Go well as you travel my little love,
over the world as you roam ...
If you are weary and tire of your journey then
let the sea bring you home
let the sea bring you home
Ivanhoe dreams of adventure. He has heard songs about the wide world. He takes his map, hat, pencil, kite, a sandwich and the songs he has heard and off he goes. Along the way he meets Maisie Jane. They enjoy playing together and flying his kite then Ivanhoe continues on his way. Sadly not everyone he meets is quite as friendly as Maisie Jane.
Finally he reaches the sea:
"One evening he reached the sea. It shimmered and shone and went right to the edge of forever. Ivanhoe sang a song of wonder, and the sea joined in. Shhh shhh the waves whispered to him."
With a group of older students it would be good to compare this description with the words used by Margaret Mahy in her book The Man whose mother was a Pirate.
“The little man could only stare. He hadn’t dreamed of the
BIGNESS of the sea. He hadn’t dreamed of the blueness of it. He hadn’t thought
it would roll like kettledrums, and swish itself on to the beach. He opened his
mouth and the drift and the dream of it, the weave and the wave of it, the fume
and foam of it never left him again. At his feet the sea stroked the sand with
soft little paws. Farther out, the great, graceful breakers moved like kings
into court, trailing the peacock-patterned sea behind them.”
Towards the end of Ivanhoe's journey disaster strikes when his kite is lost. Ivanhoe remembers the words of the song his mother sang to him and he is able to find is way home. His mum and dad are so pleased to see him and Maisie Jane is there too with his kite!
Ivanhoe Swift left home at Six is another book which I like from the CBCA 2020 Early Childhood Notables list. I like the way this story is a gentle exploration of the power of curiosity. This six year old does not need to really travel very far from his mum and dad to see the world. How wonderful that they wisely allow him the freedom leave home (briefly) and in this way they encourage his curiosity. Once Ivanhoe has experienced a little independence he then feels safe to come back to the comfort of home. Perhaps you could compare Ivanhoe with the famous character Max from Where the Wild things are.
Jane Godwin says:
The main message (or area of exploration) of the story for me is the (often life-long) push and pull of independence/freedom/self-determination vs dependence/belonging/potential subjugation of self in the face of family. I see this tension in toddlers and young children and in adolescents - and in adults, too!
A.Yi has two books on the CBCA list this year - the other is My Friend Fred by Frances Watts. Jane Godwin has three CBCA notable titles - how wonderful. She has a book in the Picture book of the Year category - Tilly illustrated by Anna Walker - and also a title in Younger Readers - As Happy as Here.
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