Tag Laura Gehl

Apple and Magnolia

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Apple and Magnolia
Laura Gehl and Patricia Metola
Walker Books

Britta insists that her two favourite trees Apple and Magnolia are best friends; this she knows deep down inside herself and there’s no swaying her. She visits the trees every day and watches how they communicate with one another. Some members of her family tell her that trees cannot have friendships – her father speaking kindly, her elder sister Bronwyn forcibly; her Nan in contrast says, ‘unusual friendships can be the most powerful of all’.

One night Britta notices that Magnolia’s branches have started drooping. While her father and sister tell her the tree won’t survive the winter, Nana asks about a plan. This galvanises her into action. 

Aided and abetted by her pets she makes a telephone using cups connected by string for the trees to use, knits an enormous scarf and wraps it around them so they can share one another’s warmth during the chilly winter months and hangs a string of lights between Apple and Magnolia so they can always see each other.

Time passes and one morning Britta thinks that the trees have become closer together. She measures the distance between them and continues to do so every morning, getting the usual responses from family members. The arrival of spring sees pink blossom on Apple’s branches whereas Magnolia doesn’t flower, although Britta’s measurements decrease and you can’t argue with scientific data. 

Eventually the first blossom appears on Magnolia sending Britta’s hopes soaring. Soon it’s time for a celebration.

The repetition of the comments, be they negative or positive heightens, the impact of the telling of this delightfully fanciful story. Not entirely fanciful however; author Laura Gehl includes this in an introductory note, ‘Scientists are just at the beginning of understanding how trees are able to communicate with and support other trees.’ Equally delightful are Patricia Metola’s whimsical illustrations of the characters, both human and arboreal.

The Window

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The Window
Laura Gehl and Udayana Lugo
Studio Press

Written from the child’s viewpoint this is a beautiful, sensitively written (Laura Gehl) and illustrated ( Udayana Lugo) heartfelt story about a little girl and her relationship with her beloved grandfather in the last weeks and days of his life.

Visiting Grandpa alongside the child during his long-term illness, readers share the love that exists between the two as they look at the view from the window of her grandpa’s hospital room and talk about the things they’ll do together on the beach they see below, when as the little girl says, the old man is better.

That’s not what happens though for Grandpa gets progressively worse and eventually dies. It’s a very sad time as we see, but at the end there’s an unexpected, yet very powerful, heartening twist to this poignant tale. It’s one that serves as a reminder that although no longer physically with us, loved ones are always present.

At the end of the book are some helpful, supportive words of advice from psychotherapist Dr Sharie Coombes about how to talk with a child about the death of a much loved family member.

Judge Juliette / Bling Blaine Throw Glitter, Not Shade

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Here are two recent picture books from Sterling Children’s Books:

Judge Juliette
Laura Gehl and Mari Lobo

Juliette is a girl with a dream – to become a judge; meanwhile she dons her mum’s old black skirt and uses her grandpa’s old mallet to play at so being. Already she’s the person those in her locality increasingly turn to for decisions of what is fair from bedtimes to bat losses.

This causes her parents to decide that their daughter has proved herself sufficiently responsible to be allowed that much wanted pet.

But then who should walk into her courtroom but mum and dad: Mum thinks she should get a dog, Dad pins his hopes on a cat and each parent has plenty of evidence to back up their side of the argument. Moreover, both are prepared to try a little bit of bribery on their daughter. This is going to be tricky to say the least.

How can Juliette possibly make a fair decision in this Cat vs Dog case?

Youngsters, many of whom will already have a strong sense of fairness, will enjoy this story with its bold illustrations, especially the finale, and during the course of a book sharing will likely learn some legal terminology.

Bling Blaine Throw Glitter, Not Shade
Rob Sanders and Letizia Rizzo

Make no mistake Blaine is into all things sparkly; he adorns his school uniform, his book bag and cap with glittery things. He’s popular, spreading happiness wherever he goes, is a sporting star and extremely bright. Most people are accepting of his predilection

but a few lack understanding and eventually those hurtful words begin to take effect on the boy especially when someone calls him ‘Sissy!”
Next Monday he arrives at school sans sparkles and this continues through the week and by midweek the entire school has lost its shine. Something has to be done and so his classmates take action: the following morning several children show up defiantly sporting sparkly items of clothing.

This precipitates a change of heart in others, and after some discussion between the pro- and anti-sparkle individuals,

things change: a small gift is given, and a decision is made: everyone is free to be themselves, at least at this school.

A gentle lesson, with expressive cartoon style illustrations, on the individual’s right to be him/herself, and on being an ally. (the final spread talks about what the latter entails).