Tag sisterly love

Stick! / That is Actually MY Blanket, Baby!

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Stick!
Irene Dickson
Nosy Crow
The joys of finding and playing with a stick are explored in an unassuming tale of a small boy and his dog as they take a walk together. There are so many pleasures such a simple, natural object can yield including a game of throwing, retrieving, use as a tapping instrument, an aid to balancing, a corn swisher, a drawing implement …

a mud stirrer, or a floater. Such a versatile find.

All in all a delightful celebration of playing in the great outdoors told through a brief, straightforward text and rendered in vibrant scenes that have a slightly retro feel.
Quite simply, a breath of fresh air and a reminder of the importance of free play with natural objects.
With its minimal text closely matched to the illustrations, it’s great for those just starting to read as well as for sharing with the very young.

That is Actually MY Blanket, Baby!
Angie Morgan and Kate Alizadeh
Little Tiger Press
Many young children form an attachment to a blanket or other soft toy from which they become virtually inseparable; so it is with Bella the small female protagonist in this story. Her ‘Blanket’ has been everywhere Bella has and absorbed a good few spills, smells and a whole lot of dirt in the course of their adventures together.
Then along comes a new baby brother, an adorable creature but what a crier. Bella tries all kinds of diversion tactics but suddenly something catches New Baby’s attention. New Baby has a lovely new blanket of his own, a cosy stripy one that should do the trick as a pacifier but no: he prefers Bella’s muddy, painty, stinky one and doesn’t want to let go.
Bella doesn’t act in haste though, snatching her blanket back as many youngsters probably would; rather she encourages her tiny brother to use his own pristine blanket in all kinds of messy activities in the hope it might in time become as much loved as her own.

Until then, who knows: perhaps her patience, loving words and sharing compromise will do the trick?

Endearing characters steal the show in this unusual take on a new sibling.

I’ve signed the charter  

Virginia Wolf

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Virginia Wolf
Kyo Maclear and Isabelle Arsenault
Book Island
Author, Kyo Maclear (The Listzs) and Isabelle Arsenhault, illustrator (Cloth Lullaby) have together invented an episode from the youth of Virginia Wolf, narrated by her sister Vanessa when the former was overcome by depression: ‘She made wolf sounds and did strange things … ‘ Unsurprisingly, her actions affected the entire household –

‘She was a very bossy wolf. The whole house sank. Up became down. Bright became dim. Glad became gloom.’
Vanessa is a very understanding and supportive sister and does her upmost to cheer up her sibling. Eventually she responds to Virginia’s wish to fly to a perfect place … with “ABSOLUTELY NO DOLDRUMS”, a place called Bloomsberry, by creating, as Virginia sleeps …

a glorious ‘Bloomsberry’ garden.
This has the effect of lifting the gloom that has engulfed her sister– for the time being at least.

Strong emotions are part and parcel of childhood but comparatively few children go on to develop the dark melancholic, depressive feelings that would frequently engulf Virginia in her adult life. Not everyone, however hard they try will be able to help a depressed family member, but this is no detraction from what is undoubtedly a beautiful picture book.
Arsenault’s eloquent illustrations capture superbly the whole gamut of emotions of Maclear’s text: the graceful beauty of the pictures Vanessa creates would surely bring solace to almost anyone. The use of a hand-lettered text that sometimes almost explodes off the page, further adds to the impact of what is an immensely powerful and intensely personal tale of love and hope.
This is a book to share and discuss with older children (from around ten, and into early secondary school). I hope teachers have the insightfulness and perhaps courage to do so: its potential is rich.

I’ve signed the charter 

Christmas For Greta and Gracie

jillrbennett Leave a comment

DSCN5926 (800x600)

Christmas for Greta and Gracie
Yasmeen Ismail
Nosy Crow
With this on the title page,

DSCN5927 (800x600)

who could possibly resist the latest offering from the wonderful Yasmeen Ismail who, for me, can do no wrong?
It features sisters, Garrulous Greta, slightly older than Gracie (one year, six months and three days to be precise) and a whole lot noisier: Gracie just liked to listen – usually.
It’s Christmas Eve when we meet them and the girls are busy with the crayons, or rather Gracie is; Greta’s bored and is anxious to get outside and help decorate the village Christmas tree. Here they are …

DSCN5928 (800x600)

But when it comes to putting the star atop the tree, guess who insists on climbing up and guess who asks in the shop for the special ribbon to wrap the presents. It certainly isn’t Gracie; she’d wanted red ribbon …

DSCN5929 (800x600)

Indeed she only manages to get three words in as a response to Mrs Goose’s “You must be very excited about Christmas, Gracie. What do you think Father Christmas is like?” But those three words pretty much sum up what turns out to be a very special encounter with a very special person at the dead of night while her sister is tucked up fast asleep. …

DSCN5930 (800x600)

And on Christmas morning, guess who is finally rendered speechless when having read the label on one of the stockings, hears about that encounter …

 

DSCN5931 (800x600)

What do you think those three words were that Gracie said? Well, if you want to find out, then hot foot it along to your nearest bookshop and get hold of this cracker of a book. It’s totally brilliant.

Use your local bookshop          localbookshops_NameImage-2