Book Reviews: Daliesque adventures, Lovely Reunions and Some Haiku
Dani Netherclift
Posted on December 4, 2014
Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan
Rules of Summer kind of takes the old children’s adage of ‘ Step on a crack, break your grandmothers back’ and runs right into a dark room with it. No, make that a frankly terrifying post apocalyptic Daliesque land of surreal dread, though it be rather gorgeously rendered. The illustrations are amazing works of art, but you do not want to know what happens should you lose a fight for instance (hint, you may get handed over to a sinister flock of dark, dark birds in exchange for a golden crown. They will secrete you into a scary black, furnace driven monolithic flying machine and accompany it through the sky over bleak scapes). Oh, but it’s ok folks! At the end, there are rescue rules, and it’s just the wonderful imagination of little boys, flippant now about The Rules of Summer, in front of the TV, surrounded by their innocuous sketches of the land that you, the reader have just stepped from with a bit of a shiver.
There is a website for the book, which makes for an interesting read, and it is Australian, which I love. The Rules of Summer won Best Picture Book 2014 awarded by The Children’s Book Council of Australia
My Henry by Judith Kerr
From the prolific author of The Tiger Who Came For Tea comes this happy tale of a an old married couple who do not let death get in the way of their outings. Everyone thinks that granny is snoozing, but truly, she is out adventuring with her Henry (her deceased husband) amongst the lions and dinosaurs and unicorns, climbing mountains and those sorts of things. This is a very lighthearted look at love and imagination, dealing not so much with the idea of heaven, but some frolicsome place in between here and there.
Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein and illustrated by Ed Young
This book is a beautifully evocated visual explanation of the Japanese term Wabi Sabi, which is something that can’t quite be explained in words, unless they be word illustrations, by way of haiku, each haiku accompanied by it’s Japanese characters, and lovely illustrations. The book is presented in a spine facing upwards manner, stopping short of reading backwards for a western reader. It’s an attractive, educational book, pretty for a parent to read, but not necessarily much fun for a child.
linking up with #FYBF over at a With Some Grace
Tagged: Australian Books, Books, Children's Literature, Reviews
I love that Judith Kerr is dealing with issues of death in her children’s books recently. It’s so important to explore this concept with children. “My Henry” sounds like a book I could have used with my children recently before my grandfather died.
It would be a really great book for helping kids process death. It’s a sweet book.
My Henry looks like such a sweet book although I would probably cry reading it as I’m such a sook!
It is sweet, haha, I think you would be safe from crying, it’s just not sad at all. Definitely don’t read the book I reviewed last week, Once a Shepherd, as I absolutely wept when I read it.
Really interesting choices, Dani. I’m always looking for new books to expose the kids too.
Thanks Renee. I enjoy choosing them. The Rules of Summer book is the most interesting and certainly visually stunning of the three.
Greta picks. I’m particularly keen to read Wabi Sabi. My son likes writing Haiku :)
It’s a beautiful book, and if your son is into haiku, then he will love it too. Google Wabi Sabi picture book and look at some of the lovely images.
Now that is a great headline! I love Shaun Tan. I’m not quite sure what my kids make of his illustrations, definitely dark, but they are so amazingly detailed. I think kids probably see different things at different stages of their development. Thanks for sharing these unique choices!
Thanks for reading :) I’m sure that kids don’t see darkness in the same way. The illustrations are gorgeous, I can see why it won the award, and will be looking out for his other books.
I lived in Japan for 8 years and tried to teach my boys some Japanese when they were younger. Wabi Sabi looks like a great book for them! Thanks for the recommendations.