Tag Adriena Fong

Is It A Seed?

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Is It A Seed?
Emily Ann Davison and Adriena Fong
Flying Eye Books

When a young girl discovers an unusual-looking seed, she and her brother start pondering upon what it might become. The only way to find out though is to plant it and that’s what they do, but it takes time for a plant to grow so the maybes continue. Could it be a single flower or something incredible?

The seed takes root and further possibilities are put forward: what about a large tree in which to build a treehouse, or even more fun, an entire treehouse town. Maybe it will become a gigantic beanstalk atop which is a fantastical kingdom and suppose a giant descends or an entire giant army intent on world domination. On the other hand, said giants might be of the friendly variety.

Eventually to the excitement of the entire family, a tiny shoot appears in the planter but this doesn’t stop the children’s inventive ideas from running wild as they joyfully measure the seedling’s growth.

I love stories that celebrate the power of young children’s imagination, which this playful book with Adriena Fong’s lush scenes, does beautifully, alongside documenting the growth of a seed and presenting ways in which the child characters’ connection with the natural world is forged and further fuelled.

Ning and the Night Spirits

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Ning and the Night Spirits
Adriena Fong
Flying Eye Books

Ning, a quiet boy, lives in a little town in a lush valley at the edge of a forest. Each evening he helps his parents light lanterns to ward off the night spirits. Ning wants to know if the spirits really are scary but he’s unable to ask the other children as he finds making friends as scary, or more so, than any spirit he could imagine.

Bothered by his parents’ reaction to his lack of friends, Ning creeps out of the back door one night and into the forest 

where he finds himself face to face with a night spirit, a creature that looks anything but scary. Indeed Ning realises it’s the creature that is scared of him. The two quickly become friends and the cute little creature shows him the wonderful forest animals and the secret world of the night spirits. Ning discovers that rather than being scary, the spirits are scared, scared of the bright flames of the townsfolks’ lanterns that hurt their eyes, causing them to take refuge in the forest.

The boy knows that he must try and help his new spirit friends, but to do so he needs to find the courage to speak to the other children and enlist their help. Can he do that? Back home he works on a plan …

Adrian Fong has created a magical world in a far eastern setting for her debut picture book that tells a story about friendship, gaining the confidence to confront your fears and not making prejudgements about others. When you share the book with young children at home or in school, take time to look closely at the illustrations of the inside of Ning’s home and the parade through the town, they’re rich in cultural detail.