Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to Swim by Kobina Commeh, illustrated by Bárbara Quintino, Barefoot Books
Kwesi wishes he could play in the lake with his friends, but he can’t swim. He confides in Nana Ruby and she tells him a secret: she can’t either. When she moved from Ghana to the US as a child, segregation, which banned Black people from using pools and beaches, prevented her from learning to swim. She tells Kwesi the West African legend of Mami Wata, “half woman and half fish”. They draw on her strength and together they face their fear. This is a beautiful portrayal of a grandchild–grandparent relationship. Kwesi and Nana Ruby have so much time for each other and there’s wonderful understanding between them. I love the way Nany Ruby shares her family history and culture and she’s a powerful role model to Kwesi in the way she triumphs over painful experiences from her past.
A Home Is a Nest by Emma Carlisle, Big Picture Press
This beautiful book captures the precious early days of parenthood and speaks to the surge of love parents feel for their new baby as they welcome them home. Drawing parallels with nature, it conjures a sense of belonging and security within the family. It is written as an address to the child and reads like a promise: “This home is a nest, Always waiting for you, Now your journey has just begun.” Emma Carlisle’s pencil and watercolour illustrations depict the passing of time through the changing seasons, and the natural order of things in the way all animals care for their young and encourage their growth.
Little Gwen, Rescue Hen by Carol Thompson, Otter-Barry Books
At the beginning of this book, the small brown hen is miserable in a dark and overcrowded farm cage. Her feathers gone from her back, she’s too exhausted to lay another egg. She’s packed into a cardboard box, and when the lid opens, she finds herself blinking in the bright light of the outside world. Cared for by the child in this story, little Gwen begins to enjoy her new freedom and gradually she recovers. The illustrations are fabulous: scratching and running, flapping and pecking, they are a characterful study of the wonderful ways of chickens. Little Gwen, Rescue Hen is a gentle introduction to animal welfare and our responsibility to the health and wellbeing of the animals we keep. The child in this story takes this into their own hands, capturing the innate love children often have for animals.
Puloma and the Bear by Jasbinder Bilan, illustrated by Skylar White, Barrington Stoke
Puloma, recently orphaned, runs away from her unkind aunt who’s been looking after her and soon finds herself living with the circus. But it’s a precarious sanctuary she’s found as the circus workers are constantly trying to evade the police. Their star act is Nyla, a sloth bear who is made to dance – a cruelty now illegal in India. It makes Puloma sick to see it, and she vows to help Nyla, a promise that puts her in considerable danger. Bilan packs so much into this short novel, an imprint published by Barrington Stoke, that specialises in producing accessible books for readers of all levels. Sensory details evoke the Indian countryside wonderfully, Puloma is a gutsy protagonist, and there is a powerful message about the treatment of captive animals.
Higher Ground by Tull Suwannakit, New Frontier Publishing
I love this book! Combining elements of a graphic novel, a picture book and a diary, it tells the story of a family – a brother and sister and their grandmother – surviving after a great flood. Evoking the climate emergency, this is a story of strength in adversity. There is deep humanity amid the unfolding of near-apocalyptic events. The grandmother teaches the children the skills they need to survive – which they record in journal entries – and the children care for the grandmother as she ages. The artwork by Tull Suwannakit, in watercolour and graphite, is stunning. Though the text is minimal, the words are carefully chosen and with the pictures they tell a story that is epic in its sweep. There are fantastical elements and I love the images of “streets bustling with schools of fish” in the abandoned, flooded city. Life, loss, love, survival, there is everything in this poignant and beautiful book.
My Home Is in My Backpack by Eugenia Perrella, illustrated by Angela Salerno, Floris Books
The family in this story are on a long journey by foot to find somewhere safe to live. Clara has left her house behind, but her parents help her to see that ‘home’ is not something you can ever leave: “our home is always with us”. Home in this story is the people you love, your memories, and the things you like to do. Understanding this helps Clara feel safe and confident and helps her to get to know the friends around her. The illustrations are gentle and expansive, with warm colours and a prominence of stars in some of the scenes. Though the trials and dangers of forced migration are part of this story, they are not its focus. In a note at the back of the book, Perrella and Salerno explain how they wanted “to show that play, friendship and love are also present, and that the magic and innocence of childhood can remain”. They capture these ideas beautifully in this gorgeous book.
Your Farm, Your Forest and Your Island by Jon Klassen, Walker Books
This trio of companion board books marks new ground for Jon Klassen, award-winning author of I Want My Hat Back. In each of these baby books, the kindly narrator builds elements of a different setting one by one. The forest has trees, a cabin, rocks, a ghost (“he is nice”), a stream, and a bridge. He creates spaces in which children can imagine themselves as they, along with the tableaus, eventually succumb to sleep. The predictability of the sun coming up at the beginning and going down at the end of each book creates a feeling of comfort and safety. The simplicity of the artwork makes way for the wonderful humour: it’s all in the eyes!
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Reviews by Alice Ellerby
Published in issue 95. Accurate at the time this issue went to print.
