Tag slowing down

Tisha and the Blossom

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Tisha and the Blossom
Wendy Meddour and Daniel Egnéus
Oxford Children’s Books

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

To me, these opening lines of the WH Davies poem I learned in primary school lie at the heart of this latest collaboration between Wendy Meddour and Daniel Egnéus.

Like most of us, young Tisha and her family lead busy lives and wherever she goes, whatever she does, the little girl is constantly being told by adults to “Hurry up”. It happens in the morning as she enjoys watching the blossom fall, as she leaves for school and all the way through the school day.

So when her mum arrives to pick her up and urges her to hurry for the bus, it’s the last straw.

Fortunately Tisha’s request that they slow down results in mother and daughter walking home and enjoying a special game to help them do just that.

Then when they reach home Dad is there to join in with the welcome change of pace.

We all need to make time to be still and mindful in our hectic world; if nothing else the last twelve months has made us realise the importance of paying attention to the pleasure offered by small things. Wendy’s engaging story with Daniel Egnéus’ scenes – especially the blossom-filled ones, are a truly gorgeous affirmation of this.

Harry in a Hurry

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Harry in a Hurry
Timothy Knapman and Gemma Merino
Macmillan Children’s Books

Harry the hare is always in a frantic rush to do everything and go everywhere, so much so that he’s apt to cause chaos wherever he goes.

He makes some pretty perilous moves as he speeds around on his scooter until he suddenly finds himself hurtling through the air and into a pond.

Happily Tom Tortoise is there to fish him out, scooter and all and is even good enough to offer to mend Harry’s battered scooter.
Being a tortoise however, means that whatever Tom does, it’s at an extremely slow speed and inevitably it will be so with the task he’s kindly undertaken.

The badly bruised Harry has no choice but to wait and accept his friend’s offer of lunch.

As he does so, something strange starts to happen.

After their lunch Tom suggests a walk and more of Harry’s grumpiness dissipates as he pauses and takes notice of his surroundings.

Tom slips quietly back to finish his task, returning several hours later with the job done, to discover a decidedly more composed Harry, now mindful of his previous bad manners, and appreciative of both his friend’s efforts and the beauty all around.

Timothy’s tale, funny though it may be, has serious messages about kindness, friendship and the importance of taking time to enjoy everything that slowing down offers, not the least being good-natured interactions with others and the beauty of the natural world.

Gemma Merino’s expressive illustrations orchestrate the action brilliantly, bringing out the contrasts between the characters with gentle humour, and providing lots of amusing touches, not the least being the activities of the little mouse and other unmentioned creatures – an extra reward for those who read the book slowly.

My Lazy Cat

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My Lazy Cat
Christine Roussey
Abrams Books for Young Readers

Boomer is a chubby cat, found ‘spread out like a pancake’ on the doorstep of the young narrator’s home. With his tiger-like purrs and wonderful hugs, he quickly becomes the girl’s best friend. There’s only one thing wrong: Boomer is a complete lazybones liking nothing better than drowsing and snoozing, in complete contrast to the narrator. She’s constantly on the go with her busy schedule of judo, swimming, yoga, painting, pottery, knitting, soccer, and cycling. On her way out however, a snoozing Boomer causes her to trip and go flying.

One the verge of tears, she catches sight of the cat and laughter takes over.
Boomer then leads the way out into the garden. Flat out on the grass, child and cat watch the ladybirds and listen to the wind blowing through the pine tree, then stroll to the pond where they watch fish and listen to the sounds of the water and the frogs.

Lunch is a feast of berries, tomatoes, and fruit from the trees, after which they lie back contentedly gazing at the clouds.

The girl’s response to her parents’ “What did you do today?” is “Nothing” and a huge smile, which speaks volumes about her frenetic existence and the over-scheduled lives led by so many children nowadays.
Well done Boomer (and Christine Roussey) for showing the importance of allowing children time for slowing down, relaxing, enjoying the natural world, and just being.
There’s a child-like simplicity in Roussey’s scratchy-style illustrations that make the story feel even more immediate.