devoted to an area such range over many aspects of the as trees, shrubs and hedges; ponds; natural world visible at a child’s wild areas, compost heaps and log level. Mixed media illustrations piles, and culminates in suggestions which make particularly effective use of collage complement a text for attracting wildlife to that area. The which includes verse and prose, conveying information in a variety layout is enticing with information set out like jottings from a notebook. of ways. A book that will repay many revisits as the year rolls by, Humorous illustrations are incorporated into the design of each spread. encouraging exploration of nature and inspiring children’s own artwork. RSPB Children’s Guide to Nature Watching The Lost Words Mark Boyd, Bloomsbury, Robert Macfarlane and 978-1408187579, £9.99 pbk Jackie Morris, Hamish The RSPB’s remit goes beyond Hamilton, protecting birds and is concerned 978-0241253588, £20 hbk with conservation and education Jackie Morris’s stunningly about wildlife in general. This beautiful and closely observed guide for young naturalists, while paintings encourage children being too large for most pockets, to revisit them again and again could comfortably be slipped into to explore the details and to a backpack for expeditions. A seek out what she depicts for wildlife key with helpful questions themselves, whether it’s a shiny sets readers on the right track to conker, a starling, a feather identification of different varieties or a moorland landscape of wildlife. There’s lots of practical information about when and where the heather grows. This where to look and about the different habitats that exist to explore. collaboration with nature writer Robert Macfarlane who wrote the poems accompanying the pictures is indeed spellbinding. The act of naming which provoked creation of this book is so significant Ann Lazim is Literature and Library Development for our appreciation of nature – helping us to make connections Manager at the Centre for Literacy in Primary between living things as well as with them. Education in London.

8 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 10 Wild Child: A Journey I Ate Sunshine for through Nature Breakfast Dara McAnulty and Barry Falls, Michael Holland and Philip Macmillan 978-1529045321, Giordano, Flying Eye, 978- £14.99 hbk 1911171188, £14.99 hbk Who better to take children on This botanical feast is subtitled a journey of discovery than the ‘A Celebration of Plants Around author of Diary of a Young the World’ and is a cornucopia Naturalist? Dara speaks very of information about plants and directly to child readers, taking how integral they are to all life on them on a personal journey, Earth. The text includes a range introducing them to facts and of activities and experiments that phenomena that fascinate him and will enable children to find out encouraging exploration. His love of lore and language as well as his more about plants for themselves. respect for nature shine through in the poetic text which is carefully Included is the Shelf Life Project, an idea developed by the author integrated with the illustrations. The steps on the journey alternate who is a former Head of Education at Chelsea Physic Garden. In the with practical projects but the emotional connection is always cheerful collage illustrations bright colours and geometric shapes are present, with Dara concluding I have merely shown you a microcosm used to give form to the world of plants. of what there is to know about nature, a key to a door. How to Help a Busy Spring. Nature Hedgehog & Protect a Wakes Up Polar Bear Sean Taylor, Alex Morss and Jess French and Angela Keoghan, Cinyee Chiu, words & pictures Nosy Crow 978-1788002578, 978-0711255371, £12.99 hbk £12.99 hbk A companion volume to Winter The initial pages are devoted to Sleep, bringing together again different habitats, focusing first on an author of many successful those common to the UK – gardens, picture books, an independent hedgerows, wetlands, woodlands ecologist and an illustrator whose and coastlines – and moving out inspiration comes mostly from to terrains elsewhere in the world nature. As the narrator and her such as jungles and savannahs. General information is given about excitable little sister explore the threats specific to that environment, followed by fact files about their garden with their father species native to that habitat and positive suggestions about what at the beginning of spring they children can do to help. discover many things about the wildlife that inhabits it. A number of modern picture books have appendices with factual information Old Enough to Save the supplementing that included in the story and this is a good example, Planet with explanations about what happens to plants and animals in Loll Kirby and Adelina Lirius, spring and a recognition that climate change is affecting the seasons Magic Cat Publishing, 978- 1913520175, £6.99 pbk When We Went Wild This book draws attention to Isabella Tree and Allira Tee, Ivy children around the world who are Kids, 978-0711262850, £7.99 pbk engaged in environmental activism Drawing on the author’s own in a variety of ways. In Indonesia, experience, described in the Adeline formed a community bestselling Wilding, this picture group to reintroduce native plant book tells the story of how a couple species to help prevent flooding. go about rewilding the land on their In Kenya, Eunita is educating local farm, returning it to a more natural people about the preservation of bees and pollination while, in environment without chemicals and France, Vincent promotes small scale organic gardening as a means milking machines. Their neighbours of food production. At the end of the book there are lists of political are not happy until they discover actions that can be taken to try and effect change as well as those the benefits for themselves. From an that are more individual everyday commitments.book like this - one imprint focusing on sustainability in its publishing and production. that children beg to hear again and again – you’ll know you’ve found something worth treasuring and keeping close.

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 9 Beyond the Secret Garden: East Asian Characters in British Children’s Fiction On the 31 January, the UK government started a new visa programme specifically for Hong Kong residents with a British National Overseas passport or their dependents. The Home Office expect up to 300,000 people to move to Britain over the next five years and seek citizenship in what some are calling the ‘Hong Kong Windrush’. Unlike the Black and Asian immigrants who came to Britain after 1948, however, the new Hong Kong British will be able to see at least some positive representations of people that look like them in British children’s books.

It was not always the case that East Asian people were represented photographic illustration by Irvin Cheung; although set in Britain, positively—if they were represented at all. The best that one 1907 the contrast is subtly made between modern, urban Britain and a geography, Thomas Nelson’s The World and its People, could say rural version of Hong Kong. Amy’s grandmother comes from Hong was that the people of Hong Kong were ‘fairly contented under Kong where a farmer’s life is ‘very hard’ but they come to England their British rulers’ (197). East Asian people were rarely represented and ‘started a restaurant and had to work really, really hard’. Both as existing in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century, lives are hard, but the prospect of achieving success is only available and indeed, most British children would have received ideas about in Britain. East Asian people from pantomimes such as Aladdin, versions of The interest in books about East Asia goes beyond representation which included characters such as Chin Chop (1903 Theatre Royal for East Asian British communities, however. Several books on the Nottingham) or Wishee Washee, who first appeared in versions in Kate Greenaway nomination list for 2021 were written by people of the 1960s and is still part of some versions of the pantomime today. East Asian origin, including author of Starbird Sharon King-Chai When a book had a character from Hong Kong or Singapore, as in (born in Australia of Chinese-Malaysian parents and now living in Bessie Marchant’s boarding school story Two New Girls (1927), that London); Soojin Kwak, author of A Hat for Mr Mountain who character was usually white and British, the daughter of a merchant describes herself as ‘based in Seoul and London’; Chinese illustrator or soldier in the Empire. This is one reason why Robin Stevens’ Zhu Cheng-Liang who illustrated Mary Murphy’s What I Like character in her Murder Most Unladylike series (2014-present), Most; and Japanese-born author-illustrator of Dandelion’s Dream, Hazel Wong, drew such attention; for many who had been brought Yoko Tanaka. These picture books cover a wide range of genres up on the all-white world of boarding school stories, a Hong Kong and moods, but are all searches of one kind or another. From the Chinese character was a revelation. The success of the series perhaps Starbird’s search for home and safety and the dreamlike search of opened the way for other re-visions of the boarding school story a lion finding where he belongs to the humorous search for a hat written by Black and Asian writers, such as the 2019 New Class at big enough to cover a mountain to the search of a Chinese-British Malory Towers, which includes stories by Patrice Lawrence and girl for what she likes most, these books do not pin the East Asian Narinder Dhami. (or British East Asian) experience down to a single story. Similarly, Some pre-21st century representations of East Asian characters but for older readers, Katie and Kevin Tsang’s Dragon Mountain written by people from East Asian background are linked to the depicts two very different Chinese characters – the quiet peacemaker, Windrush generation. Meiling Jin, a British Guyanese author who Ling-Fei, and the brash surfer, Billy Chan. Ling-Fei is from China and grew up in London and suffered racist abuse in school, published Billy, whose father is from Hong Kong, is American. The two must her only children’s book, The Thieving Summer, in 1993; the main work together with a white Irish boy and a white American girl characters are from Trinidad but their ethnic origins are left vague. (who is a jiu-jitsu champion and a pageant queen) to defeat the Poppie, the main child character, is friends with other people of Dragon of Death. The Tsangs use Western stereotypes of East Asian colour in London; they band together to find a white thief after people (such as the wise old sage) to provide plot twists, as Billy, they are accused of his crimes. The idea of different groups of Ling-Fei and their friends find out that stereotypes cannot be relied people of colour being depicted as one community accords with upon when trying to defeat evil; individuals must be appreciated (or the notion of political blackness, wherein racially minoritised people avoided) for their own characteristics. in Britain were often all labelled ‘black’ by white Britons, and in Sue Cheung’s Chinglish (2019) and Maisie Chan’s Danny Chung response banded together as one community to fight such racism. Does Not Do Maths (forthcoming) are deserving of closer Another text, Grace Nichols’ poetry collection Poetry Jump-Up: A examination. There are obvious similarities. Both books depict Collection of Black Poetry (1988), includes many Asian poets as well as Afro-Caribbean, Indo-Caribbean and African American poets. The collection includes a Vietnamese poet as well – albeit one from the early 16th century, Nguyen Binh Khiem. However, beginning in the 21st century, British children’s books were increasingly likely to depict East Asian characters whose own or whose family’s origins were more directly linked to East Asian countries. Authors and illustrators/photographers were also more likely to have East Asian origins. Hyechong Chung, author of K is for Korea (2008) was born in South Korea. Perhaps as an immigrant looking back to her country of origin, it is unsurprising that her alphabet focuses on mostly traditional aspects of Korean culture rather than the ‘dynamic and vibrant’ modern country that she mentions in her introduction. Anna McQuinn’s My Friend Amy has

10 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 Maisie Chan’s Danny Chung is a younger character and the book reads as if primarily intended for pre-teen readers. As the story begins, we learn that Danny loves art. He loves drawing and creating comics and it is these drawings that illustrate the book throughout. Early in the narrative Danny’s father delivers one of his ‘Chinese Way’ lectures, ‘The Chinese Way is hard work. It is about listening and respecting our elders. It is about family and helping each other gain success. We have to work doubly hard in this country.’ Shortly after Danny learns that he must share his bedroom with his newly arrived grandmother. His relationship with his Nai Nai forms a core part of story and his perspective shifts; she begins as a ‘little old lady from China who looked like my dad’. As Danny becomes more frustrated and embarrassed by her behaviour and the expectation that he helps her to settle in, she becomes ‘Ant Gran, Supervillain’ in his comic book work. extended British Chinese families who run Chinese takeaways in the This eventually changes when Maths becomes their common Midlands. Both are illustrated – Cheung’s by herself, Chan’s by Anh language. Danny’s entry into the school maths competition involves Cao – and about characters who themselves have artistic ambitions. the Fibonacci sequence and the Golden Ratio, combining maths, Both feature South Asian best friends. Both are first person narratives, art, and nature in the form of the Romanesco cauliflowers his where the narrator struggles with not having a common language to grandmother buys at the local grocer. This resolution offers a way of speak with some family members, and where resulting questions of integrating Danny’s own desires with external expectations. Chan is identity are explored through the narrative. clearly interested in the stereotype of Chinese students concerning But the books are also very different. Chinglish is written as the diary maths. A class-mate tells Danny ‘My mum said all Chinese people of Jo Kwan, beginning in 1984 when Jo is 13 years old and ending are good at maths’. But such stereotypes, can also be internalized; in 1987. Kwan’s tone is often sardonic – on discovering the name of his father also informs him that ‘Maths is in our blood remember’. their new take-away ‘Happy Gathering’, she writes, ‘I will look up At the close of the book we learn that this is not the whole story; the Trade Descriptions Act. I think we may be breaching it’ (p16). Danny’s grandfather had been an artist but had not made enough Kwan’s attitude to her parents is in contrast with common Chinese money from it to send his son to university. Significantly, it is Nai ideas of showing respect to one’s elders. But this is contextualized Nai, who supports Danny’s artistic ambitions. in the story; it emerges that she and her old brother have both been As in Chinglish, there are references to racism in the book, but subjected to violence at the hands of their father. Cheung offers a they are more subtle; ‘Typical foreigners, coming here taking our raw, honest account of domestic violence and whilst a number of bingo seats’ says one person when Danny takes Nai Nai to bingo. relevant charities are listed at the end of the book, it may surprise What are readers to make of these differences in approach? They some readers that a content warning is not offered at the start of may be explained by the near forty-year gap in when these two the book, particularly as the illustrative style is one that we might stories take place. Or in the age of the target audience. Or possibly associate with more light-hearted material. It is important to add that Chan is reluctant to repeat racial slurs used against Chinese people it is stated that Chinglish is based on Cheung’s life material. It is a in her story out of concern for the impact on readers. It is our hope story she has every right to tell, and one that might, as she hopes, that readers encounter both these books at an appropriate age, help other young people living through similar ordeals. Chinglish along with a far broader range of books focusing on British East does not conform to model minority myths of British Chinese Asian characters than is currently available. people. Equally, it is not the positive portrayal of British Chinese family life that is so needed in Britain. However, this is an issue Books mentioned for British children’s publishing. Neither Cheung nor any individual Chinglish, Sue Cheung, Andersen Press, 978-1783448395, £7.99 pbk writer should have to shoulder the burden of representation of a Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths, Maisie Chan, Piccadilly Press, whole community. 978-1800780019, £6.99 pbk K is for Korea, Hyechong Chung, illus Prodeepta Das, Frances Lincoln Books, The depictions of racism in the 1980s feel accurate. Currently, 978-1847801333, £6.99 pbk interesting questions are being asked amongst YA readers and Starbird, Sharon King-Chai, Two Hoots, 978-1509899562, £12.99 hbk scholars about how to depict racism without reinforcing it. Does the A Hat for Mr Mountain, Soojin Kwak, Two Hoots, 978-1529012873, £6.99 pbk use of racial slurs in a narrative have a negative impact on readers, What I Like Most, Mary Murphy, illus Zhu Cheng-Liang, Walker Books, 978- irrespective of who is expressing them and how they are responded 1406369045, £12.99 hbk to? Certainly, it is becoming less common to see racist language used Dandelion’s Dream, Yoko Tanaka, Walker Books, 978-1406388770, £12.99 hbk in books where the author takes an antiracist perspective. My Friend Amy, Anna McQuinn, Alanna Books, 978-0955199837, £11.99 hbk At times Jo Kwan appears supremely confident, such as when she writes a letter to the BBC complaining that they have rejected all of her submissions for the Take Hart gallery. At other moments Karen Sands-O’Connor is the British Academy she expresses anxieties about friendships, her future and her Global Professor for Children’s Literature at appearance. It is the last of these that will likely cause the most Newcastle University. Her books include concern for some readers. Whilst worries about how one looks are Children’s Publishing and Black Britain 1965-2015 (Palgrave Macmillan 2017). common teenage experience, they can take on an extra dimension for racially minoritised people in racist societies if their features are perceived to be connected to their ancestry. Towards the end of the story, Kwan notes that her eyes ‘look pretty too these days’(p341). Darren Chetty is a teacher, doctoral researcher Two pages later, she expresses concerns that ‘Nobody gets me, cos and writer with research interests in education, philosophy, racism, children’s literature and hip hop nobody is like me’ (p343) but the story ends with her fulfilling her culture. He is a contributor to The Good Immigrant, dream by leaving home for fashion college in London. We have a edited by Nikesh Shukla and the author, with Jeffrey sense that things will work out for Jo Kwan and that her resilience Boakye, of What Is Masculinity? Why Does It to brutality inside and outside the home has helped her through a Matter? And Other Big Questions. He tweets at @rapclassroom. tough period in her life.

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 11 Drawn Across Borders

George Butler is a journalist and artist specialising show, not just tell the audience what is happening. Habits, characters and scenes; It’s the stories of the people and places that come from in current affairs and travel. Between 2011 and this process that I try and do justice to. 2018, he travelled to a dozen locations where people What media do you use when working on location? have been forced by circumstances beyond their How do you choose your locations and what is it like working control to leave their homes, documenting in words under pressure? and pictures the individuals and environments he I use pen, ink and watercolour. It’s immediate, it’s fast and it appears encountered. The result is a moving collection of on the page like a magic trick and that is a powerful tool when you don’t speak the language of the place you are in. My theory is that histories illustrated with his own pen-and-ink and if you can sit down and make a drawing for forty-five minutes, then watercolor images, Drawn Across Borders. He you should be in a place that is safe. Of course it doesn’t always answers our questions on the creation of the book. work out like that and getting to that place can be dangerous and difficult. To be accurate quickly I have to have practiced enough Can you describe the role of a reportage illustrator? that I don’t feel intimidated by a big white sheet of paper. However, How would you describe your own approach in particular? being brave, not using pencil and not rubbing anything out can cut Reportage – photographic or illustrative tells a story, it should those corners too. Speaking to people makes me commit to making communicate an idea, empathise and relate the viewer to the the drawing good, the pressure of having to do right by them really audience. My approach is to spend time in a place, often returning focuses my mind. I once sat with a group of men supporting the multiple times, sometimes a year apart. I try to use drawing as a uprising on the Syrian/Turkish border, they thought I was a spy and ‘handshake’ as the artist Paul Hogarth once said. Then I have an asked me to draw one of them to prove I wasn’t! Which I did – very excuse for being there, and as I draw, I’m learning about what I am badly. In a way these drawings are a reaction to immediate things seeing. In a way you are seeing my notes from class. I’m trying to that happen.

12 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 What was the hardest thing to draw in Drawn Across Borders? had finished here 10 days earlier and would soon start again, but At a field hospital inside Syria near the border with Turkey I drew in meantime the few residents left were trying to fathom what had a little boy on a children’s ward, called Bassam. He was ten and ripped through their homes. Were there shops still available? Had had lost his right leg, his mother and his brother a couple of days their cars been damaged? I found a scanner in the nearest Turkish before in an air strike. When I met him he was lying in hospital with town a day later and sent the image of children playing on the tank his father Abid crying at his feet. He said to me ‘Art cannot change back to the Guardian G2. anything,’ and in this moment I believed him. My instinct was to What do you hope people will take away from leave without finishing the drawing, but another man in the corner Drawn Across Borders? said passionately, ‘These are the scenes that the world should see. People move around the world for many reasons. Some migration They are important to show the people what is going on here.’ is voluntary; most is not. People move for love, work, security, War photographers often talk about hiding behind their cameras. war, food and family. They have done for hundreds of thousands I did the same behind my drawing board that day. The process of of years and still do. It runs deep in the human condition, but it’s drawing became a way of hiding from the scene, and at the same an intricate and difficult subject for anyone to comprehend. I hope time a prism for my brain to comprehend it, to make it safe on a this book can offer a glimpse into some of the reasons people have page so I can remember the moment without being horrified. for leaving behind places they once called home, places they still Do you think illustration can be more truthful than a photograph? call home. What is clear to me as we begin a new decade – as the We live in an increasingly interconnected world but run the risk population increases, resources remain limited and climate pressure of having a far shallower understanding of it. If you agree that mounts – is that migration will vastly alter the future of the world the way in which we receive our news is now flawed, or ‘fake’, and our species. Only by understanding individual cases better can perhaps headlines are written for effect, perhaps paid content is we properly respond to migration as a whole. I hope these drawings disguised as news, or photographs manipulated to shock then it’s are human straightforward and unthreatening, that they connect the not a stretch to suggest that a drawing, done from life, on location viewer to that subject through a sensitive and handmade line; an with the permission of those in the image can be an equally accurate imagined connection that can relate one person to another who description of that time and a place. otherwise would never have crossed paths. I hope I’ve done justice to the people I met who sat for long enough for me to draw them How do you think illustrators can contribute to the discussion and told me their personal stories. I hope the images do the honesty surrounding the refugee crisis and other issues? of their words justice. By highlighting the personal, the vulnerable, the human and the Drawn Across Borders is published by Walker Studio, ordinary with a language that we all speak. But I don’t think an 978-1406392166, £15.00 hbk. illustrator’s contribution is specific to this crisis. I think illustration as an industry, (and I don’t mean the individuals, but as a body), has forgotten its ability to communicate to people of all ages. And should be striving to do so outside of the more obvious avenues children’s books, cards and place mats. There is an opportunity here to use the tried and tested, ancient and evolved formula of putting pen to page to communicate in a way that transcends language. What could be more powerful? Can you describe walking across the border into Syria in August 2012 and drawing in the town of Azaz in Northern Syria and what you saw there? In August 2012 I walked across the border from Turkey to Syria on my own expecting to find an exodus of people trying to get away but the border was empty. I was picked up by the Free Syrian Army and driven past bullet-ridden buildings, olive groves damaged by tanks and a petrol station caught in crossfire. When we arrived in Azaz, my translator and an English student from Aleppo University explained how thousands of people had fled this small town when the fighting broke out to villages in the countryside expecting to be able to return to their homes. I drew children playing on a burnt-out government tank, one of them wearing a New Look top. The fighting Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 13 I wish I’d written… Em Norry chooses an intensely poetic, lyrical, vivid novel by David Almond

What a difficult question! But, if I had to choose one book that altered how I thought about children’s fiction, then I choose the first David Almond book I read: A Song for Ella Grey. David’s writing is always exquisite, but this is intensely poetic, lyrical, vivid, mysterious, and slightly confusing – exactly how it felt being a teenager. It’s beautifully romantic without being sentimental too. It’s a modern retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. A story which hooked me as a child, even though I didn’t quite ‘get it’. A bereaved musician travels to the underworld to revive his dead wife but loses her again – I remember literally yelling out loud, ‘Don’t look back!’ It’s about the importance of trust, a vital theme. I can’t articulate how gorgeous this book is without quoting. ‘You’ve Em Norry’s latest book, Amber got all these weird forces in you, but you feel unsatisfied, Undercover, is published by Oxford empty, unfinished. You feel like everything that matters is a Children’s Books, 978-0192774736, £6.99 pbk. million miles and a million years away, and yes it might come to you but no it bliddy mightn’t. It’ll be like an unreachable A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond constellation of the stars. And nothing will happen, ever. And is published by Hodder Children’s you’ll never be anything, ever.’ Magic, right? Books, 978-1444922134, £7.99 pbk. Good Reads 247 Our Good Reads were chosen by young people at Toot Hill School, Nottingham. Thanks to these young critics and thanks and congratulations to Library Manager Claire Marris. Claire is on the Honour List for the SLA School Librarian of the Year 2020/21. The Sun is also a Star Nicola Yoon, Corgi Children’s Books, 978-0552574242, £7.99 pbk This book is perfect for people who love coincidence and fate. As a quick summary of the book (without too many spoilers) it is about a girl called Natasha, who is about to be deported to

Jamaica that day and a boy called Hannah, year 10 Hannah, year 10 Neve, year 9 Grace, year 11 Daniel, who is sick of living up overcome her past. This book to his parents’ expectations. Hunger Games: Jemima Small Versus the is the first in a series of eight. I They meet on a New York street; Mockingjay Universe would recommend reading all they instantly forget about their Suzanne Collins, Scholastic, Tamsin Winter, Usborne, the books in the series because lives and fall in love, the only 978-1407132105, £7.99pbk 978-1474927284, £7.99 pbk then you learn more about the difficulty is that Natasha may be This is the book that I had to Jemima Small Versus the characters and story. However, leaving that evening! I would force myself to take breaks Universe is a truly inspirational the books are 300+ pages long give this book a five out five from as the intensity and story book about a girl who is bullied so probably more for the avid heart rating because I loved it completely captured me. There’s for her size which makes her feel reader. I love the way the author so much. It is a classic cliché a new vulnerability exposed for conscious about her appearance. has written the book and as romance. Hannah, year 10 every character in this book, while This book encourages you to the books go on through the we’re directed through a very real follow your dreams and not let series more of the characters Throne of Glass account of what life in a war like other people tell you who you are are introduced. Throughout the this would entail. After the spark or what you can do. I really like Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury, plot there are lots of twists and 78-1408832332, £8.99 pbk in Catching Fire, there comes this book because it is relatable turns that make it the perfect the full-blown fire which we see and the positive message is great Throne of Glass is a fantasy amount of thrill and excitement many people are unprepared for for motivation. Overall, it is a story about the renowned but not too complicated. Overall, or were unaware of the horrors great read for people of all ages assassin Celeana Sardothien who I think that they are a great read they would have to face. With from year 6 upwards but also for is given the chance to regain for young adults and teenagers lots of unexpected moments it people that love adventure and her freedom from a slave camp who enjoy plenty of action with brings a magnificent ending to the motivational stories. Hannah, but to do so she must work to a touch of romance. Neve, year 9 trilogy. Grace, year 11 year 10

14 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 Telling the Story of Chernobyl In her graphic novel The Lost Child of Chernobyl, Helen Bate invents a child brought up by wolves in the woods. But it tells the real story of the global environmental disaster at Chernobyl in April 1986. Helen explains the inspiration for the book and how she approached the subject. The events of April 1986 changed the world for ever. When the than traditional graphic nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in Ukraine exploded, national novels and more age boundaries were no protection from the resulting radioactive cloud. appropriate. The winds blew it north and west, over many European countries In The Lost Child of including Belarus, Austria, Hungary and Germany. It travelled as far Chernobyl, I wanted to as Sweden and the UK, causing problems in some areas that will last write a story based heavily for hundreds of years. Even in parts of the UK, farmers lived with in fact. Since watching a restrictions on the movement of livestock until 2012. wonderful documentary I was a young mother in 1986. My sister lived in Austria with her two The Babushkas of young boys. The explosion at Chernobyl affected them immediately, Chernobyl by Holly with sandpits being emptied in public playparks and children not Morris and Anne Bogart being allowed to play outside for weeks. Many governments had I’ve been fascinated by real concerns about the long-term impact of the fallout across the stories of the older Europe and people were frightened. women who continued to live (and die) in the forbidden zone. Twenty years later I had some involvement with a local children’s Basing my story around the experiences of Klara and Anna, two charity bringing children who had serious health problems from fictional sisters who stay behind, allowed me to portray the actual Belarus to the UK for recuperative holidays. My daughter travelled events that took place from their perspective. The book Voices to Minsk with the charity to make a fundraising film that highlighted from Chernobyl written in 1997 by the 2015 Nobel Prize winner the on-going health problems the children in Belarus face as a result Svetlana Alexievich, was another fantastic resource with many first- of the contamination. It was Belarus and Ukraine that suffered the hand stories of what took place after the explosion and crucially, worst of the contamination, and the stories of the disaster and its how people felt about their situation. aftermath have been a lesson to the world. But today, many children But how to bring a child into the story? There was no child lost are unaware of Chernobyl and what happened there. in the forest that night, (as far as I’m aware), but there are many families who have lost children to thyroid cancer as a direct result of the fallout. However, I strongly believe that these stories of personal loss belong only to those children and their surviving families. I felt that the child in my story should be a mythical child, one that would represent all the children that live in our damaged planet today. For inspiration I looked to the true stories of feral children that have lived with wolves and dogs. The fact that the child in my story never really develops language, and retains a sense of ‘otherness’ is something that’s taken from these true stories. Because the child is also never identified as male or female, it hopefully adds to this sense that they represent childhood itself. This gender-neutral writing was tricky, but a very interesting challenge to undertake. The traumatic history of the Ukraine was another aspect of history that I felt important to suggest in the story. The reason many women refused to leave the forbidden zone was their past experiences of famine and war. In their eyes no invisible radiation could be as bad As a children’s writer and illustrator, I try to provide children with as that and I wanted Anna and Klara to be survivors. Anyone reading an understanding of important events from modern history, and the histories of Ukrainian children in the 1932-3 Holodomor famine difficult social issues that have relevance to their life today. I believe or during World War Two, wouldn’t fail to understand why these it allows them to see their world in more context. Seeing that many old women were unafraid of the radiation, preferring to stay where people have overcome terrible adversity, that life continues and is they had a home, land and water, however polluted. Although these OK again is important, especially in a world where children face a traumatic stories aren’t age appropriate for primary age children, the future of increasing global problems. suggestion of something terrible in Klara and Anna’s past contributes to History allows us to tell this story at a safe distance. Thirty-five years understanding their sense of acceptance of life in the ‘forbidden zone’. after Chernobyl, the story can be told in ways that remove the fears The lasting message of the book, aims to be that we all need to and the anxiety. But it is still important that the stories are told to new change our attitude to the natural world. Despite the events at generations. Only by understanding the problems of the past, can we Chernobyl making the land unfit for human habitation, the natural truly understand how we should live in the future. This is as true for world still evolves and recovers. Although there have been changes Chernobyl as it is for the Holocaust, or for global pandemics. in the flora and fauna in the most heavily contaminated areas, the Graphic novels are great for explaining complex issues in a visual natural world will always adapt and survive. The survival of the way. They suit many children more used to visual media than human population however, depends on changing the way we live previous generations and those who find longer texts off-putting. and this is the one most important lesson that I hope comes through I want to engage reluctant readers as well as those who like the in the book, and that we all need to learn. immediacy of graphic novels. But with those age seven to eleven, the The Lost Child of Chernobyl, written and illustrated by Helen graphic novel requires a more accessible style of storytelling, shorter Bate is published by Otter-Barry Books, £12.99 hbk.

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 15 Libraries in Lockdown Secondary school librarian Kristabelle Williams describes how she’s kept her library open to staff and students throughout the last year, and demonstrates the positive impact of a well-funded and professionally staffed school library on students’ achievement. relaxations and exemptions from children’s books publishers allowed me to record and share short stories, and I started a ‘Book At Breaktime’ series of audio read-alouds for students to listen to. I also kept teachers informed of copyright issues, extensions and digital textbook access from the Copyright Licensing Agency. When schools moved to wider reopening in September, I used the Covid-19 Guidance for School Libraries from the CILIP SLG and the SLA along with evidence from the REALM project to plan a ‘Click and Collect’ style library book delivery service in school. After working with my highly supportive management team to risk assess the process we designed a system that enables students to borrow physical library books whilst staying in their ‘bubbles’ and for myself to work safely on site using PPE where needed. Students use the online library catalogue to browse the collection, then use Microsoft Forms, email or in person requests via form or class to reserve books. As the orders come in, books are labelled Teachers and support staff have been working hard in schools to with a name and form on a bookmark then added to the form’s deliver education and care for students whether onsite or remotely basket which is set up in the library. These baskets are then throughout the pandemic, and school librarians have continued to delivered to form rooms every week before school. This has enabled run, innovate and adapt services alongside this in what have been many teachers to engage more with students’ reading. Book return challenging circumstances. boxes are placed around the school which contain internal plastic boxes which can be lidded when collected at the end of the week, When our school moved to partial opening in March 2020, I quarantined for the following week, and then finally opened and commenced working from home, due to being ‘at-risk’. Consultant shelved again. Sarah Pavey circulated a list of things to do if your library is closed which was helpful for many librarians whether making a case for Our library is vital for access to books, but book ownership is equally working from home or against redeployment, or needing some important for our students. Whether young people read or not is anchoring guidance in the early days of the crisis. often due to cost, access and content, and cannot be understood in isolation from structural inequalities such as socioeconomic I immediately set up an e-resources database, divided by curriculum deprivation and racism, the past decade of real terms cuts to school subject, to support staff and students with remote planning, teaching funding and national literacy programmes, and the closure of nearly and learning. We already subscribed to several, but many were 1/5th of local libraries. In a pandemic where the public faces further opening up to free temporary access during the lockdown. I took unemployment and child poverty crises, book gifting has, is and out trials with online library providers to give our students e-book will continue to be an important part of what our school does. and audiobook access. Our local library provided temporary online We included books in our food and care packages which our staff account registration so their e-resources could be used without were delivering to families during lockdown and I ran the book having to visit a library to collect a card. I promoted this to staff, gifting programme Bookbuzz to Year 7s & 8s in the Autumn Term students, parents and carers and created Padlets of reading lists with by tuning remotely into reading classes I co-ran with teachers to direct links. ‘Book Talk’ the titles, share videos and extracts. The Free Books Microsoft’s presentation app Sway was a great way to share this Campaign is also helping fight these inequalities; in November I kind of information along with library news and communications; contacted founder Sofia Akel, who selected and packed boxes of I created a weekly digital magazine with embedded author videos, book lists, links to articles, extracts and book awards, and free e-books and audiobooks. We promoted everything from the webcast of the stage show of Alex Wheatle’s Crongton Knights to Premier League football quizzes, from online book festivals such as Everywhere Book Fest to challenges such as the 100 Great Black Britons schools’ competition. It was important that most of what was promoted to students was free to access; a comics special issue was the most popular, with links to free webcomics and graphic novels in Spanish, Shakespeare adaptations, superhero comics from Nigeria (check out Comic Republic), stories about refugee and migrant experiences, and character drawing guides. My weekly library lessons with Key Stage 3 classes moved online; through Show My Homework I set reading activities, news articles, quizzes and Accelerated Reader challenges. It also provided a way to communicate with students in all year groups to encourage and support them with remote learning and reading. Copyright

16 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 beautiful brand, new books by authors of colour for us to collect. Now that we’re return to wider opening, our click and collect service We then set up an online ‘free bookshop’ where students were able will resume and I will continue to co-run Teams classes and clubs. I to read about and pick which title they would like to be gifted. I feel confident that many of the things I have implemented during the am planning to turn our ‘free bookshop’ into a permanent service pandemic can, post crisis, be continued and built upon. for our students. My experience is not necessarily the same as other school librarians; My experience with Teams classes meant that when we moved into some have been running services as close to usual, or supervising partial closure again in January, I was ready to deliver weekly live students on site during partial opening; others have been redeployed lessons remotely. In these I discuss books, share ‘virtual’ classrooms into different roles; some have been furloughed; and some worryingly made with Canva, promote our library apps, show author videos, have had roles downgraded or been made redundant. The positive run Accelerated Reader, and run sessions on dealing with ‘Fake impact of a well-funded and professionally staffed school library News’ using Mike Caulfield’s SIFT method. I’ve used MS Stream to on students’ achievement, reading for pleasure, information literacy, record video readalouds and ‘How To’ videos to promote titles and access to knowledge and self-esteem is evidenced; if we are serious English GCSE texts; and run Manga Club and Book Clubs online on about supporting children’s education and wellbeing after the Teams using Nearpod, Kahoot and Microsoft Forms for quizzes, pandemic, then they must be valued and prioritised. surveys and polls. Having a segment on our school’s ‘Lockdown Laughter’ podcast to talk about new book releases has been fun too. Zoom meetings and CPD have also been important. Lewisham Kristabelle Williams is a secondary school school librarians continued to meet online to shortlist books for Librarian at Addey and Stanhope School in Deptford, our Lewisham Book Awards but also offer mutual support; the SLA in the London Borough of Lewisham, where she is and NEU Librarians Network have run webinars on new ways also an NEU Health & Safety rep. She has worked of working during Coronavirus. Some of the key texts I’ve read and in school libraries for seven years and previously recommend during this period have been Zoey Dixon’s article in worked in public libraries. Kristabelle is currently an Honour Listee for the SLA’s School Librarian Books for Keeps ‘How to be an anti-racist librarian’ along with of the Year Award. You can follow her on twitter @ Phil Beadle’s book What is Cultural Capital? and Ebony Elizabeth LibThroughThis and the library @addeyslibrary. Thomas’s book The Dark Fantastic. Obituary: Victor Ambrus 19 August 1935 – 10 February 2021 Nicholas Tucker pays tribute to Victor Ambrus, who has died aged 85. László Gyözö (‘Victor’) Ambrus survived a perilous time in his youth before becoming a prolific and hugely successful illustrator. Born in Hungary in 1935, during his third year at the Budapest Academy of Fine Arts he and some fellow students were part of the resistance during the 1956 uprising. Under returning fire from Russian soldiers, eight of them were shot after enabling others to escape. Wading through heavy snow to the Austrian border, he finally decided to come to England. Speaking no English, he arrived at Crookham Army camp just before Christmas. He then enrolled at Farnham Art School, later transferring to the Royal College of Art where he studied engraving and lithography. There he met his future wife Glenys Chapman, also to become a noted illustrator. The couple had two sons. Victor Ambrus at work on a Time Team shoot Already familiar with classic British illustrators, Ambrus followed and their close links with the men riding them, this was history on in a tradition combining a fine line with strongly atmospheric brought thrillingly to new life. detail. Early on he illustrated stories by Hester Burton and K.M. He also appeared for over twenty years on Channel 4’s Archaeology Peyton, both published by Oxford University Press with whom went series Time Team. Here he would visualise and then draw how on to have a lifetime association. A fine horseman, winning two the various sites being excavated might have looked in their prime rosettes for show-jumping, he once rode a lively steed around a along with pictures of those who may also have been around at the field, slashing with a sword taken from his own growing collection time. Equally at home with primitive man or British nobles, his of weaponry. This was in order to get a better idea about what ability to create instant personalities on the page was extraordinary. charging into battle was like. Lecturing at Farnham, Guildford and Epsom Colleges of Art for In 1965 he won the Kate Greenaway Medal for Three Poor over twenty years, he was an outstanding teacher. There were Tailors. Based on a Hungarian folk tale, Ambrus was now also six stamps designed for the Royal Mail, celebrating the 200th supplying his own texts and alternating between black and white anniversary of the birth of Hans Andersen. line drawings and full colour. He won the Medal again in 1975 Neatly dressed, courteous, unfailingly benign and with a quiet but for two books, Mishka, about a boy who runs away to the circus mischievous sense of humour, Ambrose was universally popular and becomes an expert violinist, and Horses in Battle. This last with everyone he worked with. Speaking with barely a trace of title drew on childhood memories of the wild horses he used to accent and eloquent both in writing as well as in his wonderfully see driven out each morning during his summer holidays in the vivid use of watercolour, his contribution to illustration over the Hungarian countryside. Based on true stories about cavalry horses years was immense.

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 17 BfK REVIEWERS IN THIS ISSUE Brian Alderson is founder of the Children’s Under 5s Pre – School/Nursery/Infant Books History Society and a former Children’s Books Editor for The Times. Gwynneth Bailey is a freelance education will never get his hug, love comes and children’s book consultant. flying by, as it so often does. After the Clive Barnes, formerly Principal Ed’s Choice emotional rollercoaster of the story, Children’s Librarian, Southampton City readers are left with the gorgeous, is a freelance researcher and writer. No! Said Rabbit happy image of a slug in love. Diana Barnes was a librarian for 20 HHHHH Told with extraordinary economy, years, mostly as a children’s specialist, Marjoke Henrichs, Scallywag Press, every line, word and image delivers working in Kent, Herts, Portsmouth and 32pp, 9781912650248, £12.99 hbk feeling and intent, and simple as Hampshire, and Lusaka (Zambia) with it seems, there’s real emotional the British Council. Rabbit has an answer to all Mum’s depth to the story. Doug’s despair at Jill Bennett is the author of Learning to suggestions from time to get up ever finding love is echoed in a rainy Read with Picture Books and heads up until bath time – “No!” But even landscape, flowers drooping, and it’s a nursery unit. a little rabbit can sometimes say heartbreaking, while the scene in Rebecca Butler writes and lectures on “Yes” when the prize is as special which Doug and Gail realise they are children’s literature. as a cuddle from Mum. not meant to be is brilliantly, wordlessly Jane Churchill is a children’s book Pitching a picture book at the very explained, the turn of a page changing consultant. youngest is not easy. Tone, setting, everything. Superb. AR Fen Coles is co-director at Letterbox language and the visual impact all Library. have to be right. They do not have to everyday, as are the responses. Stuart Dyer is headteacher of a primary be simplistic nor necessarily brightly Her images are uncluttered and school in East Devon. coloured. In this her debut picture bold making full use of the whole Janet Fisher is a children’s literature book, Marjoke Henrichs strikes all page. Clear outlines and textured consultant. the right notes. The situation is one crayon ensure the visual language Geoff Fox is former Co-Editor (UK) of that both the very young and the is interesting and immediate without Children’s Literature in Education, but parent will recognise. That moment being overwhelming. Rabbit, while continues to work on the board and as when the child begins to exert clearly a rabbit, is also that child an occasional teller of traditional tales. independence, unwilling to do what reading the book. His chunky body Sarah Gallagher is a headteacher others want, determined to take neatly dressed in his favourite top and director of Storyshack.org action on their own account – the and trousers with pockets dominates www.storyshack.org default answer to any suggestion, the pages, the centre of attention. Ferelith Hordon is a former children’s demand or question “No”. However, His activities are just what one would librarian and editor of Books for Keeps there is always the possibility of a expect and a child can understand Carey Fluker Hunt is a writer and “yes” without losing face. Marjoke – whether getting dressed (a bit children’s book consultant. Henrichs’ success lies in the way she of a struggle) to splashing in puddles, Matthew Martin is a primary school kicking a ball and finally enjoying One Little Bird really does address the child rather HHHH teacher. than the adult. The text is minimal that bath he didn’t want to have. This Sue McGonigle is a Lecturer in and repetitious, a dialogue that will be is a picture book that really does Sheryl Webster, illus Helen Primary Education and Co-Creator of recognisable in real life, the activities work. FH Shoesmith, Oxford, www.lovemybooks.co.uk 978-0192773661, 32pp, £6.99 pbk Neil Philip is a writer and folklorist. One little bird changes the world Margaret Pemberton is a school for everyone in this environmentally library consultant and blogs at The Dodos Did It! Slug in Love themed picture book, proving that no margaretpemberton.edublogs.org. HHHHH HHHHH matter how small and powerless you Val Randall is Head of English and Literacy Alice McKinney, Simon & Schuster, Rachel Bright, illus Nadia Shireen, are or feel, you can make a difference Co-ordinator at a Pupil Referral Unit. by taking a stand. Rosa the robin is Andrea Reece is Managing Editor of 26pp, 978 1 4711 8122 1, £12.99, hbk Simon and Schuster, 32pp, 978-1471188619, £12.99 hbk happy in her tree top nest, until a man Books for Keeps. Jack absolutely loves dodos; he has Meet Doug. Doug is a slug, who needs cuts down the tree – the shadow it Sue Roe is a children’s librarian. a dodo themed bedroom and lots of casts is no good for his lettuce crop. Elizabeth Schlenther a hug. We can all identify with that is the compiler dodo toys. But what he really wants Furious, Rosa takes his hat and makes of www.healthybooks.org.uk right now. Emerging from a discarded is a real dodo. Amazingly his wish a new home from it on top of his roof. Lucy Staines is a primary school teacher comes true – and he is so pleased ice-cream carton, stickily and a little Nicholas Tucker is honorary senior mucky around the chops, but with News of her action spreads through the with his new companion, he wishes animal world (‘swept along streams, lecturer in Cultural and Community for more! Soon he has ten dodos, an endearing smile, Doug is surely Studies at Sussex University. irresistible. Apparently not. No-one flashed through forests and sailed over all bursting with energy and ready to oceans’). Soon other animals, similarly play. At first this is fun, but the novelty wants to give him a hug, not the ant, caterpillar, worm or spider. On plods forced out of their homes, are following soon wears off as the dodos create Rosa’s lead and moving into people’s havoc wherever Jack and his family Doug, alone. And then he meets Gail, a snail, also icky, mucky, yucky and houses. We see sloths on sofas, lions go. Unfortunately, his parents just in laundry baskets and even lemurs in don’t believe him when he blames the sticky. Surely they’ll make a perfect couple. But that’s not how love works loos. As tensions rise, Rosa swoops dodos for the mess in his bedroom, down to mediate; now the humans the supermarket and the library and there’s simply no spark between this slimy pair. Just as it seems Doug understand how the animals feel, and because as everyone knows, there things change as a result. are no dodos anymore! Rosa puts a friendly face to an This is a delighful picturebook important issue. The book skilfully with a very amusing story about explains one of the major problems being careful what you wish for. The facing the world in a way that young repeated refrain ‘The dodos did it!’ children can understand, while will tempt children to join in when they offering home and a positive message hear the story read aloud. There is lots about joint action. Helen Shoesmith’s for children to spot in the detailed and illustrations are very appealing and lively illustrations and subtle visual readers will enjoy spotting all the jokes to engage the adult reader. A birds, animals and minibeasts they second successful picturebook from contain. A final page of text contains the creator of Nine Lives Newton. suggestions for things children can do Look out for the surprise twist at the right now to improve their own local end! SMc environment for wildlife. LS

18 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 reviews the other family members are busily children who are dealing with shyness Under 5s Pre – School/Nursery/Infant continued engaged in various parts of the and need to work out how to live with house. it. As with Sophy, change may be But all good things … and eventually necessary, but this doesn’t mean we Just like you with disappointment before settling disaster! Caught, not red- handed have to lose who we are. Imagination HHHH into enthusiastic play. Excellent but pink lipsticked. Definitely a case allows us to explore new versions of design adds to the visual appeal of the Jo Loring-Fisher, Otter-Barry Books, of artistic expression that’s got just ourselves, and books like this support 32pp.,9781913074814 , £12.99 hbk whole – spacious full page spreads a tad out of hand and it’s brilliantly and illuminate such journeys. combine with active vignettes, a clear In this charming picture book, a girl related both verbally and visually. It’s worth adding that the endpapers font beautifully placed on each page Maria Karipidou’s illustrations are continue the visual story of Sophy’s points at her two eyes, her nose, and and end pages that move from grey to we follow the pages through, all the an absolute hoot showing the young friendship with the “owlish little boy”, rainbow drops; a lovely picture book to narrator getting into flow state - and there’s a special bonus in the way down to one bottom, two knees welcome and share. FH and two feet- and then she says that, the perfect accompaniment to the hardback: remove the dust jacket to ‘My feet can take me a long, long tongue-in-cheek text. reveal a gorgeous snowscape glowing Grandpa’s Gift It’s just as well that home-schooling in the sunshine - just like the pattern way’ next to her mother who has HHHH her head covered, and that her feet is coming to an end as a sharing of on Sophy’s (magic?) lampshade. CFH Fiona Lumbers, Simon & Schuster, can run very fast. Sometimes she’s this might just result in some copycat 32pp, 978 1 4711 6656 3, 24pp, creativity. JB Uncle Bobby’s Wedding happy, sometimes she’s sad; she £12.99, hbk HHHHH loves cuddles with Mum and her baby brother or sister, and feeling safe and A little boy has recently arrived in the Wolf Girl Written by Sarah S. Brannen, warm – and then we see where she city. Although the reasons for this HHHH ill. Lucia Soto, Hodder, 32pp, sleeps, living out of a suitcase with move are not explained, it is clear Written and ill. Jo Loring-Fisher, 978-1-444-96093-8, £12.99 hbk cooking pots and bowls on the floor. he misses the space and freedom Frances Lincoln Children’s (First Chloe has a very special relationship The final double-page spread shows of the home he has left behind. His Editions) 32pp, 978-0-7112-4956-1, with her Uncle Bobby. He takes her that she lives in a temporary shelter grandpa takes him for a walk to a £12.99 hbk rowing, teaches her the names of the in a refugee camp surrounded by a dusty old junk shop full of unwanted Shy children often find a refuge in stars and loves flying kites. So when fence topped with barbed wire, but objects. They find interesting things to imaginative worlds, and time spent in Bobby announces his engagement to repeats that she is ‘Just like you’. show each other; the boy a telescope those faraway places may help them Jamie at a family picnic, Chloe feels Even quite young children should and grandpa what appears an when they come back home. left out. Everyone else is celebrating, understand that becoming a refugee uninteresting grey stone, his grandson So it is with Sophy. School is a place but Bobby is her special uncle, and can happen to anyone and is not the is not impressed. But when opened, of isolation and anxiety, but in her city Chloe doesn’t want their relationship fault of the person involved or their something beautiful and magical is flat she has made a wolf den. Beneath to change. family, and this book will encourage revealed. Changed by this experience a blanket, by lamplight, Sophy wears ‘Why is Uncle Bobby getting empathy and understanding of some the young boy becomes more aware her wolf suit and imagines that she is married?’ she asks her mum. ‘When other children’s lives. of beauty in the world around him fierce and fast and strong. grown-up people love each other that This is Jo Loring-Fisher’s first book - a flower poking through the paving One morning, Sophy wears her suit much, sometimes they get married’, as author and illustrator. She had slabs, a bird around his feet and he for school. Surely everyone will like it Mum replies, and suggests that Chloe previously illustrated Samuel Narh’s imagines what might lie under the and want to be her friend? But Sophy and Bobby have a chat. After a day picture book, Maisie’s Scrapbook, ground. Eventually his journey of still can’t find the courage to talk to having fun with Bobby and Jamie, about a mixed-race family, and that discovery leads him to a wonderful anyone, and the other children laugh Chloe discovers that time spent with was well-reviewed. Otter-Barry is well playground and a new friend. After at her. Back home, she hides in her both of them is even better than time known for publishing books with a initial doubts, he begins to feel there den and cries - and as she does so, alone with Bobby. ‘I wish both of you purpose, and this will be a useful may be lots to look forward to in life in something extraordinary happens. were my uncles,’ she says, and of addition to a library, both as a story his new home after all. Her den becomes the “silent, snowy course, her wish comes true. Chloe as and as a way of appreciating how A gentle, beautifully illustrated woods she knew from her books,” is a flower girl at ‘the best wedding some other children live. DB picturebook with an uplifting story and a wolf and her pup are waiting ever,’ as Jamie joins the family and about not jumping to conclusions and to play with her. Together they run the celebrations begin. Sunny-side Up finding ‘the everyday fantastic’ – the and prance and howl until a blizzard Packed with action and emotion, HHHH beauty and wonder in the ordinary strikes, when they seek shelter in Lucia Soto’s brightly-coloured artwork and every day. A story which might Jacky Davis. Illustrated by Fiona a deep, dark cave. But the cave is brings a contemporary buzz to an Woodcock, Greenwillow Books, prompt young readers to make their also sheltering a bear, and it’s this LGBTQ+ classic first published in the 40pp, 9780062573070, £12.99 hbk own discoveries and look at their encounter that helps Sophy speak USA in 2008 with illustrations by the world with fresh eyes. SMc What can you do when the weather is up. When she returns from her author, and subsequently reworked for grey and the rain is falling – especially adventure, the warm, brave feelings this completely new edition. Instead of The Lipstick the anthropomorphised guineapigs of if you are a lively child who wants to HHH inside her are still there, and finally be outside? Well you might find a nest Sophy is able to find her voice. the original, Soto gives us an exuberant on the sofa – build a great tower of Laura Dockrill, ill. Maria Karipidou, Sophy’s story is told in a way that and expressive cast of visibly diverse Walker Books, 40pp, blocks – create a hidey hole where helps young audiences connect, characters who draw us to the heart of 978 1 4063 8955 5, £12.99 hbk you can draw or imaginatively cook ... and children who find ambiguity their story about love and family, and all of these are brilliant suggestions Experimental mark making is an challenging will be pleased by the way how we celebrate. filling in the hours until Mum comes important part of young children’s Jo Loring-Fisher handles the dream Chloe’s uncertainty about her home – and yes, the clouds clear; development so it’s never a good element. Others may find this aspect uncle’s wedding will strike a chord time to go out. idea to leave such things as your disappointing, and feel that the text with children worried by change, Fiona Woodcock’s illustrations best bright pink lipstick lying around doesn’t quite match the lyrical charm and it’s her fear that she will lose a capture the moods in this gentle at home like the mother of the small of her artwork. And it’s Loring-Fisher’s favourite uncle to another relationship picture book perfectly. A pastel palette child narrator of this story does. artwork that elevates this story that drives this story, not the nature of of watercolours have been married to Not content with trying it out on his and transforms it. Landscape and that relationship. As Sarah Brannen printing techniques to create a softly lips, he decides to take the lipstick mood are evoked with such skill and says on mombian.com, “the whole textured look, covering whole pages ‘for a little walk’. Something of a sensitivity that we can feel the chill of point of the book is that the wedding with tones that exactly mirror the euphemism as it turns out, for it isn’t this northern forest and the warmth of Bobby and his boyfriend Jamie emotion of the moment. However long before the odd daub has become of Sophy’s interactions with the is just part of the fabric of a family. these are not impressionistic images. an entire graffiti covered house, both animals. Grey city playgrounds, caves Except for a couple of pronouns, the Clear pencil outlines ensure the little upstairs and down, as the little boy filled with leaf-litter and luminous story would be identical if Bobby was girl is a very solid creation who will has his best ever day. ‘I let the lipstick snowscapes are brought to life in marrying a woman.” engage the young reader in these very take charge.’ he tells readers. spreads that sweep us away and fill This beautiful, heartwarming and recognisable activities. The gently Oddly, said child has been left us with magic. important celebration of love and rhyming text by Jacky Davis captures completely unsupervised (apart from Loring-Fisher’s story may not family reassures children that change the child’s mood – bouncing long in by the family’s moggy Martin) and surprise readers, but it has important can bring joy and new possibilities, anticipation at the beginning of the thus his doodles multiply in parallel things to say, and it says them kindly, and leaves all of us with a warm glow. day, dripping with the rain and spiky with his mounting enthusiasm as all in a way that will resonate with CFH BfK 5 – 8 Infant/Junior

HOM usually is on these monthly Sunday town, and later a steam train thunders animals will appeal, and the thought HHHHH train rides and his sister is the same, past the factories as, by the time we that the most interesting ideas come ‘Excitement stacked on top of worry/ reach the Industrial Revolution, the in small packages is an unusual one Jeanne Willis, ill. Paddy Donnelly, Andersen Press, 32pp, on top of confusion/ on top of love.’ tree is the last on the hill. Children still for children’s books – as is a flea!ES 978-1-78344-995-8, £12.99 hbk To stay calm, Milo observes his fellow play in its branches while more, taller, passengers, imagining their lives and buildings appear and a motorway is My Sneezes Are Perfect Shipwrecked on a tropical island, a drawing scenes in his sketchbook. built. The very old and gnarled oak HHH boy discovers that he’s not alone. The whiskered man next to him he tree watches an acorn fall from its Rackshan Rizwan with Yusuf Observing him from the vegetation depicts going home to a flat empty branches, and wonders what that Samee, ill. Benjamin Phillips, fringing the beach is a strange, green but for ‘mewling cats and burrowing young tree will see… The Emma Press, 112pp, child with ears like leaves. rats’, sipping ‘tepid soup’ on his own. We then have a double-page 978 1 9129 15682, £8.99, pbk ‘I’m not sure who was more scared When a young boy in spotless white spread showing a timeline from The main interest in this collection – me or him! We laughed about Nikes gets on with his father, Milo 1000, when the Viking Leif Erikson that later,’ says the boy, setting the is that it is written jointly by an adult, imagines him in a castle with a butler sailed on a voyage to North America, Rakshan Rizwan, and her six-year-old scene in a way that invites us close and maids to serve him lunch. He to 2020, when Covid-19 spread and fast-forwards this most unusual son, Yusuf Samee. The poems, all in wonders what people think about him across the world - we are right up to Yusuf’s voice, are in free verse, so rely of friendships. The green child – can they see him reciting his volcano date. Another double-page shows can’t speak, but cave-drawings and on the concision of their language and poem, or listening as his mum reads the stages of a tree, from seedling the significance of the experience they empathy tell our castaway about his him bedtime stories over the phone? to senescence, (a wonderful word!) history and character. The boy sends describe rather than the more obvious When they reach their stop, Milo is and the book finishes with ideas for characteristics of wordplay, rhyme or a message in a bottle, as shipwrecked surprised to see the boy in the Nikes being a history detective, e.g. looking sailors often do, but when a rescue rhythm. In one sense they are a record getting off too; they’re both going to at old buildings, finding photographs of Yusuf’s personal experience and boat appears, he takes the curious the same place. As they go through of how your area used to look, and step of hiding in the jungle. aspects of his emotional biography as the metal detector at the women’s talking to older people; then how to mediated by the adult poet, but they are This tale of disaster and survival is prison, Milo realises you can’t really be a friend to trees, looking at what a rattlingly good read, but there are also, inevitably, an unacknowledged know anyone just by looking at their lives in a tree, doing bark rubbings, record of how she perceives Yusuf’s ideas, too, that give it depth and edge. face and reimagines the pictures possibly planting trees, and knowing Why does Hom need protecting? Is life and interests. There is a range of he’s drawn, giving the people happier how important they are. preoccupations here: from Yusuf’s this story happening now, or long lives. Milo, and readers with him, Charlotte Guillan has written over ago? Does our narrator ever leave distaste of bananas to the singular have seen and learned so much. 100 books, including the excellent discomfort of a school ‘intruder drill’, the island? HOM raises intriguing Milo’s fellow passengers are as non-fiction picture book, The Street questions, but they don’t impede the when the children practice for that rich a mix as you’d expect to find Beneath My Feet. Sam Usher is a moment when a killer roams the action and can be addressed or not, on a New York subway and, at the very experienced and accomplished as readers choose. corridors. For the most part, Rizwan book’s end, everyone will want to go illustrator, his illustrations show convinces us that we are meeting and Jeanne Willis really does know back, look at them again and imagine clearly the various clothes worn by how to tell a satisfying, multilayered hearing Yusuf himself, telling us about for themselves the lives they could people across the ages, and his his pet passions and hates, about his story in picturebook form, and visually be living. Milo’s story too will open simple style, slightly reminiscent of HOM is also a delight. The island’s move from Holland to California and up another world of wonder and Quentin Blake or Tim Archbold, gives about the fun and frustrations of life lush vegetation and changing light understanding and the experiences each one character. Together they creates stunning backdrops for on Zoom in the Covid lockdown. Just of a child with a parent in prison are make a good team, and this lovely occasionally the adult input is rather Paddy Donnelly’s characters, and his depicted with huge skill and insight. book will be very useful in the infant dramatic instinct is evident throughout. more obvious with openings like ‘Trees Matt de la Pena’s text is concise classroom. DB are natural storytellers’ or ‘Squirrels There is always somewhere for our but lyrical and Christian Robinson’s eyes (and minds) to travel in these are furry little bandits’ but readers of illustrations detailed, immediate but ‘What About Me’ Said the Flea Yusuf’s age will probably find in Yusuf spreads, and plenty of detail to engage full of space for readers to fill in. An HHHH us once we’re there. not only someone very much like exceptional picture book. LS Lily Murray, ill. Richard Merritt, themselves but also someone who has A gorgeously thoughtful tale of Buster Books, 32pp, high adventure that will find a place his own personality and take on the What Did the Tree See? 978 1 78055 701 4, £6.99 pbk world. And that says a great deal for in many hearts, HOM creates a whole HHHH new world of fun and reflection that Sophia loves to write stories, and the the observation and perceptiveness of Charlotte Guillan, ill. Sam Usher, is spot-on for its target audience.CFH more imaginative, the better. She has the adult side of this intriguing writing Welbeck Children’s, 32pp., a fund of ideas, all about animals partnership. CB 978-191351-901-8, £12.99 hbk and the exciting things they do. One 10p from each sale of this book goes day, when trying to find something to Alone! to the National Forest, which is right write about, all the animals parade HHHH in the heart of this country, embracing in front of her, trying to convince her Barry Falls, Pavilion Books, 40pp, 200 miles of former industrial areas to choose them. There is a sparkly 978 1 84365 467 4, £6.99 pbk in the Midlands, covering Derbyshire, unicorn, cuddly bears, a lion who ‘There once was a boy called Billy Leicestershire and Staffordshire, and dresses in the brightest of clothes, McGill who lived by himself on the aiming to link the two ancient forests colourful llamas and a very blue sloth, top of a hill.’ He not only lives alone, of Charnwood and Needwood. (www. ten squeaky penguins, and, finally, a but he prefers it. He doesn’t like the nationalforest.org). The organization huge green dinosaur who frightens frantic pace of the town, and he loves plants trees and enables people to everyone else away. Meanwhile, there peace and quiet, so…when a noise connect with nature, so this book is a is something tiny trying to get Sophia’s interrupts that peace, he doesn’t Milo Imagines the World good way for young children to start to attention, a something so small that like it. A search produces a mouse, HHHHH understand the importance of trees. it takes quite a lot of looking to find and he acquires a cat to get rid of Matt de la Pena, Christian In rhyming verse, it tells the story of him. He’s been on her desk all along, the mouse. The cat likes the mouse Robinson, Two Hoots, 40pp, one oak tree over hundreds of years, waiting for an opportunity to give his and they play together, so then there 978-1529066319, £12.99 hbk growing from an acorn to a sapling side of the story: ‘I know that I’m must be a dog to chase the cat, only ‘What begins as a slow, distant in a park in medieval times, seeing small and I haven’t got style. I can’t he doesn’t. Instead they all play glow/ grows and grows/ into a tired a village appear in a clearing, and do magic or give a dazzling smile. happily. A bear and a tiger join the train that clatters down the tracks.’ the gradual expansion of the village, But I try to be brave and try to be fray, and soon a vet (for the tiger) and Milo and his big sister board the with farms spreading all around, then bold. Doesn’t my story deserve to be a hairdresser to clip a sheep (who train and their journey begins. Milo, watching as some trees are cut down told?’ And so Sophia begins to write. has appeared on the scene) come small, bespectacled, feet dangling in in Tudor times to build mighty ships. In The rhyming couplets as well as the along too, a further problem being mid-air, is a ‘shook-up soda’, as he Georgian times the village becomes a brilliantly psychedelic procession of that the hairdresser brings a rather

20 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 reviews One spring morning, Cam listens to the We’ve Got Talent 5 – 8 Infant/Junior continued watery voice of what begins as a tiny HHHH trickle of a rivulet among the pines, Hannah Whitty, ill. Paul Bowles, noisy baby! Chaos reigns supreme! for company and calls him Pierre. An “Come with me, I will take you to the Simon and Schuster, 32pp, Poor, cross Billy can’t stand all the elegant cat, Pierre looks the perfect sea. “ Cam takes up the offer, following 9781471175152, £6.99 pbk the trickle to see where it leads as it noise and leaves his house on the fit for Bertram’s lifestyle. Making sure This is a brightly coloured cartoon hill to find another hill where he can Pierre has a special china bowl and a runs down the mountainside and joins a stream. A stream with leaping, illustrated book about a school play. be alone. He begins to think about stylish cat bed Bertram looks forward It’s rainbow coloured illustrations all that has happened and decides to the companionship of snuggling beckoning trout, that grows into a river flowing through farms and a town, past support the message about being to go home again, and when he gets up on the sofa with his new friend to ourselves and that it matters not what there, chaos continues; but there is watch TV. Unfortunately, Pierre has wharves and then onto sand dunes and there, ‘wild and beautiful’ and gender you are-you can still follow an answer for each of the problems, other ideas and decides he feels much your own hopes and dreams, indeed and soon everyone is able to leave. more at home next door amongst going on forever is the sea welcoming him with the most exciting sound ever. should be able to. Billy is relieved and still loves to live Alan’s messy clutter feasting on The setting will be recognisable on his hill all alone: ‘There’s hardly leftovers than in Bertram’s carefully Joy’s writing is irresistible as that watery, ever changing voice carries the to children as it is a school but the a whisper. There’s barely a sound! designed home. What can be done? characters are many and varied Except on a Tuesday when friends Eventually the two friends come to reader along but so too are Kimberley Andrews’ visual compositions. Her animals. Olivia is a white bunny and come around.’ I am particularly an inventive and radical agreement Sam is a rhino. They both go to Big taken with the fact that Billy is still to solve the problem and ensure they changing landscapes mirror the voice of the river making reading this book a City Primary and are very excited basically a happy loner, but has also have the company they crave. because they are going to audition for learned that people and animals can This is a stylish picturebook true sensory experience that involves not only sounds and sights, but you their school play about a princess and be fun too – in carefully controlled with themes of compromise and a knight. circumstances! The rhymes and the friendship. There is gently humour can almost feel the pull of the sea too. Whether or not Cam’s experiences Olivia and Sam are both going for clever and funny illustrations are in the recognition that fickle felines the main parts and so they practise wonderful entertainment, and the frequently won’t conform to their are real or imagined, it matters not for this circular tale is a wonderful lots and when the big day comes one whole is an excellent romp. ES owner’s expectations. The differing of them dances for the part of the homes and lifestyles of the two homage to the natural world and to the power of storytelling. JB princess and the other acts for the Howl friends are juxtaposed and brought part of the knight. When the roles are HHHH into sharp contrast in some of the announced Olivia and Sam find they SMc Can Bears Ski? Kat Patrick, illus by Evie Barrow, detailed double page spreads. HHHH have got the main parts but not the Scribble, 32pp, 9781912854905, main parts that they wanted. £11.99 hbk Everybody Worries Raymond Antrobus, ill. Polly They start to rehearse and they are HHHH Dunbar, Walker Books, 32pp, very frustrated. Olivia has to dance Have you ever had one of those days 978 1 4063 8262 4, £12.99 hbk when nothing is right – even the Jon Burgerman, OUP, 32pp, and doesn’t have anything to say at sun is too bright, your spaghetti too 978 0 19 276605 2, £6.99 pbk Hearing difficulty is often not visible all and Sam has to speak and hates long and the pyjamas are wrong? The author/illustrator of this picture book to others, let alone obvious; but the it. They come to a solution which I’m That is the day Maggie has had. And is a renowned artist in the ‘Doodle art’ impact it can have on a person’s life can not going to spoil for you but suffice to then her two front teeth fall out – it style, and this story with its remarkable be large, especially while undiscovered. say is it a good one and illustrates the is too much. Maggie thinks wolfish little characters doing remarkable things Can Bears Ski? is of personal vital point for everybody that we all thoughts – but how can she really is a perfect representation of that art significance for both author and have different skills and talents and release those feelings. It is Mum who form. Children will love it, and the fact illustrator. Author, Raymond Antrobus they shouldn’t be blocked because shows her – because even Mums that the children who will enjoy it most had his deafness discovered as a they go against a stereotype. need to howl sometimes. As wolves are probably the more profound worriers child of six and he draws on his own The text is bold and well spaced Maggie and Mum are able to let go amongst us, means that it will fulfil its experiences for this, his debut picture out with enough to challenge but – until it is time to go back to bed as purpose admirably. Rhyming couplets book. Illustrator Polly Dunbar is support new readers. Paula Bowles’ Maggie. explain that even brave and ‘cool’ people partially deaf and like the bear in the illustrations are joyous and colourful. In this picture book, Kat Patrick, worry about things large and small, story, wears hearing aids. The characters have great expressions shows young readers - and here it is tough and smart people can be afraid of At the start the little bear narrator and and they are great fun. This is a a little girl - that it is all right to find a the dark, and that ‘Worries aren’t always is puzzled about why everybody keeps lovely one for the return to school as place to let go – to send your biggest the same for everyone.’ Facing changes asking the title question: his Dad it would definitely contribute to well feelings to the sky. It introduces the such as moving house, can be terribly often says it, his teacher too, and his being and self confidence in these realisation that even adults may need worrying and ‘make you feel sickly’ but friends at school. Then one afternoon strange times. SG to express themselves. It is about the telling someone about it can help, as can after school, Dad takes him to an ‘au- relationship between a mother and drawing pictures, or: ‘Take three breaths, di-ol-o-gist’. Surprisingly for the little Chicken Come Home her daughter and an affirmation that slow and deep. Exercise and eat well, cub, she too asks that same question HHHH everyone needs to howl and be wild and get enough sleep.’ So…good as she carries out a number of tests. Polly Faber, ill. Briony May sometimes. Evie Barrow’s textured advice, colourful little comic characters, What the audiogram shows is that the Smith, Pavilion Books, 32pp, illustrations and saturated colours and simple ideas about what worrying little bear has hearing loss. 9781843654872, £6.99 pbk bring the atmosphere and background really is and how people suffer from it, A while later, after further tests, the audiologist prescribes hearing This is particular favourite of mine to life adding detail and depth to the will be positive reasons for talking about because I own 2 chickens and the author’s narrative. Maggie and her one’s worries and learning that they therapy and lip-reading classes. She also gives the cub ‘a pair of plastic chicken in this story is just like both of Mum have real character and their won’t go on forever. The pictures, very them! Dolly is a very brave and feisty emotions, moving from Maggie’s pent- funny and clever in themselves, help ears called hearing aids.’ At last, he understands what the titular question little bird who likes to roam free range up frustrations to the joyous freedom of make a serious subject approachable in her owner’s garden. Her owner is a a moonlit garden, are perfectly realised and helpful. ES really is. He also feels the huge impact of the sounds of everyday living which little boy ‘who she likes best’ and Dolly in words and images. FH likes to challenge him every day by Song of the River makes him feel tired at times, so out come his hearing aids. laying her eggs in different places. The Problem with Pierre HHHH One day Dolly goes for another HHHH This compassionate reassuring Joy Cowley, ill. Kimberly Andrews, collaboration is a splendid explore but inadvertently gets swept Gecko Press, 32pp, C.K.Smouha, ill. Suzanna demonstration of the frustration and up in the basket of a hot air balloon Hubbard, Cicada, 32pp, 978 1 978 1 7765 7254 0, £11.99 hbk where she tried to lay her egg. She gets 908714 85 5, £11.95, hbk sense of isolation a young child may well This is a newly illustrated version feel in a hearing world; and a splendid carried far over her normal roaming Although Alan and Bertram are of a Joy Cowley poetic narrative portrayal of the love, consideration and patch. WHen she is set down she has to friends and neighbours they are published over twenty years ago. Now, empathy of the father character. attempt to return to her own garden and complete opposites. Bertram is tidy, Kimberley Andrews has re-imagined This is a book to share widely: as passes by other animals on her journey. with everything in its place and Alan an adventure of Cam, the little boy who well as enjoying the story, hearing Eventually, don’t worry, she does return is very messy, believing life is best follows a river from source to sea. children will learn how best to talk to and even manages to catch a ride on when not quite perfect. Bertram, Impatient at the lack of action on his somebody with hearing loss; those with the school bus whilst doing so. aware something is missing in his Grandfather’s part (he’d promised to hearing issues will appreciate seeing The language is great for reading well-ordered life, decides to get a cat take the boy all the way to the coast, themselves sensitively represented. JB out loud in the book as there are

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 21 BfK the day ‘fast, fast, she cleaned up the can she tell her Mum she doesn’t 5 – 8 Infant/Junior continued dishes and went to bed.’ You can live want to perform any more? Wisely, in these daft, rudimentary episodes Mum gives her some space, some some clucks of course but also tires of his stink and decides it must more than in the elaborate verbosities peace and quiet, and it is not long shorter sentences which make for be time for a bath. The news spreads that occupy so many picture books before Poppy begins to realise that in easy reading. The illustrations are fast, and crowds come to the river then and now. BA fact there is much she misses from endearing-naturalistic with some side to watch the King washing and circus life. Light bulb moment….Poppy The Greatest Show Penguin has a brilliant idea that she could help beautiful pictures of other animals scrubbing his body. However, when HHHH and some of their homes. Some of he emerges from the water and dries to run the show, rather than perform. the pictures are double pages which himself he realises his feet are still Lucy Freegard, Pavilion, So many areas need expertise; health work well to give a lovely pictures of dirty. Despite renewed efforts to scrub 978 1 84365 468 1, £7.99, pbk and safety, auditions, equipment, the nature scenes she finds herself in. them clean, the King is frustrated by Here is all the awe and wonder of the costumes. During performances, A lovely one for learning about well his still dirty feet, and demands his circus showground, with the Penguin Poppy feels calm and in control as known animals, especially if you are a servants rid the land of the dirt. The family showing their prowess in all the she peeps through the curtains and chicken owner! SG sweeping and flooding of the land traditional circus acts. Practising and watches the greatest show on earth. has no effect, and finally the people perfecting their skills is a daily part With her parents bursting with pride, Lionel the Lonely Monster alight upon the idea of covering up of life, even meal times involve some she has found her niche. Illustrated HHHHH the land. And so the people create a acrobatics. Little Poppy performs in soft pastel watercolours and well- spaced text to balance the acrobatic Fred Blunt, OUP, 32pp, monster cloth, from the school to the daily, travelling around the country, 978 0 19 277369 2, £6.99, pbk well, from the temple to the palace, but she knows, deep down, that performers, this tale will cause readers to think about balancing their Here is Lionel, not much like a lion, and all the way to the river. It takes performing is not her passion. She the wise words of an old, old man to doesn’t like all the loud noises, the own life skills and finding their place but oh so sad, with his crumply horns, in life. GB his spikey tail and his woebegone tell the king that now they would have bright lights, the crowded places. How mouth. Carrying a placard with nowhere to grow flowers and grass for FREE HUGS he cannot find anyone the animals, no fruit or vegetables for to befriend. Children run, scared, the people to eat. SNIP, SNIP, SNIP, and grownups are too busy to notice goes the old, old man, and from the 8 – 10 Junior/Middle him. Unbearably sad and weepy, he wondrous cloth he creates the first then encounters a yappy dog who pair of shoes! The illustrator captures the emotions of all the characters in gives the monster a “concerned prod and a lick”. Their friendship bold, striking colours, and readers begins, but when they reach the can feel the delight on the faces of the New talent playground, again all the children newly shod people at the end of the book. A great book for dramatisation The Last Bear scream and run away. Only when HHHH Monster realises the dog is looking and for oral story telling. GB sad does he see the LOST poster on Hannah Gold, illus Levi Pinfold, Brookie and her Lamb HarperCollins Children’s Books, a tree, with a picture of the dog, and 978-1-68137-545-8 he sees his dog collar identifies him 304pp, 978-0008411282, as Milo, the lost dog. How to resolve Fish for Supper £12.99 hbk the story? Squeals of delight by the 978-1-68137-546-5 The urgency of saving the Arctic is owner as Monster returns Milo to HHHH made wonderfully, magically real the address on his collar, followed M.B.Goffstein, New York Review in Hannah Gold’s majestic debut. by howls of horror as the girl spots of Books Children’s Collection, Eleven-year-old April escapes the Monster on her pathway. Finally, they £13.99 hbk miseries of school and travels with are all three playing together, with the The quality of these two modest her scientist father to a remote little girl promising he would be her books lives in their absolute daring. outpost on the equally faraway BFF. A gentle tale with a few twists, They were perhaps all too quiet for Bear Island. Under the midnight admirably portrayed in pastel shades, the many busy children’s books sun, while her father monitors and with lots of small details, ladybirds, editors in London when they were records temperatures and wind snails and fly agarics to draw the eye first published in New York in the speeds, April explores the island and the thought of him gives her a from the main action. This gentle sixties and seventies but they were discovers its last polar bear, isolated, ‘shimmery glimmer of excitement, colouring makes the huge black time-defying and it is good to find wounded and starving. We already as if someone had sprinkled capitals of MONSTER! scream off the them now. In the first of them, know that like the mother she can glitter all over her’ – but through it double spread, near the end. A warm Brookie adopts a lamb whom she now scarcely remember, April has readers are brought exhilaratingly story to show the power of kindness loves very much. That is presumably a special bond with animals. As close to a magnificent wild animal and how one should not judge others reciprocated for they go around she helps and feeds the bear, the and given an vivid, unforgettable by appearances, it will appeal to all together with the lamb patiently two become more than human and message about the importance small children with a sense of fun. GB allowing itself to be humanised animal, more than friends, almost of saving them. April may be small although all it can say is Baa baa the same creature. Travelling across and overlooked, but she proves The King with Dirty Feet the island on the polar bear’s back to everyone that she can make a HHHHH baa. In the second, a respectably independent grandmother gets up in April understands how he came to difference. It’s a message readers Sally Pomme Clayton, ill. Rhiannon the morning, has breakfast, spends be there alone, and the desperate will take to their hearts. The story Sanderson, Otter-Barry, 40pp, the day fishing and the comes home need to take him to Svalbard and the features illustrations throughout by 978 1 91307 498 2, £7.99 pbk and cooks the catch for supper. The chance of a proper life. There’s no Levi Pinfold and, characteristically This new version of an old and leanness of the narrative is matched doubt that April’s relationship with atmospheric, they make this book delightful tale from India and by the simplicity of the protagonists’ the bear is the stuff of fairytales – even more special. LS Bangladesh has been created by the portrayals – unembellished outline acclaimed story teller, Sally Pomme drawings of the non-stories related A Girl Called Joy before, travelling around the world Clayton. It is beautifully written, and by the words. You must watch and HHHHH instead with her peripatetic parents like all her writing, reads aloud very listen with a heightened sensibility who also provided loving and fun home well. In a beautiful palace in India Jenny Valentine, Simon & Schuster, to catch the moments brought to life 201pp, 9781471196492, £7.99 pbk schooling. Returning to the UK to stay lives a king, a happy king, whose by Goffstein’s observant personality. with a sick grandfather proves another kingdom is filled with trees, flowers, Just look at the jauntiness in ‘Brookie This story has a ten-year-old heroine matter. But while her stroppy older sister animals and a flowing river. He has took the lamb for a walk’ faced by ‘and so unreservedly nice and positive it soon finds she actually enjoys school, everything he wants and he is very a little dog barked at them’ simply seems inevitable she will eventually once given the chance, Joy never gets happy. However, the one thing he (and uniquely) there in silhouette. have a fall. And so she does, when the hang of it. Her only refuge there is a hates is bathtime. That King has not Hear the echo when, after breakfast, her formidable new school mistress massive ancient oak tree standing in the washed for a week; a month; he has grandmother ‘cleans up the dishes, quickly becomes and then stays highly school playground. Finally she makes not washed for a whole year! And he fast, fast, fast’ and then at the end of irritated with such a free spirit. For Joy, friends with cheerful fellow pupil Benny has begun to smell. Sadly, he himself aptly named, had never been to school and things start to improve.

22 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 reviews Whetstone is determined to make 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued a name for himself in sagas and stories, and if that’s for being a thief, At this stage the story turns more The poetic text, full of imagery is so be it. The two meet when Lotta conventional, with Joy and Benny perfectly matched by the warmth of gets separated from the Valkyrie party discovering that their tree is now the vibrant, painterly illustrations. heading to a battlefield to collect dead facing destruction in order to build Joyful and at times poignant this is an heroes to transport to Valhalla and a new school. Their protest against aspirational, motivational and moving picks up an unconscious Whetstone as this is instantly successful and they celebration of black boyhood. SMc the best she can manage. His arrival now have a lot of support, including in Asgard sets in train a whole series their initially hostile teacher. So The Hatmakers of events and is not the wild stroke much, so unlikely, but this is a story HHHHH of fortune it first appears: trickster more about personality than local Tamzin Merchant, ill. Paola Loki is very interested in Whetstone politics. Before coming to Britain Joy Escobar, Puffin, 343pp, and the magic cup he’s stolen, and had a dream childhood, exploring 9780241426302, £12.99 hbk even Odin gets involved. It’s certainly far off countries year by year as part Tamzin Merchant has succeeded lots of fun and makes excellent use of a family whose members also brilliantly in creating a captivating and of Norse myths and beliefs, weaving stories, details and famous characters enjoyed each other. This privileged magical fantasy world in this debut and the little boy have become best existence could have turned her into novel. Readers will find themselves into the framework of the adventure. friends because they are, essentially, Being a Valkyrie has never seemed so a superior show-off, but her clever transported to an alternative Georgian the same being. Sadness is the boy’s author Jenny Valentine effortlessly London where Maker families weave appealing, while Whetstone’s journey way of coping with his loss, whatever to decide the kind of hero he wants bats away any feelings of envy. Over- spells to craft items such as hats, that may be. This is never explained, flowing with good humour and a cloaks, boots, gloves, and watches to be is also given room. And there’s but the reason for the sadness is a a fantastic battle with a dragon – what fount of lively suggestions when it for the Royal Family. Cordelia serious one. The story was inspired comes to devising new imaginative Hatmaker is the youngest of a long more could you want? This is part one by a quote from a Jewish woman in a trilogy and will be much enjoyed games, Joy deserves her happy line of magical milliners and when who died during the Holocaust, Etty ending. She even manages to bring her father’s ship is lost at the end of a by youngster getting to grips with the Hillesum, who wrote that sorrow Vikings. MMa crusty old grandpa round just as so voyage in search of exotic hat-making needs ‘space and shelter’ to fulfil its many other small fictional children ingredients she determines to find needs, otherwise it can turn to hate Too Small Tola and the have always managed to do with him. But her remaining family have and revenge, which will only bring Three Fine Girls their grumpy elders from Heidi no time to help her as they are tasked on more sorrow in the world. The HHHHH and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm with making a Peace Hat just as the little boy and his sadness are doing Atinuke Illustrated by Onyinye onwards. NT King is incapacitated by a malign their best to find within themselves enchantment, Maker family rivalries Iwu, Walker Books, 96pp, I am Every Good Thing the peace and comfort they need in 9781406388923, £6.99 pbk are re-surfacing and war threatens whatever way necessary at their time HHHHH Tola lives in Lagos, Nigeria, she is the realm. Brave, resourceful Cordelia, of sorrow, and they have no thoughts the smallest in her family, so she is Derrick Barnes, ill. Gordon.C. with allies Goose, of the Bookmaker of hate – just love and imagination to known as Too Small Tola. But this James, Egmont, 32pp, family, and streetwise thief Sam, get them through. Magical pictures does not stop her from being mighty - 978 0 7555 0270 7, £6.99 pbk combine to rescue the King and are wholly appropriate, full of light whether it is stepping up to help earn This powerful picturebook, first Princess, unite the Maker families, and dark, reflecting the text in every some money when Grandmummy is published in the USA in 2020, is and foil a villainous plot to start a war. way. Superb. ES already a prize-winning book and This is an exhilarating read, full ill, sorting the gravel from their rice so New York Times best seller. of fast-paced action and adventure, How to Be a Hero it is ready to cook – or just not making The pose of the figure depicted sparkling magic, witty word- play HHHH a fuss when her dreams of ruffles on and humour. The world building a dress will never be fulfilled. on the cover strikes a defiant note, Cat Weldon, illus Katie Kear, daring the reader to contradict the is inventive, and the storytelling This is the second collection of Macmillan Children’s Books, stories built round Tola and her family title. Open the book and we discover accomplished. The idea of making 256pp, 978-1529045031, £6.99 pbk an exuberant superhero zooming hats as though they were cakes, with in Lagos; it is a delight. Atinuke is cleverly named magical ingredients, is Two outsiders star in this lively, comic a storyteller herself and these are across the page. And here the text Viking saga. Up in Asgard, Lotta is in begins, a first-person narration led enticing and the descriptions are full of stories that demand to be read aloud. literary and historical allusions which training to be a Valkyrie and she is They are just the right length, full of with ‘I am’ statements proclaiming struggling with almost every part of the potential of black boys add to the sense of immersion in a well atmosphere, built round situations thought out fantasy world. The child the curriculum, from fighting to horse that arise out of Tola’s everyday. everywhere, speaking of their energy, riding to transformation. That’s no fun creativity and thirst for knowledge. characters, especially Cordelia, are While carrying the shopping on your appealing and resourceful and teach when your teacher is the hard-as-a- head may not be the norm for some, Text and illustration depict the lives battle-axe Scold, and you have sneaky and dreams of black boys, from the adults about the importance of nevertheless carrying shopping is a cooperation, courage, and kindness. bullies Flee and Flay as classmates. universal task- and Tola’s feelings everyday fun and scraped knees Meanwhile, down in Midgard, orphan to a determination to achieve their The beautiful cover and illustrations will strike a chord. Older brothers and ambitions and make a difference. by Paola Escobar enhance the magical sisters do not differ wherever they The historical context and struggles atmosphere of this very welcome may live; irritating would be Tola’s of generations throughout Black addition to the fantasy genre. SR opinion echoed by many others - and history is suggested in the phrase yet they are family. Nor do the stories ‘I am my ancestor’s wildest dream’. A Shelter for Sadness need to be read in a particular order Though mainly hopeful, upbeat and HHHHH – Atinuke (good narrator that she is) positive there is a hint of fear, with Anne Booth, ill. David Litchfield, ensures that just enough background the need to stand up to name calling, Templar Books, 40pp, is included in each to introduce Tola, which by implication we assume to 978 1 78741 721 2, £12.99 hbk her family and her home; again ideal be racist. The inherent value of all Beautiful in both text and illustration, for that moment when a storytime is black boys is emphasised, they are this lyrical picture book has much to in order. The Nigerian background worthy of success, to live safely and teach us all about sadness. Sadness is vibrant and real, bringing to life to be loved. has come to live with a little boy, another country and city, perhaps Love is a strong thread and he builds it a shelter to keep it opening a door to family stories and throughout the book. The reference safe and to give it all that it needs, showing that people do not differ so to every black boy being someone’s whether that is quietness or noise, much wherever they live. Onyinye son or brother - a real person hints sitting or running about, looking out Iwu’s illustrations are a further at the way black youth can be all of the window or pulling the curtains, delight, adding an characterful visual too frequently be linked to crime being alone or sharing time with the element whether as a full page or as statistics. The author’s dedication boy. Sadness is portrayed as a semi- a lively vignette. Tola’s beaming smile lists seven black boys shot dead in opaque creature with a tiny pink heart is one the reader will remember and the US in the last decade. inside, egg shaped, but fluid, and he recognise. This is a partnership, that I hope, will continue. FH

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 23 BfK the time, check the weather, read his outfit they like, but they do sometimes 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued emails and messages and watch the malfunction, which is fun. news. The sudden blackout is such It turns out that nothing Edwina Vi Spy Licence to Chill monumental news that neighbours does is ever good enough for her HHHH are popping round to tell one another Mum, but before they can find out about it. As the magnitude of the more, there is an announcement Maz Evans, Chicken House, 327pp, event slowly dawns upon everyone, that Starville is headed on a collision 9781912626892, £6.99 pbk Dad realises that they are going to course straight for the Moon, so Maz Evans’ new book is a spy thriller have to drive the ten-hour journey accurately that it must be sabotage! that delivers thrills and laughs in equal to Grandma’s house, as there is no Connor’s love for the ‘thrill associated measure. Violet Day is the youngest in other way of checking she is ok. with covert activities’, which Ethan a long line of world-saving spies but Wallace has great fun exploring has to translate as ‘sneaking’, helps her mother, Easter Day, has given it the question of what happens to them work out a plan with the help of all up so that she can keep Vi safe. grown-ups when you take away their computer genius Edwina, but getting When Vi’s estranged father suddenly technological safety net. The answer, it to the controlling computer involves turns up (just in time to ruin Easter’s seems, is that they will quickly end up going through the Zoo…It’s all great wedding to Vi’s teacher, Mr Sprout) lost, stressed, frightened and covered fun, as the children negotiate several Vi learns that she is descended not in poo. Without phones and sat-navs, potentially dangerous situations, just from an awesome, deadly secret the Bobcrofts are forced to rely on until finally Starville is saved and the agent, but also from a dangerous and the kindness of strangers to find their culprit is revealed. Dapo Adeola is the equally deadly supervillain! way to Grandma’s house. This opens illustrator of the picture book Look Lethal super parents notwithstand- Stella’s eyes to the rewards that can Up! and draws, in cartoon-style, black ing, Vi’s life is very ordinary: all she be found from investing time in other characters (Ethan and his Uncle), wants is for the cool kids to notice her, people, rather than in screens. Among white characters and various aliens Veggie Power to have a phone and a little independ- the strangers who help the family on with great skill. Another humorous HHHHH ence, and for her mum not to marry their way are mad ‘Uncle Tony’ whose adventure for the Space Detectives is Annette Roeder, illus Olaf Hajek, her teacher. Sadly, she faces signifi- farm is going out of business, and a imminent… DB Prestel, 40pp, 978-3791374789, cant challenges on all these fronts seemingly selfish wealthy widow who’s £14.99 hbk and, when she accidentally-on-pur- so glad of some company that she’s I Talk Like a River HHHHH Part information book, part art book, pose overhears her parents arguing happy to lend her Rolls Royce. Stella Veggie Power does to the mind and the about a new scary threat to the entire learns that little acts of kindness are Written by Jordan Scott, ill. Sydney eyes what spinach does to Popeye’s human race, she realises that she has contagious, and that helping others Smith, Walker Books, 40pp, muscles. Author Annette Roeder a chance to prove herself as a spy and feels great and often leads to getting 978-1-4063-9722-2, £12.99 hbk opens with a scholarly but accessible leave her normal life behind her. something in return. The boy narrating this stunningly double page investigation into what Though there are moments of Read within the current context of beautiful picturebook wants to talk makes a vegetable a vegetable, and genuine tension, as Vi navigates lockdown and pandemic, the themes of about the natural world surrounding how botanists distinguish between her way through the seedy world of panic, isolation and misinformation are him, but finds it difficult to say the vegetables and fruits. We then get super-villainy, this book is ultimately a very powerful. People try to make sense words that fill his head. ‘The P in pine double page features on familiar comedy. Many characters are playful of what they can and can’t do, where tree grows roots inside my mouth and vegetables, from carrots to leeks stereotypes (the secret agency of they can and can’t go: the question of tangles my tongue,’ he tells us, and to sweet potatoes, where a page pensioners – whose members can whether or not one should stay at home on a ‘bad speech day’ he can’t find of elegant text is matched with an triangulate the coordinates for enemy or risk travelling to see loved ones will the right sounds to say anything at all. extravagantly inventive full-page locations but can’t fathom how to be familiar for every reader. On one level, it would be true to portrait by artist Olaf Hajek. The text video-call their grandchildren – is The Bobcrofts’ journey is full say that I Talk Like a River is about explains where the vegetables were particularly funny) and action scenes of laugh-out-loud moments and stuttering, but there’s so much more first cultivated and eaten, how they are full of silly slapstick moments. slapstick comedy, but the most to the lyrical and intensely immersive got their names and includes quirky Vi is a character with whom enjoyable aspect of The Day the experience it offers than such a label facts. Did you know, for example, that children will quickly fall in love. She Screens went Blank is the charming would imply. Feeling different or left in the Middle Ages people thought is effortlessly cool and thoroughly and emotive way that the family, out; expecting to be mocked; living that eating aubergines would make believable. She makes mistakes and is like most during the coronavirus with stomach-churning anxiety - these you sad, or that the workers building selfish sometimes, and worries about pandemic, re-consider what is really things will sadly strike a chord with the pyramids in Egypt were paid in her mum and dad in the same way that important about their lives, and how children everywhere, and give this onions and garlic, or that people used all children do. Young readers will be easy it is to make magical memories personal account its universal edge. to eat asparagus with their fingers glad that she is making it her mission together: no screens required! SD After school on one particularly because the chemicals in it turned to save the world and will look forward distressing day, the boy’s father takes silver cutlery black? Memorable stuff, to her next adventure. SD Space Detectives him to the riverbank. Quietly they look HHH but nothing compared to the dazzling for colourful rocks and water bugs. impact of Hajek’s illustrations. His The Day the Screens went Blank Mark Powers, ill. Dapo Adeola, And there, watching the rush and HHHH stunning, folk-art inspired work Bloomsbury, 172pp., 9781526603180, churn of the water as it flows across turns painting vegetables into an Danny Wallace, ill. Gemma Correll, £6.99 pbk the landscape, the boy’s father says adventure. Acrobats and jugglers Simon and Schuster, 205pp, This zany adventure in the gigantic something that shifts his world and gambol around giant spinach leaves; 9781471196881, £7.99 pbk space station, Starville, includes makes him see things differently. a man with an enormous spoon skips This comedy for children is less of aliens from all sorts of places, like the ‘See how the water moves?’ he up a ladder to a bowl of broccoli the post-apocalyptic dystopia that Cow People from Neptune- or are they asks. ‘That’s how you speak.’ balanced on a beautiful lady’s head, its title and first few pages suggest, from Pluto? Lanky Connor knows, In a series of visual close-ups, the while a strongman brandishes a and more of a classic roadtrip. The and energetic Ethan sometimes river tumbles past the boy, and we fork; beetroot grows between the sudden and inexplicable shut down gets facts wrong, but is very good sense change coming. Turning the elongated legs of a horse while a of all screens forces the Bobcroft at the practical side of things. On page, we find ourselves face-to-face woman gathers corn accompanied family to embark upon a trip across Ethan’s hover-scooter, they chase a with him. Sunlight streams onto his by a handsome cockerel. If it sounds the country to check that Grandma slimy purple Tufted Grotsnobbler to shoulders and illuminates his ears, nonsensical or surreal, in fact the is ok. Their long and eventful journey try retrieve a handbag for Edwina, and broad lines suggest his brows opposite is true and each page is features petty theft, scary strangers daughter of the Supreme Governor- and downward-looking eyes. As we the perfect representation of the and a great deal of pig poo, and it is they fail, but are invited to the open the gatefold a rush of pure vegetable. Visits to the supermarket narrated by Stella - the well-organised Governor’s very swish birthday party, energy is released, and we see him vegetable aisles will ever be the same and sensible daughter of the family. at her house, and that’s when things wading into water that shimmers with again! A unique and intriguing book Stella begins her story by shining get interesting. Asked for help with reflected light. and wonderful for sharing. MMa a light on just how dependent upon dressing to impress, Ethan’s Uncle That life-changing comment – screens we have all become. Before Nick, an engineer who was sacked by pulled from the moment and intensely her father has even left the house the Governor in favour of robots, gives apt, but also somehow slippery – was for work, he has already failed to tell them smartsuits that can become any made by a father to one specific child:

24 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 reviews who worked in the mines. Katy are the most enjoyable element. 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued Riddell’s deft, lively illustrations add Though Flyntlock himself is admirably to the pleasure, picking out details, brave and kind, characters are not all his son, the writer of this picturebook. an elderly relative as “a wrinkled expressions, moments – another memorable – but there is certainly Jordan Scott grew up to become a face [that] unwrapped empty gums dimension to the words. enough high-seas fun to last for one poet, and it was this experience by above her”, as if a sweet might be (And a bonus – a final flourish – a last episode. SD the riverbank that stopped him trying coming rather than a toothless grin. couple of winning poems from two young poets). FH Saving Hanno to ‘overcome’ his stutter and led him There are sensuous poems that HHHH towards a better understanding of his are filled with wonder at the beauty Flyntlock Bones: own, unique way of communicating. and variety of the world, and the Miriam Halahmy, ill. Karin The Eye of Mogdrod Littlewood, Otter-Barry Books, This picturebook ends with a similar poet also approaches more difficult HHH 128pp, 9781913074685, £7.99 pbk idea. The boy returns to the classroom subjects directly and subtly, and to talk about the visit to his favourite firmly within a child’s experience. She Derek Keilty, ill.Mark Elvins, This heart-breaking story is subtitled place: the riverbank. And in telling is comfortable writing about how time Scallywag Press, 176pp, A Refugee Boy and his Dog and everyone about the river, he talks like ‘creeps like a baby’ when you are 9781912650675, £6.99 pbk is told by nine-year-old Rudi, a the river – with all its stops and starts, hungry and lunch is an hour away, yet It would be understandable to think German Jewish boy, who is sent to its rush and babble and its many flies like an arrow when you are with that Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes England for safety in early 1939 moments of calm. ‘mates out at play’. And she is equally has already been re-invented in every via the Kindertransport. The book This poetic and deeply memorable at home writing about the feelings of conceivable way – but that’s not true! originally appeared in the US and picturebook has a quality that stops a child with separated parents, ‘I only In Keilty’s swashbuckling trilogy for has now been published for UK you in your tracks and pulls you in. It wish they could love me together’, children, the world’s most famous readers by Otter-Barry Books. Rudi’s addresses one child’s experience of or a child soldier: ‘the mortal enemy detective is re-imagined as a young beloved dog Hanno also makes the stuttering, but categorising it as an he hunts/ are members of his own pirate called Flyntlock Bones, whose journey to England, with the help of ‘issue book’ or expecting it to provide family.’ She has a playful side too. crew-mates sail the seven seas in a sympathetic lorry driver, and, after a quick-fix message for children She clearly relished the poems in search of mystery. quarantine, the two are reunited at who stutter would misrepresent this which she rehearses her repertory This is the second instalment of the home of Rudi’s foster family in book’s intention and appeal. I Talk of short poetic forms (is that still the trilogy and Flyntlock, after leaving London. Rudi and Hanno then face Like a River is a personal account of required by the national curriculum?) the orphanage at Baskervile, has the trauma of separation again with discovery: one that takes us to the including riddles that had me become an established member of the government instruction that pets heart of an experience and shows us guessing and limericks that do what the crew on the Black Hound. When be euthanised at the beginning of what it’s like to live another life. It’s limericks should. In ‘Names’ she has Captain Watkins receives a message the war due to bomb threats and affecting and accessible, and offers great fun with words that have more from chief of the swampy Bog Islands, rationing. Rudi manages to join with different learning opportunities, than one meaning. It begins: ‘There Fergus McSwaggers, lamenting the a group of local children who plan to depending on our needs. is no brim on the cap of my knee, / loss of a priceless golden chalice, the hide pets safely then find refuge for Sydney Smith is known for his ability No keys for the locks in my hair’ and game is afoot! them until the end of the war. to play with light, and for the dark line goes on in the same vein for four Like all good mysteries, Flyntlock’s This book is strongly empathetic that has characterized his work thus stanzas and sixteen lines. Perhaps search for the chalice features political as the author conflates two aspects far. Light falling through windows, onto the tour-de-force of the collection intrigue, shifty-looking suspects and of the pre and early war years, the water, and – memorably – through is ‘The Isle of Negatyves’ in which fights with dangerous villains. In Kindertransport programme and the earlobes is still a major feature here, we encounter all the monstrous the Bog Islands, marauding tribes “great pet panic”, to focus on the fear, but, eager to capture the essence of attitudes that might dismay or belittle maintain uneasy alliances through confusion and sense of displacement Scott’s poetry, Smith has pushed his us - the Kantdos or the Incredulous lots of grog-fuelled feasting, but and loss felt by children in wartime. own boundaries in this book. Gone – and how we might combat them – Egfart the Oderous and the chilling Rudi’s direct, child-centred narrative is the dark line, to be replaced by ‘Mix certaynties with Iwontlissen’. By Ice Pirates have their own plans that voice compellingly portrays the watercolours that feel less certain, far the most inventive and least po- Flyntlock must fathom – a task made feelings of a child refugee facing the together with a range of approaches faced exhortation to self-assertion all the more challenging by the rather loss of everything familiar. It has a that communicate intense emotion that I have come across. CB distracting presence of an enormous, modern resonance for the plight of – just look at the spread where the monstrous cat with giant fangs! child refugees all over the world. clearly-delineated classroom on the Daydreams and Jellybeans The contrasting genres of The combination of simple text and left-hand page dissolves into a sea Poems to Be Read Aloud detective story and pirate adventure gentle illustrations by Karin Littlewood of faces on the right, or the close-up HHHH complement one another more make the difficult themes of loss, that follows, dominated by the boy’s Alex Wharton, illus Katy Riddell, than one might expect and Keilty dislocation, and necessary resilience enormous ikon-eyes and sgraffitoed Firefly, 64pp, 9781913102432, does an impressive job of juggling accessible to younger readers. There with lines depicting the crows and £5.99 pbk all the necessary tropes. Obligatory is extra background information at the end of the book. There are no pine trees in his mouth. ‘I saw sounds at night/altering the stereotypes are all present, from These images don’t just show us eye-patched parrots to peg-legged easy resolutions to Rudi’s story as shapes of trees...’ –‘When she he and Hanno still face indefinite how the boy feels, they make us feel leaves/ home, her footsteps/are boatswains, and parents will enjoy it, too I Talk Like a River is a lyrical and adopting all of the characters’ pirate separation, but hope, courage, and whispers upon/stone...’ – these are resourcefulness, as well as loss and intensely visual exploration of how it just a couple of opening lines from voices when reading aloud. The story feels to struggle to speak out. It has races along at a great rate of knots fear, play a large part in this moving poems in this anthology by the poet story. SR something of universal importance to Alex Wharton. What a delight. The and Flyntlock’s quick wits mean that communicate, and will resonate with title proclaims ‘Poems to read aloud’ readers never have to wait long for readers of all ages. CFH the next conundrum to be cracked so Everyday Magic – and this the case. The forms may HHH seem traditional – frequently four that the action can continue. Stars with Flaming Tails line stanzas that while seeming to Young readers will love Elvins’ Jess Kidd, Canongate, 286pp, HHHH conform to a traditional metre are generously-detailed illustrations. 9781838850203, £6.99 pbk Valerie Bloom, ill. Ken Wilson-Max, subtly edgy and offbeat – like speech. Lively, monochrome cartoons This lively story reads very easily Otter-Barry, 96pp, 978 1 91307 467 8, Then there are poems that might accompany most pages, and and does not feel as if it took a long £7.99, pbk even be prose – take the wonderful occasional full-page spreads arrive time to write. Hogwarts references, Here is another excellent, varied Spiders – others that are shape like gifts just in time to draw children conscious or not, abound, with its collection from Valerie Bloom. The poems tracing the subject visually further into the most dramatic scenes. bespectacled nine-year-old orphan subjects are perhaps familiar enough on the page. There is no one way Full of chaotic energy and exaggerated hero Alfie Blackstack having to in poetry for children. Family, friends to appreciate Alex Wharton’s work. characterisation, the pictures are cope with a bewildering new world and animals feature quite a lot, but Humour is often seen as the key to comparable in style to those of Chris of magic. This is after he has been the poet approaches each poem attracting a young audience. There Riddell, and add enormous value to sent to live with two witch aunts in with rare empathy and often a sly is plenty of humour here but married the overall enjoyment of the book. Switherbroom Hall, set in the remote humour that doesn’t simply play to to a reflective lyrical approach around Flyntlock Bones is a playful village of Little Snoddington. His the gallery. Her images can be fun subjects ranging from the natural adventure book whose illustrations, only friend is Calypso, a circus girl too. In the opening poem “Welcome”, world to the homeless man on the including a brilliant gallery of and trapeze artist his own age. Up I love the idea of a baby encountering corner and the trapper children characters and two detailed maps, against them is an evil Head Witch who is also allowed moments of

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 25 BfK 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued 10 – 14 Middle/Secondary continued black humour. A gaggle of old, mean- in their school. Their neighbourhood Circus Maximus, Race to characters although Cat’s ‘baby minded village elders complete the is grey, dark and noisy. At show and the Death talk’ is increasingly annoying and picture, including the vicar’s wife, tell one day, a new boy called Omar HHH slightly patronising and unnecessary described here as a ‘sour-faced old brings in some of his mother’s honey to explain her difference. Attitudes Annelise Gray, Zephyr, 352pp, grunion.’ The dictionary definition cake. He tells that his Grandpa to a child with learning disabilities 978 1 8002 40575, £12.99, hbk of this word is ‘a small silvery food used to keep bees, that there were are made clear, although Queen fish.’ Its slang derivation, according apricot trees and jasmine bushes in The marketing claim for this novel, Katharine for example simply finds to Urban Dictionary, is more startling. his sunny garden, far, faraway. This that ‘Ben Hur meets National Cat’s ability to sing and play her bird This is the first children’s book from leads to the children making a paper Velvet’, led me to believe that we whistle attractive in her own right. an author who has already won prizes floral display outside their classroom, might see a finale in which chariots There is a real sense of history and of in the adult market. In this story she and further discussions about honey hurtled over Grand National fences. place within the story and enough of rather over-does the sort of humour and bees. It is not long before the Disappointingly, this doesn’t happen. the political background to make clear still making good use of farts and children realise, with the help of their But this tale of an expert teenage mutual distrust between England and stink-bombs. She also periodically teacher, that they could make a REAL girl charioteer does drive a coach France at that time. JF pokes fun at various aspects of the bee corridor, from their school to a and horses through the accustomed physical decline associated with old garden where they knew there was a gender roles of ancient Rome. The Twisted Threads of age. Roald Dahl did this too, but some beehive. But they needed more help; And who’s to say that, given the Polly Freeman time ago and perhaps this type of fun the help of the whole neighbourhood. opportunity, girls couldn’t do as good a HHH job as boys at driving horses at breck- has had its time now. But there are How they succeed in creating a bee Pippa Goodhart, Catnip, 243pp., plenty of other moments when the corridor is well told, for the wait is neck speed in a circle. If you forgive 9781910611227, £6.99, pbk the resolutely ahistorical premise of narrative runs smoothly with enough long from when the community joins Polly and her Great Aunt sail very fresh invention to keep readers happy. in planting flower seeds. But come the tale, it’s actually a cracking good adventure. There’s a lot of fascinating close to the wind, living by their wits Setting much of the story within a Spring, the magic starts. Soon their and sewing, but when they are sent circus, as in so many past children’s gardens are full of buzzing bees, and information about chariot racing, the horses and the charioteers, the to Workhouse in 1838, and they are book, raises the question of what the neighbourhood is full of activity separated. Great Aunt Jemima goes exactly this might mean to modern and colour. There are poppies, training regime, and the culture and fan base surrounding the races. to the lunatic ward and Polly is sent to children who have never visited such cornflowers and foxgloves all the way the girls’ ward where she spends her places given that traditional circuses from their school to the park. The final There’s even a historical supervillain: Emperor Caligula, no less. Dido is the days splitting tar covered rope and along with animal acts hardly exist page has a simple recipe for honey things look very black indeed. Polly anymore. They may still enjoy this cake…. I tried it and it was delicious! daughter of the trainer of the Greens, a leading chariot racing team. She has dreams of escaping but luckily for book though, and now the author The illustrations frame the story her, this comes with the cart taking has got into her stride where young well, and the book begins and ends ambitions to become the first woman charioteer in the Circus Maximus but, children to work in the cotton mills. readers are concerned who knows with spreads of collaged paintings But when her friend Min dies from she may come up next time with an by the children, the bees all grinning seeing her father murdered on the orders of Caligula (he is definitely an horrific accident while collecting even better one. NT ecstatically. Did you know there are the fluff underneath the machines, more than 20,000 different types of a mixed blessing as a super-fan), Omar, the Bees and Me she is forced to flee to North Africa, Polly decides to make her escape bees? That there are beekeepers in again, and be re-united with Great HHHH every country in the world? The book leaving Porcellus, her favourite horse, behind. How she returns to Rome to Aunt Jemima. Her plans do not go just Helen Mortimer, ill. Katie Cottle, reminds readers that every little can as she had hoped but all ends well, Owlet Press, 978 1 913339 06 7, help, and by channelling the energies realise her ambition, to be reunited with Porcellus, and to thwart Caligula, setting up for a sequel perhaps? £7-99 pbk and enthusiasms of the very young, This seemingly light-hearted we can change our environments just has some satisfying twists and turns, In this lively book, the creators memorable characters, late family tale does go quite deeply into feature a small girl called Maisie, who a little for the better… and form their the appalling conditions both at the attitudes for life. GB revelations; and even a stand in for becomes the inspiration for a project Messala, Ben Hur’s friend turned St. Pancras Workhouse and also at implacable rival. All boiling up to the mill, based on the Quarry Bank a show-down in the Circus where Mill. Pippa Goodhart has done her Dido is posing as a North African research, and details on which she princess and driving a mean team of based the story are at the end of horses. CB the book. Modern children will be Middle/Secondary horrified at the conditions under 10 – 14 The Queen’s Fool which the children worked, not to HHH mention the age at which they started, and the very real danger pointed out Edgar & Adolf football badge to its original owner, Ally Sherrick, Chicken House, HHHH Edgar. Adi’s quest becomes an 303pp., 97819912626151, £6.99 pbk by Min’s death. It is not until almost emotional journey of discovery as he halfway through the book that Polly’s Phil Earle & Michael Wagg, OUP, Cat is different and in the times of 140pp, 9780198494911, £7.99 pbk learns more about his grandfather’s heritage is mentioned, and the trail to fame and achievements through Henry VIII such differences matter. her missing father appears which This moving story of an enduring Edgar’s poignant memories. When she follows her sister Meg who adds another interesting dimension friendship is a work of fiction but This is a fascinating and deeply has been taken from the convent to the story. is inspired by the real lives of two affecting story, mingling fact and where they both live to London, Cat Polly is a resourceful heroine, footballers, Edgar Kail, who played fiction, and told in a simple style with finds that without the shelter of the with the added interest of being very for Dulwich Hamlet FC, and Adolf short chapters that is perfect for less- convent walls where she is known life good at sewing especially embroidery Jager, who played for the German confident readers. This is a Super- can be cruel. Fortunately she meets which gives her the way out to be club Altona 93, based in Hamburg. Readable Rollercoasters title, a series Jacques who himself is different, reunited with Great Aunt Jemima. The The encounters between the two produced by collaboration between although not in the same way and tools of sewing, embroidery and the players and their teams take place OUP and Barrington Stoke and together they become involved in a fabric flowers made by the Great Aunt in the 1920’s and 1930’s and the featuring Barrington Stoke’s dyslexia- plot to disrupt the peace meeting decorate the pages and the cover by imagined special bond that unfolds is friendly font and layout. There are of King Henry and King Francois of Helen Crawford-White. The ending broken by WW11. The chapters set in useful pages at the end of the book France at the Cloth of Gold tented city is rather convenient which does let the 1920’s and 30’s detail matches, with a ‘What to read next’ list, ‘What near Calais. the story down a little, but does not press reports and conversations do you think?’ questions, a word list, This is an exciting adventure set take away the impact of the story between the two players. These a quiz and background information against the background of the Tudor of poverty stricken and abandoned chapters are interspersed with from the authors. This is an engaging, court with a plot that twists and turns children in Victorian England. .JF the framing device of chapters set accessible, and beautifully told story very intriguingly. Jacques is not really in Scotland in 1983 as German about an intriguing episode from Jacques but Isabelle and has his/ teenager Adi fulfils the mission set by football’s past. SR her own back story to complicate his late grandfather Adolf to return a matters. Both are well written

26 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 reviews suburbia so that they might literally sympathetic characters rather than 10 – 14 Middle/Secondary continued drain the happiness from them for as mere victims. The story of such re-use by the privileged and powerful strife, all too commonplace in the real The Boy Who Made in the Dark World, where any kind world, is rarely narrated for middle Maggie Blue and the of sustaining joy is in short supply. grade readers. More people endure Everyone Laugh Dark World Maggie’s search confirms that Ida is such suffering than read about it. RB HHHH HHHH one such victim; once the physical Helen Rutter, illus. Andrew Anna Goodall, Guppy Books, 330pp, removal of her happiness is complete, The Abbey Mystery Bannecker, Scholastic 300pp., 978 1 913101 312, £12.99 hbk Ida will be summarily ‘ended’. (Jane Austen Investigates series) 9780702300851, £6.99 pbk Maggie Blue Brown’s world in North Goodall is very good at danger HHHH Your reviewer manages a stammer, and London suburbia is grey and joyless. and violent action, both physical and Julia Golding, Lion Fiction, 192pp., was pleased to assess this book. Helen Her mother is elsewhere, listless psychological; the tension in the Dark 9781782643340, £7.99, pbk Rutter wrote this story because her own and self-absorbed, simmering World sections of the story should I was a great fan of Julia Golding’s Cat son stammers, and she wanted there to with fury towards a husband who make for headlong and excited reading. Royal series and so opened this book be a book he could identify with, plus has abandoned both her and her Often, cruel power is met with sacrifice, with great anticipation. I was not jokes, for which she held a national daughter. Twelve-year-old Maggie loyalty and courage by creatures hardly disappointed! Intriguingly the author competition, judged by Noel Fielding, has been despatched to share the equipped to confront such threat. has taken the early life of Jane Austen, for children to send in their favourites. one-bedroom flat of her elderly Some loose ends are left unresolved, who is 13 in this story and made her Some are old, and others new, but Aunt Esme, whom she’s barely so it’s no surprise to learn from Guppy into a detective but within suitably hailing this book as the funniest debut met before. But she likes Esme’s Books – welcome newcomers to Austenish boundaries. Jane is sent of 2021, as the cover does, may be a gentle eccentricities; and she also is publishing for young readers in the UK in place of her sister Cassandra, to bit premature. A joke is the heading for fascinated by her antique ring formed – that the return of Maggie Blue Brown be a companion to Lady Cromwell every chapter, as Billy Plimpton loves by a serpent eating its own tail - which is expected in 2022. GF as preparations are made for the jokes, and tries out many on his Granny is to prove central to the plot. Maggie celebrations of her son’s 21st coming with whom he is more relaxed, and she has started at Fortlake School where Front Desk HHHHH of age. Forewarned by her brother has always been his best audience. no-one notices her unless it’s to bully Henry about the possible sighting of a As the story begins, he is just starting her, often making fun of her name. Kelly Yang, Knights Of, 208pp, ghost in the ruined abbey adjacent to secondary school, and tries to hide his She retaliates with her fists, earning 978-1913311094, £6.99 pbk the house Jane sets off determined to stammer until he has worked out how sharp words from the remote Miss Mia Tang is aged ten. She and her find said ghost and win the wager with to get rid of it. One of his own lists, ‘How McCrab, a Head with little inclination parents have emigrated from China Henry. But there is a bigger mystery to to stay hidden’, works for a while, but to talk, let alone listen, to individual to the USA two years before the solve, and aided by Deept the Indian eventually a teacher asks each member students. The only person who does story begins. Her parents believed maid servant, Luke the stable boy and of the class to prepare a speech about show interest is the new Guidance they were heading for a land of Fitzwilliam, companion to the son and something important to them, and, Counsellor, Miss Cane; it’s not long opportunity. Instead however they heir Jane solves the mystery in an although Billy tries everything he can before Maggie discovers that she’s end up running the Calivista Motel in exciting denouement. to get out of it, his Mum and speech not to be trusted. California. Their boss, Mr Yeo, treats Julia Golding has taken great pains therapist insist that he does it, and his Maggie’s loneliness is relieved to them unfairly. He overworks them to make Jane’s voice quite authentic impediment is revealed, but in a way some degree by an odd couple of new and pays them a miserable salary. throughout the story and succeeds that makes the class sympathetic to contacts: Dot, one of Esme’s even more They are not allowed to use the and hopefully will lead girls to Jane him, except for the class bully, William, eccentric friends; and Hoagy, an ageing, motel swimming pool. Despite these Austen’s novels. The hierarchy of whom Billy had identified as trouble street-wise, one-eyed cat who, it turns disadvantages however the Tang the big house and the servants from the first day. out, is a drily witty conversationalist. family find great satisfaction in the emerges very clearly, and also the Billy tells us about the four ways that Maggie knows she’s good at reading community they form with the motel nuances of the hereditary system adults react to him : the Encouragers, people, but she is understandably guests. Mia has a dream. She would on which so much depends. There who tell him to relax (which doesn’t surprised to find that not only can like to buy her own motel and manage is the interesting appearance of a help); the Mind-Readers, who finish his she understand Hoagy, she can also it herself. The question is whether the steam engine the design of which is sentences for him (often inaccurate, engage in spirited exchanges with him; family can achieve this aim? explained in detail, and the character and annoying); the Jokers, who when Hoagy can be bothered, that Yang’s book has two main of Annette, not a woman in the 18th stammer back at him (not funny) is. Readers will surely welcome every strengths. Its first strength is its century mould at all. There is also and the Waiters, who patiently let time the cat stalks onto the page, since characterisation. Mia and her family Jane’s dog, Grandison, who likes to him finish what he is saying. He has Hoagy is the well-spring of comedy in leap off the page. Very quickly the chase the cricket ball – a real hard various possible ‘cures’- his speech this debut novel. He is the essence of reader comes to care deeply about cricket ball is very hard for a dog to therapist has given him various coping feline intelligence, independence and the family and their aspiration. pick up! mechanisms, all totally recognizable, testy impatience with human folly. Equally significant is the way Yang All this is beautifully written in and he finds others on the internet. Playing to her strengths, Anna Goodall manages to describe the hardships Jane’s own voice and words it seems, Of course, nothing works, not even occasionally switches focus from endured by the family – ill treatment, along with her letters to Cassandra, a ‘relaxing’ herbal tea that he finds Maggie’s adventures to join Hoagy’s racial prejudice, financial exploitation, in shortish chapters, and makes for a disgusting. He is naturally funny: his only equally hazardous path through the educational difficulty as Mia struggles greatly enjoyable read. Let us hope former classmate from primary school, plot. If he goes astray, Hoagy resorts with an unfamiliar language – all of there are many more to come! It is Skyla, enjoys his jokes, and he does to cat-nav. this while still maintaining the family also printed on lovely paper which make some good friends. His Form Things fall apart for Maggie when as three-dimensional, strong and makes it even more enjoyable. JF Teacher, Mr Osho, (of Nigerian origin) Ida, her chief tormentor in school, is very helpful and supportive indeed, disappears in the mysterious Everfall writing 10 important things about Billy Woods, adjoining the school grounds. in his notebook, and also encouraging Maggie is suspected of being him to take up drumming. The end-of- involved. As readers used to find in 14+ Secondary/Adult term school talent show is promising – the early fantasies of Alan Garner, should he be a drummer, and with characters discover entrances to slip which band? Or a comedian, which swiftly between our everyday world Rat they will lose their flat. When is Mum is his dearest wish? Helen Rutter and an alternative universe – the HHHH is arrested for shoplifting and assault works this out very cleverly, and the Dark World of the title. North London and sent back to prison Al blames their various relationships Billy has with the may have been lonely and unkind, but Patrice Lawrence, OUP, 148pp, 9780198494935, £7.99 pbk downstairs neighbour, Mr Brayker, for people around him show him to be a the Dark World is fraught with serious involving the police and comes up with resourceful and kind person - he even risk and malice. It’s a dying habitat, Patrice Lawrence skilfully draws a plan for revenge that involves his manages to sort things out with William where only the return of The Great O, the reader into teenager Al’s world beloved pet rats, Venom and Vulture. the bully. Although Skyla’s story is not “protector of nature and nature itself” of loneliness, fear, anger, and Al’s inner conflict, as anger and quite resolved, his family and friends, might bring healing. Those in control deprivation as Al tells his own story in vulnerability collide, is powerfully and the delightful Mr Osho, are all are ruthless and duplicitous, driven a direct and engaging narrative voice. portrayed. His gradual realisation, credible characters, and the ending of only by self-interest, to the point of Al’s Mum has just come out of prison thanks to help and intervention by his this enjoyable book is positive. DB kidnapping humans from Maggie’s and his greatest fear is that she will Gran, his half-sister, Plum, and local be drawn back into drug taking and

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 27 BfK The Girls I’ve Been like those you’ve probably cultivated 14+ Secondary/Adult continued HHHH for yourself. Jason Reynolds, ill. Danica As Ambereve draws towards the community stalwarts Ty and Pete, that dead along the way… FC Novgorodoff, Faber, 208pp, fireworks finale, Hearne House other people, even Mr Brayker, have 9780571366019, £9.99 pbk and its park suddenly explode into a bloodied killing field as terrorist difficult lives too, is very moving. Firekeeper’s Daughter When Nora, her ex-boyfriend Wes HHHHH gunmen launch a co-ordinated This edgy, contemporary story is and her new love Iris visit the local assault on the crowd. No distinctions part of OUP and Barrington Stoke’s Angeline Boulley, Rock The Boat, bank they do not envisage finding of age, race or gender; death is Super-Readable Rollercoasters series 496pp, 978 0 86154 079 2, £12.99 themselves hostage to two gunmen, random. The narrators’ accounts of told in short, accessible chapters and hbk along with various other staff and their movements, thoughts and words produced with Barrington Stoke’s Daunis is 18 years old and of mixed customers. The story provides an are detailed yet fragmentary, as they characteristic dyslexia-friendly font heritage-part Ojibwe Indian and almost minute by minute account find and lose one another, hunting and layout. It is aimed at less-confident part American but committed to her of what goes on, how they cope and for safe havens in the dark of the readers and the pages at the end First Nation community. When it is make plans to try and escape. As house, the gardens and even the fast include a ‘What do you think?’ section threatened she knows that despite the story unfolds, we gradually come flowing autumnal river. Milano’s not to help readers explore the issues the danger she must step up and to understand that Nora has hidden interested in the identity or motivation raised in more depth. There is also try to save what is most dear to her, depths from her past, which will help of the murderers so much as the interesting background information, whatever the risk. her and the others in their bid to responses of ‘ordinary people’ to a ‘who’s who’ of key characters, a After a single page of prophetic survive their ordeal. Mixed in with this sustained terror. The gunmen remain short quiz, a book list, and a word high tension the first nine chapters of narrative are the back stories of Nora anonymous; we know only that they guide. Readers will be most engaged the book skilfully paint in the details and also the other two characters, as are not Islamic. When we meet a fifth though by the absorbing story of an of the town and of the community and all of them share specific traumas narrator, March – Majid El Kaissi – angry, isolated, damaged boy who lay the groundwork for characters and in their past. Nora’s mother is a con a recent Muslim arrival in the area discovers the importance of kindness, their relationships. Boulley doesn’t artist who forced her daughters to with his hospital doctor parents from community, and trust. SR overwhelm the reader with detail but take part in her schemes; however, peaceful Morocco, his perspective is: leads the way through the intricacies Nora escaped the life after being ‘I’m not glad the terrorists weren’t of We Played With Fire and connections – immersing, not abused by a step-father and helping my religion. I think it’s a shame they HHHHH superimposing. This is the reason put him and her mother in to prison. were of my species.’ Catherine Barter, Andersen Press, why the events glimpsed in the first She and her elder sister have been From the beginning, we know that 336pp 978-1839130069, £7.99 pbk page come as such a shock – they are hiding for the past five years and this the narrators survive the killing, since happening to people we have come to situation puts them at risk. ‘Some people were beautiful, some the novel tells us their words are from know and care about. Daunis’ best The author takes us deep into the people were intelligent. Maggie and ‘testimonies’ given to an Inquest. In friend Lily is shot and killed in front past of her central character and Kate could crack their bones. You had truth, the language of the testimonies of her by Travis, Lily’s ex-boyfriend, it is as if we are gradually peeling to make the best of what you were is informal, exploratory even, never who is high on crystal meth and who back the layers of her life (rather given’. Catherine Barter’s second novel suggesting constrained replies to immediately afterwards turns the gun like an onion). As we go back into delves into the fascinating lives of mid- searching questions. These are highly on himself. the past, we learn of all the different 19th century teenage mediums, the articulate, literate teenagers, all of The deaths plunge the community names that she has been made Fox Sisters, credited with originating them self-aware and increasingly into shock, its traditions and to use over the years and also the the Spiritualist Movement. Were their sensitive in their reactions to each behavioural codes violated. Daunis different characters that her mother séances mere fakery, exploitative other during the attack. Often, is offered the chance to help to forced her to assume. This is a story parlour games which benefited from their accounts reflect the panicked put things right as part of a covert about manipulation and power and their talents as bone cruncher or did confusion; a couple of lines from FBI operation to discover who is it is horrifying to think that all of the they tap in to something genuinely one narrator might be developed by manufacturing and distributing the situations with her mother happened beyond their contemporaries’ rational another’s view of the same incident, drugs which are destroying young by the time Nora was twelve years understanding? The tension of this maybe through a snatch of recalled lives. After two more of her friends old. It is difficult for us to imagine that novel lies precisely in the author’s dialogue. Milano does not offer a die she agrees to help-her cover as anyone would treat a child in this way, evasion of easy answers. Catherine coherent description of the attack; we the girlfriend of Jamie, an apparent but it does happen and the story also wanted to re-cast the Fox Sisters as never learn, for example, how it was member of a visiting ice-hockey team connects Nora with her two friends as more complex figures than previous finally suppressed by the police. who is FBI and her knowledge from they have also shared abuse at home. biographies would have them, and We come to know the narrators her aptitude in chemistry and her This book is being made into a film for the result is a text which equivocates through their own words, since no intimate understanding of Ojibwe Netflix, so it will be fascinating to see tantalisingly. authorial voice introduces them to traditional medicine. if they are able to maintain the chilling Drawing on the author’s readers or intrudes with background The plot weaves, ducks and dives, atmosphere that pervades the story background in American Cultural or comment. We realise that each but always convincingly and always and keeps us driven to keep reading. Studies, this fictionalised biography is self-conscious about areas of a mixture of the beliefs and customs MP takes place against a landscape of their own lives and yet, despite the of the Ojibwe and of white American mid-19th century radical politics, early danger, they all find the strength culture. The reader is detective and This Can Never Not Be Real suffrage and abolition in particular, to reach out to others. Peaches, observer, placed at the heart of HHHH as they intersected with the advent embarrassed by her shape and Daunis’ moral dilemmas and the of Spiritualism. A fantastic array of Sera Milano, Electric Monkey, weight, loathes her own body. The dangers she finds herself in. Her secondary characters include real life 340pp, 978 0 7555 0033 8, £7.99 evening’s terror brings her close to family and the closest members of radical Quakers, Amy and Isaac Post. pbk Joe, who in turn is far less confident her Ojibwe community-notably strong, The novel skips between Hydesville Not much happens in Amberside. than his everyday image suggests; fearless and good-hearted women- (New York), Rochester and New Every year, the Ambereve Festival they become essential to each other. bring elements of sassy certainty and York, a speed matched by evocative features the same local musicians, Ellie, envied by her peers as a magical tribal wisdom. The poignancy of the passages on the period’s ‘rush’ of with ageing rock star Eric Stone dancer, a runner, a model, carries the story is the love which slowly grows populations - from the arrival of Irish headlining, a torchlight procession physical and psychological scars of between Jamie and Daunis and which immigrants to those escaping from and a bonfire in the grounds of historic a major childhood illness. Violet is can never be fully realised. the South through the Underground Hearne House. There’s spicey cider to academically the most able of the When events are brought to their Railroad to the gold seekers heading be drunk and you might as well go four, but feels unsure of her place in shocking and unexpected conclusion out to California. since everyone does and it’s not as the school community as one of the Daunis can again concentrate on A truly exciting work of historical if there’s anything else to do. Most very few Black students. her own life and combine her love of fiction, We Played With Fire is also a of the older students from Clifton It may well be that the most chemistry and biology and of traditional genuinely chilling Gothic read. As with Academy and Sefton College are rewarding way to be drawn into the medicine in a university course which Catherine’s debut, Troublemakers, there, including our four narrators; ambition and tension of this novel, will also allow her time to study with the narrative is steered through Ellie, Joe, Violet and Peaches. They including the gathering power of its the tribe’s healer, to become her the voice of a spirited teenage girl, know each other by sight, the way conclusion (largely narrated by the apprentice, to fight for ‘all the girls Maggie Fox, living in the thrilling ‘now’ you do in large schools; you get an perceptive March) is to ignore the and women pushed into the abyss of of her teenage years, coming in to her impression of someone from hearsay plot device of the Inquest and to own, finding her voice and waking the expendability and invisibility.’ VR and glimpses of guarded surfaces –

28 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 reviews small communities, have to cope dialogue which rides waves of panic 14+ Secondary/Adult continued variously with a paedophile priest, a and excesses of drunkenness, shot child abductor, terrifying forest fires, through with feelings of isolation and surrender to Milano’s fundamental tackles are well known both for their wandering bears and mountain lions worthlessness. Robb’s observations concern: ‘ordinary people saving the legality and for their fearsomeness and dangerously low temperatures of character are spot on, involving the world’. That way, readers may well and they were the reason for the during long winters. Their parents reader in wholly realistic scenarios. become immersed in the reflective many life-changing events which are often in full retreat from any This is a bleak and moving book but streams of the narrators’ thoughts unfold in the book. sort of commitment or responsibility. with an injection of hope at the end: as they revisit the horror of Ambereve After one of his legendary tackles In a summer camp, infants risk help is there if only you look to your even as they record the depth of Ash experiences a feeling ‘like my fatal accidents on an hourly basis. friends. the new relationships the night has blood had been replaced with ice Friendships flicker but often die. Any Jamie finds strength in his changed brought. GF water’ and it is this moment which occasional sense of contentment or relationship with Nadia and his long causes a significant shift in the world general optimism remains largely friendship with Adil, realising that his Future Girl around him. absent. problems are much less frightening if HHHHH Driving a friend home, he jumps What stops all of this from going he shares them, opens up about his well over the top is the quality of its feelings-something his father simply Asphyxia, author and illus., Allen a light-because it is blue, not red as he expects it to be-and narrowly writing. Each word counts, and there cannot do. He becomes the adult & Unwin, 384pp, 978-1911679004, are no repetitions. There is also some £10.99 pbk avoids what could have been a he felt he had to be, but on his own black humour in its teenager banter, terms. VR Piper McBride is a sixteen year old girl fatal collision. Afterwards, on the periphery of his vision, he sees a although this often hurts too. Tracing in a near future Melbourne, Australia. characters from one story to the next Talking to Alaska She also happens to be deaf. In this skateboarder. These are the dual HHHH threads which underpin the ensuing takes time and attention, almost imagined world everyone must eat certainly meaning that this novel has what is called Recon, a nutritionally storyline.Ash has become the centre Anna Wolz, trans Laura Watkinson, to be read at least twice before all Rock the Boat, 192pp, balanced chemical mix supposedly of the universe. Each of his tackles bumps the world into another reality the connections become clear. But 978-1786075833, £6.99 pbk tailored to the nutritional needs of the a map on the front cover, showing consuming individual. It is possible to and the skateboarder multiplies Sven is a Dutch boy aged thirteen. In each time. Their job is to guide Ash the neighbouring terrains and which the previous year he was diagnosed grow real food, known as ‘wild’ food. characters live where helps out. And But to do so is considered radical through the shifting dimensions with epilepsy, a finding he detests. until, with luck and their training, a re-reading is also a pleasure. Despite Alaska is a female seizure alert dog and eccentric. Piper’s mother Irene its darkness, this book is a triumph of McBride plays a key role in the regime. better world will be achieved. whom he initially calls ‘the beast’ The skateboarders explain the story-telling. The only indication that because she makes him noticeable She is the chief research scientist it is written principally for teenage at the company that manufactures rational with dialogue which is often while all he desires is to be seen obtuse, and, as the changes to Ash’s rather than for adult readers is the as normal. Parker is a girl of the Recon. In this book Piper grows fact that all its main characters are into her deaf identity and learns to world continue, the story becomes same age. Her family owns a shop. the province of skilled readers. The young. In every other way it is a story Also last year Parker witnessed a question what she thought she knew for all ages. NT about the safety of Recon. premise of the story is an interesting violent robbery and has been left The most striking feature of one, ripe with possibilities, but Smashed traumatised. this book is that Piper is deaf. Her the speed of the world shifts the HHHHH Parker’s family owned Alaska subsequent changes make it an before she was trained as an deafness does indeed have major Andy Robb, uclanpublishing, impact on her life. But it is very far almost whistle-stop tour of society’s assistance dog. Parker misses problems. In the course of the book 328pp, Alaska and deeply resents that she from the only thing the reader learns 978 1 912979 40 0, £7.99 pbk about Piper and it is far from being Shusterman raises racism, violence was obliged to give up the dog on the dominant feature of her character to women, disability, homosexuality, Robb hits the ground running in this account of her little brother’s canine in the novel. There are certain drug dependency and gender stark, hard-hitting novel. Jamie is just allergy. Can Alaska bring Parker and aspects of this story of a disabled stereotypes. After one change Ash about to turn sixteen-on the cusp of Sven, her past and current owners, character which a disabled reviewer becomes a girl, after another he is adulthood with a caring girlfriend, a together? Can the two teenagers and recognises as the sign that the a young man from a wealthy family loyal best friend in Adil and a 6 year the dog find the person who robbed author shares the experience of an who is dealing drugs, in another he old sister who adores him. What Parker’s family’s shop? impairment. The range of emotions is gay. This hectic pace of change could be better? For Jamie, the Woltz sets out in this book to Piper feels in relation to her deafness does not allow a serious examination answer to that question is easy: his demonstrate just how strong the is huge, and all these emotions are of any of these problems-instead, Dad not punching his Mum. Since bond between humans and animals convincingly displayed. Two of the an awareness that the narrator is a the night his father lost control again may be. However she does not other characters in the book are also white, middle-class male makes this and left Jamie’s mum with a black shy away from the dark feelings disabled. One is deaf and the other is cultural toe-dipping seem even more eye and a determination to divorce Sven has towards his epilepsy and a wheelchair user. They both exert a hollow. him, Jamie has picked up the heavy towards himself as its bearer. Woltz’s truly positive influence on Piper’s life. Game Changer unfolds around burden of The Man Of The House. His achievement is significant. Few She has a boyfriend whose hearing a clever idea but ultimately skims interpretation of this fearsome role writers depicting young characters is unimpaired. His mother however across too many possible concepts is stereotypical-he must protect and with various impairments choose to is deaf. She is the one who teaches and fails to convince. VR comfort his mother and sister and depict the full range of emotions such try to maintain a relationship with a characters feel. Woltz also highlights Piper to sign. The relationship Everyone Dies Famous in a between teacher and pupil is self-obsessed father who has been both sides of the phenomenon of Small Town irrevocably diminished in his eyes. social media, both its positive and its exquisitely portrayed. Asphxia’s HHHHH artwork is so potent that it almost To add fuel to the flames he wants to negative aspects. becomes a character in its own right. Bonnie-Sue Hitchcook, Faber, end the relationship with his girlfriend This reviewer found only one The book will be read with profit and 246pp, 9780571360421, £7.99 pbk Nadia, whose attentions were initially sentiment informing this book of pleasure by all readers, whether or This, the publishers write on the back flattering but now seem suffocating. doubtful value. Sven states that not disabled. RB cover, is a novel like no other. They He confides in no-one, seeks help having an impairment that is not are right. While young adult fiction from no-one. What supports him visible is much less easily understood Game Changer has grown increasingly tough over through these testing times is alcohol. by others than having one that is HHH the years, it still usually ends up As he comes to rely on it more and visible, such as one that involves the holding out at least some moments more his perceptions of his own use of a wheelchair. This comment Neal Shusterman, Walker, 396pp, behaviour are changed. He becomes 978 1 4063-9863-2, £7.99 pbk. of hope for its readers. But not in this is allowed to pass unchallenged. In novel, written by an American author Super Jim, entertaining, charismatic, the experience of this reviewer such Ash is an American Football player hilarious, when in reality he is a sad disabilities are different but neither who revels in the intense physicality living in the same area described in her story. Nine interlinked drunk who doesn’t know where to is more nor less easily understood. of the game. As a lineman he ‘does turn for help. Robb’s narrative style To a non-reader of the Dutch original, the dirty work and gets no glory’ stories, each one introducing new characters along the way, are set illuminates the book with black Watkinson’s translation feels but his satisfaction comes from the humour, accurate descriptions of the excellent, smooth and unmannered. knowledge that it is precisely these in and around the Wyoming and Alaskan countryside at its bleakest. interactions of family life and, most RB two qualities which underpin the telling of all, Jamie’s unsteady internal success or failure of the team. His Bored teenagers, marooned in

Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021 29 Classics in Short No.146 Nonsense Songs and Amblongus Pie Brian Alderson reflects on one of the most original and accomplished children’s books of the 19th century. In the summer of 1862 Till then, comic interlude reserved for some curious Edward Lear wrote jokingly to his friend, if Lear were known at all as a writer it culinary recipes taken from the ‘valued and Lady Waldegrave, of the crowds he would be for the nonsenses of 1846 (see learned’ contributions of Professor Bosh had seen assembled in the City when our last BfK) and for his accounts of his to the Nonsense Gazette (Amblongus he drove there to pay £125 ‘into the travels in Italy and elsewhere, illustrated Pie, Crumbobblious Cutlets, and Gosky funds’ so unusual was it to see an artist with his own lithographs. But The Owl Patties). The Professor also appends nine banking some money. The cash was in and the Pussy-Cat and two other ballads illustrations with their generic and specific fact the fee that he had finally managed that Fields published in later issues of his descriptions of plants discovered in the to get from the publishers Routledge, magazine – The Duck and the Kangaroo valley of Verrikwier, down Orfeltugg way, Warne and Routledge for the sale of his and The Daddy Long-Legs and the Fly – along the lines of Manipeeplia Upsidownia: copyright for the third edition of A Book would mark the presence of a new voice of Nonsense. (It was hardly a good deal in English children’s literature. He worked from his point of view. The lithographic up ideas from manuscripts that he had pictures were all converted into woodcuts made for children and friends and for and the [eventually] two publishers went the Christmas of 1870 (but dated 1871) on issuing reprints till the copyright ran the publisher of his travel books, one R.J. out, Lear of course receiving nothing of Bush, put out a volume of Nonsense the profits. They were also prone to label Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets. as ‘new editions’ volumes that were simply It seems dodgily-dated continuances of an existing print-run.) that Messrs Routledge and the now independent Warne had passed up on his ideas and thus deprived themselves of the distinction of publishing one of the most original and accomplished children’s books of the century. The Songs began it, with the three ballads done for Our Young Folks in the lead and these were followed by six others, most notably The Original Jumblies. The two stories – the only two as are all the textual and illustrative ideas that Lear wrote – The History of the Four here, the universality of the enjoyment Little Children who Went Round the World of The Owl and the Pussy-Cat makes and The History of the Seven Families of for sufficient proof of the genius of the the Lake Pipple-Popple are barely that, Nonsense Songs themselves. Here is a being experimental illustrated comedies, mastery of the rhythms and vocabulary of betraying a fondness for utterly absurd poetry put to the service of the seemingly situations and the persistent marrying ridiculous. Domestic objects from daily of unrelated and sometimes invented life – a table, a chair, some fire irons, For about twenty years adjectives: ‘sumptuous and sonorous’ a nutcracker and sugar-tongs – make Lear ‘s profession had been that of a ‘melodious and mucilaginous’... impossible expeditions. Ducks, kangaroos, landscape painter, working much in sparrows and jumblies (whatever they are, Mediterranean lands for his health’s sake we only know that their heads are green and on occasion necessarily residing at and their hands are blue) have more hotels. While in Rome on one of these daring escapades, but they all occur only journeys he encountered the vacationing a short way across the border from reality. family of an American publisher, James And that reality may have implications, as Fields, whose children he entertained adumbrated by the Daddy-Longlegs and with comic verses as was his wont, and the Fly, that are anything but ridiculous.) the publisher forthwith commissioned Edward Lear The Complete Nonsense for his firm’s magazine anything that Lear and Other Verse s published by Penguin might like to offer in the way of amusing The Jumblies Classics, 978-0140424652, £14.99 pbk. verses. So it was that the February 1870 In both Songs and Stories number of Our Young Folks saw the first publication in New York of The Owl and the illustrations enhance what there is of Brian Alderson is founder of the the Pussy Cat with two-line illustrations narrative rather in the way of the drawings Children’s Books History Society by an unnamed house artist. (‘Capital’, of the earlier nonsenses. There then and a former Children’s Books Editor for said Lear.) follows a miscellany in which drawings The Times. His latest book The 100 Best tend to predominate. There are a couple Children’s Books, Galileo Publishing, of pictorial alphabets (one not illustrated 978-1903385982, £14.99 hbk, is out now. by Lear) which are preceded by a brief

30 Books for Keeps No.247 March 2021