Paradise Sands by Levi Pinfold

"White roses we follow, towards Teller's Hollow

Dead earth to a spring, the house of a King

A sip from the chalice, we enter his palace

Break bread for the Keeper now we descend deeper

Washed clean in his pool we fall under his rule

Away from what is, we all now are his"

These children/adolescents have clearly heard the opening six-line rhyme recited by their mother many times but instead of listening to the words and recognising they are warning or a prophecy, the words have become a little like a jingle that they sing along to in their car. Only the young girl knows there are warnings in these words. 

This is a story of enchantment, entrapment, courage, wisdom, patience, belief, temptation and above all love. The young girl will rescue her brothers no matter what the personal cost rather like the girl in the Wild Swans fairy tale. Water is an important underlying theme here too. The landscape is a desert but there is water in this mysterious place. The boys are eager to jump in cool water of the pool. Then we don’t see the boys again once the Teller issues his challenge. For three days the girl does not drink. Her body language shows her determination to succeed against The Teller. But I felt such shock when her act of compassion towards the flowers, when she gives them a drink, has unexpected and dire consequences. 

The sepia hyper realistic art with touches of blue and pink are reminiscent of art by Chris van Allsburg, Shaun Tan and Steven Woolman (The Watertower). 

This story has biblical overtones, it feels like a parable, and it has references to fairy tales such as Beauty and the Beast. Notice the repeated pattern of three – three days, three broken columns, three banquet scene, three brothers and three dolphins. The setting and time period are open-ended although we do recognise this is an older model car and the cinder blocks on the house also hint at a time from the recent past.

Right from the beginning the young girl, in her pale blue dress, shows she has a higher level of responsibility. Think about how she stops to lock the door to their house. 

Take a close look at the cover: golden fruit (Adam and Eve perhaps); the shadow of the girl is cut in half; the young girl wears blue dress does this signify innocence? I thought of the phrase - "the little child shall lead them”. There is a chalice in the corner of the cover. I associate this with the ceremony in a church where wine is shared during communion to represent the blood of Christ. The girl looks sad, and her gaze is directed toward the towering lion. He also looks sad or even perhaps resigned. 

Looking at the dust jacket the image stretches out and the face of the lion looks strangely like the face of a man in profile. The three pages where we see the banquet table are very interesting. On the first we have domestic animals eating human food. The next day, enormous exotic animals arrive. On the third day, though, the food is all gone, and the crows have arrived – do they symbolise death? Is the lion an echo of Aslan? Is this about free will? The dry remote forbidding landscape in this book is also a character. There are so many interesting shadows and sharp angles in the illustrations. 

Readers will have so many questions and they will be eager to revisit the story and illustrations. Have the children visited their mother before; where and what is this hospital; and did the meeting with The Teller and his dreadful bargain also happen to their mother in the past? So, the ending is bittersweet as the girl both succeeds and fails. 

If you are sharing this book with a group of High School students you could consider exploring these possible references - a painting of the Last Supper; fairy tales such as Beauty & the Beast, Hansel and Gretel and The Wild Swans. You might thing about Orpheus in the Underworld and classic literature such as Aslan from the Narnia books. Thinking about pop culture you could relate this story to music or television such as 'Don't pay the Ferryman', 'Hotel California', 'Breaking Bad' (the desert setting), 'Game of Thrones' (Ziggurat type building). 

Every part of this book design has been created with care. There is a different image under the dust jacket. The end papers are the same blue as the girl's dress. 

Paradise Sands is a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Honour Book. Here is the report from the judges (I was one for this round):

Right from the beginning, the young girl, in her pale blue dress, shows she has a higher level of responsibility. The characters have clearly heard the opening six-line rhyme many times, but instead of recognising they are a warning, the words have become a jingle they sing along to in their car. This is a story of enchantment, entrapment, courage, wisdom, patience, belief, temptation and, above all, love. The young girl will rescue her brothers no matter what the personal cost. An almost unbearable sense of bleakness is created through the dry barren landscapes and even the starkness of the house and hospital room. The landscape in this book becomes a character. Older readers will be eager to revisit the story and the exquisite, masterful illustrations. This book has the look and feel of a classic.

In her post on her blog Paperbark Words Joy Lawn gives some excellent suggestions for ways to explore this book with your older students. I would say this book is for mature readers aged 11 and that it should be added to every High School library. Read this interview where Levi Pinfold talks with Kirkus. See some of the art from this book and here are some review comments:

This one has all the hallmarks of a book that someone will buy for a child, the child will read and reread for years, and it’ll embed itself in the deepest folds and crevices of that child’s brain. ... If you need something beautiful and odd to give to a child, you could hardly do better than this. Betsy Bird Fuse 8

This is a truly eerie tale with much left for the reader to ponder upon. Pinfold’s illustrations are mesmerising, unsettling and haunting, drawing us to them again and again in search of further meanings. Red Reading Hub

The meticulous nature of Pinfold's art lures the reader's eye to the tiniest illustrative details, such as the texture of the Teller's mane, dirt-caked fissures in the marble columns and the girl's heartbreaking and resigned facial expressions. Cool blue endpapers stand in stark contrast to the leathery dryness of the sepia palette dominating this stunning and heavily symbolic story. Shelf Awareness

This mesmerizing work offers potential jumping-off points to discuss many topics, including magical realism, symbolism, family relationships and roles, and mental health. Kirkus star review

The washout-desert palette in the hauntingly beautiful realistic mixed-media illustrations creates an eerie sense of foreboding (carried through to the ambiguous ending) that cues readers into the otherworldliness of the story. Horn Book star review

This book has been added to the NCACL database of Picture Books for Older Readers. I highly recommend you explore this resource.

Companion books:

Noah's Ark Picture books

The Curious Creatures Noah took in the Ark

When I was thinking about the 2020 CBCA Slogan - Curious Creatures, Wild Minds - I thought about the story of Noah's ark and all the curious creatures who were mentioned in that story.  I have been collecting different versions of the Noah's ark story in a Pinterest - literal bible stories and alternate versions. Here are four that interpret the bible story.  In a later post I will look at some alternate versions along with Australian picture books and retellings from other cultures.

Why Noah chose the Dove by Isaac Bashevis Singer illustrated by Eric Carle (1973)

First lines: "When the people sinned and God decided to punish them by sending the flood, all the animals gathered around Noah's ark."

In this version each of the animals boast about their own virtues because they hear a rumor Noah will only take the very best of all the living creatures.
Animals: Lion, elephant, fox, donkey, skunk, monkey, cat, bear, squirrel, tiger, sheep, wolf, snake, bee, giraffe, camel, hippo, crocodile, bat and cricket.
It is the dove who offers the best advice:

"I don't think of myself as better or wiser or more attractive than the other animals ... Each one of us has something the other doesn't have... "

Why read this version?  It has wonderful collage illustrations by Eric Carle. The boasting animals are actually quite funny. You might discuss the pairings such as snake and bee; horse and fly; chicken and cow. This book uses a rich vocabulary: rumor, vied, belittling, a fawning flatterer, protested, midgets, and imitate.  And if you need other words for 'said' this text is a great model:  blared, yapped, yipped, brayed, snarled, bellowed, and chortled.

Of interest Isaac Bashevis Singer won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1978. This book is still in print.

Final lines: "The truth is that there are in the world more doves than there are tigers, leopards, wolves, vultures, and other ferocious beasts. The dove lives happily without fighting. It is the bird of peace."

Noah's Ark by Heinz Janisch illustrated by Lisbeth Zweger (1997)
Translated by Rosemary Lanning

First lines: "It came to pass in the days when giants strode the earth and were heroes among men, God saw that His people had grown wicked. They thought only of war and destruction. And God was angry."

In this version the animals are presented in a form that might remind you of a biology book or a museum exhibit. If you look carefully you will find a unicorn, two koalas, lots of birds, fish and a pair of red kangaroos. Here is the Kirkus review.

Why read this version?  I would use this book with a group of older students as an art or visual literacy stimulus. The inclusion of animals from mythology is also interesting.

Of interest - A new edition (hardcover format) of this book was published in 2018. It has a different cover. This book was first published in Switzerland under the title Die Arche Noah.

Final lines: "They all looked up, and saw a rainbow linking heaven and earth. And Noah went away from the ark. in hope and trust, and his offspring peopled the earth."

The Story of Noah retold by Stephanie Rosenheim illustrated by Elena Odriozola (2006)

First lines: "Many, many years ago the people on earth grew tired of each other and became cruel and unkind. When the sun rose into a cloudless blue sky, it shone down on a people who snarled as they threw back the bed covers, cross and unhappy with life."

The text here is easy to read but again I would use this book with an older group of students as a way to talk about styles of illustration and visual literacy. The page where the ark is tossed around in the water is especially powerful.

Of interest: Elena Odriozola is a Spanish illustrator. The paperback edition of this book was published in 2013 and it is available.

Final lines: "And to show that he meant this God placed a beautiful rainbow in the sky. So now, when a rainbow appears and spread its colours across the sky, everyone should remember God's promise to His people on Earth."

Noah and the ark retold by Michael McCarthy illustrated by Giuliano Ferri (2001)

First lines: "God made the world all fresh and new, 
Each tree, and field and hill. 
But folks were not like me and you. 
They learned to fight and kill. 
The world was soon so stained with blood 
That God was very sad.
God thought, 'I'll send a mighty flood
To wash out all things bad."

You can hear/read/see this text is in rhyme which is interesting but not quite perfect. Here is the Kirkus review. The animals listed include: badgers, mice, hummingbirds, razorbills, gulls, centipedes and bumble bees. I like the way they are grouped - mammals, domestic, birds, reptiles, and insects. The page filled with pouring rain and wild waves is fabulous.

Of interest:  This book contains an excellent author's note where Michael McCarthy explains his research process. Make sure you take time to explore the end papers. Giuliano Ferri is an Italian illustrator and animator.

Final lines: "For when the sun shines through the rain
The rainbow's arc appears again.
Reminding me, reminding you,
God's words to Noah are still true."

Image Source: Why Noah chose the Dove - US Macmillan

Nativity picture books

Image Source and knitting pattern here

Here are five books that retell the Nativity story:

The Nativity (1986) illustrated by Julie Vivas Text 
adapted by Ron Lander

Things you need to know:
This is an Australian book illustrated by our wonderful Julie Vivas illustrator of Possum Magic. The text is very close to the words used in the bible. This book is still available. Here is a quote:

"Fear not Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. Thou shall bring forth a son and call his name Jesus."   "It came to pass that Caesar Augustus decreed that all the world should be taxed, everyone to his own city."

In contrast with the formal language of the text, the illustrations are whimsical and colourful. Julie Vivas uses a palette of pale water colours which at times look like rainbows.

Here is a quote from the Kirkus Star review :  "Vivas' delicate, sure watercolors are a reminder that the humbleness of these people made the event more extraordinary—that the story is not only about the long ago and far away but about people with familiar joy s and troubles."


The ABC book of Christmas (2009) Mark Macleod
Illustrations by: Stephen Michael King; Ann James; Wayne Harris; Gaye Chapman; Bettina Guthridge; Cheryl Orsini; Sally Rippin; Gregory Rogers; Anna Walker; Judith Rossell, Sally Heinrich; and Caroline Mageri

Things you need to know:
This is an Australian book and it is still in print. The bible text has been adapted by Mark Macleod and it has a less formal style than the previous book.  Here are some text quotes:

"Because she had been promised such a gift, Mary could hardly stop smiling."
"When they arrived there were so many other travellers they could not find a place to stay. At last, an innkeeper offered them a stable to sleep in. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but Mary was exhausted."

Every double spread in this book features the work of a different illustrator.  I especially love the pages by Stephen Michael King and Gaye Chapman.

The First Christmas (1987) by Marcia Williams

Things you need to know:
This is a book best shared with just one or two children. The illustrations are perfect but too small to share with a large group. Sadly this book is out of print but I am sure it can be found in many public and school libraries.  Marcia Williams is a UK illustrator. Here is a text sample:

"Then Joseph, who was a carpenter, made a crib and wooden toys for Jesus. Mary sewed swaddling clothes and blankets. Soon all was ready for the birth. But Jesus was not to be born at home."


The Nativity (2006) retold by Leena Lane illustrated by Anne Wilson

Things you need to know
This is an Australian book (the illustrator is from UK). It is now out of print. The stand out feature of this book are the beautiful collage illustrations.

The text is easy to read:

"Mary's baby was born that night. Mary held her first-born son close to her warm body. He looked small and precious, and so helpless. Yet, this was God's own son. He was going to do great things."


How many miles to Bethlehem? by Kevin Crossley-Holland illustrated by Peter Malone

Things you need to know:
This book is now sadly out of print. Kevin Crossley-Holland is a famous UK author with titles such as Arthur: the seeing stone.
Kirkus gave this book a star review and said "Within just a few lines of text, each character’s distinctive voice provides a personal introduction and some element of the story that skillfully advances the plot in an unbroken dramatic arc toward a compelling concluding page that could stand alone as a poem of faith. Opulent paintings in a spectrum of jewel tones advance the dramatic quality, often through compositions that seem to capture individual characters or scenes in a play. Thoughtful design elements include a variety of perspectives and illustration size and striking midnight-blue endpapers spangled with stars and one floating feather."

The text is presented by each character in turn:
"I am the innkeeper. 'Sorry Joseph! Every space is taken and there's nothing left to eat - I'm even out of figs and grapes. ... I tell you what. Here's a light! Your Mary can share a stall with my old ox."


Bonus book - I don't own this one by I adore the paper engineering of Robert Sabuda. If you can find this book I am sure it would be a good addition to any collection of Christmas books.

 Image source Along Came Poppy

Fox by Margaret Wild illustrated by Ron Brooks

"Through the charred forest, over hot ash, runs Dog with a bird clamped in his big, gentle mouth. He takes her to his cave above the river, and there he tries to tend her burnt wing."

These are the opening lines of Fox. Look at the word placement. Clamped followed by big and then the beautiful word - gentle. We immediately know so much about Dog.

But Dog has his own problems. He is blind in one eye and Magpie, with her burnt wing, will never fly again. This pair of unlikely friends need to support each other. Dog waits for Magpie to heal and then he persuades her to climb on his back. He runs swiftly to the river "so swiftly it is almost as if he were flying."

"Fly Dog, fly! I will be your missing eye, and you will be my wings."

Now comes the complication. A fox arrives. Fox with his "haunted eyes".  "He flickers though the trees like a tongue of fire."

Again look at the word placement - flickers like fire - this fox is dangerous. Fox joins the pair of friends but Magpie sees him watching her. She smells his envy and rage and loneliness. Three times Fox whispers to Magpie trying to tempt her away. He promises he can truly make her fly. Magpie is tempted. She climbs on his back but Fox has a terrible plan. He runs far away and then stops and shakes Magpie off his back.

"Now you and Dog will know what it is like to be truly alone."

Magpie is tempted to just curl up and die but then she thinks of her special friend Dog and so "slowly, jiggety-hop, she begins the long journey home."

When Ron Brooks read the three pages of this text he replied to his publisher:

"I love it! I must do it. And it will be utterly unlike anything I’ve ever done, just you wait . . . I think it’s maybe the most powerful picture book text I’ve ever read. It is a great big, fat, juicy-great novel of wonderful writing—honed down to three gloriously transcendent pages! Amazing! Biblical! I am so grateful for the opportunity this affords me to really break some barriers, new ground."

Every single thing about this book is important and powerful and wonderful. This book is one of the best picture books ever created in Australia. Here are some excellent teachers notes. Here is a preview of the Story Box Library video of Fox.

I have two personal connections to this book. Many years ago I attended a book conference in Hobart, Tasmania. There was a session with Ron Brooks. It was held in a tiny room and only a handful of people attended. Ron was very late arriving as it was the daylight saving change over weekend and he had forgotten to change his clock.  We sat in this small room and waited. Ron arrived about an hour late full of apologies. Then he picked up Fox and read it to us. I cried through the whole book. A couple of years late a close friend of mine visited Ron. She asked him to sign my copy of Fox. Ron Brooks did so much more. He wrote me a special message which I treasure and included a drawing of Magpie.

Subtle, striking, this story of friendship and betrayal is a modern day fable that will remain an Australian children’s classic. Kids Book Review

With Fox, she brings a poet’s sensibility to the writing of a mesmerising and powerful work about the elemental need for companionship in our lives. Her writing bristles with urgent action and sings with suggestive imagery; it is pared back, sometimes playful, and always emotionally resonant. In this way, it carries the very essence of what the story is about – the arcane battle between innocence and evil, kindness and cruelty, love and hate. IBBY President Dr Robyn Sheahan-Bright

Sarah's Two Nativities by Janine M Fraser and Helene Magisson

Sarah has two nativities because she has two grandmothers. One tells her the story about Jesus from the Koran and the other tells her the Bible story.  Janine Fraser introduces Sarah's multicultural family. She is the daughter of Sadek and Anna. Her grandparents are Ali and Azar and Maria and Paul. With Grandmother Azar, Sarah makes Kofte. We see the two sets of grandparents arriving at Sarah's house. Azar is carrying a tagine and Maria has a casserole.

Image source and recipe

With Grandmother Maria Sarah makes cupcakes.

Image Mary Berry Cupcake and recipe

"In Sarah's house, the Bible and the Koran sit together on a shelf - two books bursting with stories."

Sarah listens to her Grandmothers tell their Christmas stories about the birth of Jesus.

"I like these stories. They are the same in some ways but different in others. So how can they both be true?"

Her Grandmother Azar replies: "Some say only the story in the Koran is true, and some say only the story in the Bible is true. But how can we say one is truer than the other, when both tell of the mystery of God?"  I like the open ended nature of this answer. There is such a beautiful tone of cultural acceptance in this story.

On the last pages this blended family sit down together and share a meal - a meal of peace and family and love.  Take a close look at the final double spread.  Ali and Azar are sitting beside the cupcakes and Maria and Paul are looking at the dish of kofte.

If you are using this book with an older class and you wanted to explore the idea of a multicultural family sharing a meal take a look at this old television advertisement. It has lots of layers - the family, their clothing, the music track and all touch with a light touch of good humour.  I have had long discussions with groups of Grade 6 students using this ad in the past. We used to watch it two or three times as a way to "unpackage" all the ideas.

Thinking about the concept of belief, there are lots of Christmas books which highlight different cultural traditions at Christmas but this is the first book I have seen which compares important stories such as the ones in the Bible and the Koran.  Added to this, I appreciate the way Janine M Fraser has aimed her book at a younger audience. Take a look at this interview with the illustrator Helene Magisson. Even though it is not a Christmas book I would pair Sarah's Two Nativities with Same Same but Different.

I have been thinking about the 2020 CBCA awards this week and then this book popped up.  Surely this beautiful, important and timely book will reach the Picture Book of the Year short list next year.

Janine M Fraser is the author of a junior book series that I enjoyed many years ago - Sarindi and the Little bird illustrated by Kim Gamble.

Meet at the Ark at Eight by Ulrich Hub illustrated by Jörg Mühle

Not for every reader, but sweet in its own way. Kirkus

I think I smiled right through this little quirky book but here is a warning some people might find all the questions about the existence and role of God quite confronting and yet I would say the questions are probably the same ones all humans (young and old) have had at some time.

Three penguins are living in the land of ice and snow and snow and ice and ice and snow. A butterfly arrives and the three begin to ponder the existence of God. 

Here is an abridged version of their conversation :

"So who is God?
Oh, God ... that's a difficult question
Well, God is great and very, very powerful. He came with with all sorts of rules and can become quite grumpy if you don't stick to them. Other than that, he's very friendly.
There's just one small disadvantage to God
What's that?
God is invisible.
Well, that's a huge disadvantage ... If you can't see God, you can't be sure whether he really exists."

As this dialogue continues a dove arrives with news of Noah and his ark.  He tells the penguins to meet at the ark at eight.  The problem is God and Noah only want two penguins. The first two decide to take their friend in their suitcase. The are worried about drowning and are in a rush to get over to the ark. (Take a minute to think about this).

Hiding the third penguin on the ship gives rise to a hilarious series of events. Of course the flood eventually subsides after the obligatory 40 days. The three penguins are saved but what about the dove. She kept having a niggling thought that she was missing something :

"I've got it, at last! The whole time, I've had this funny feeling I'd forgotten something!"

Read an interview with the publisher here.  Here is a review by a young reader. Try to find some books by Nicholas Allen if Meet at the Ark at Eight tickles your funny bone.  You could also read Meet at the Ark at Eight to a class familiar with the story of Noah's Ark then you might look for these other odd ball versions too.

I think kids will enjoy this version of Noah’s Ark, if not for the questions it will raise, then  for the humorous story of three best friends trying to help each other through life. KidLit reviews

The Fourth King by Ted Sieger

We have celebrated Christmas in our school library by announcing a book of Christmas every day for the last twelve days - The Twelve Books of Christmas.

One book I sent out to a lucky class was The Fourth King.  Our narrator is the Fourth King himself who has been watching the stars for "the sign that would herald the birth of the King of Kings."  Finally one night King Mazzel (the Fourth King) sees this star so he grabs two special presents - the royal star map and the royal star crystal - and he rushes off to catch up with the other three kings - Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar.

Just as he is getting close a huge storm rages across the desert and Mazzel and his faithful camel Chamberlin are blinded by the sand.  As the winds die down they hear the cries of a young girl.  Our intrepid heroes rush back into the storm to rescue her.  "We headed back into the storm, and there, in its heart, we found a little nomad girl - sand-stung and frightened,. her name blown away by the wind."  They find her family and set off again only to discover they have missed the Three Kings by minutes.

This next part of their journey sees them meeting up with a merchant caravan - hundreds of camels travelling through the desert, lost and with no map.  Naturally Mazzel stops to help "it was quite a detour to their hometown,.  In slow procession, we led the caravan safely out of the desert.  My heart soared: I could still see the star; perhaps we would meet up with the Three Kings after all."

On the third part of the trip as they are resting for the night they hear a sound of tinkling.  It is coming from a small thirsty plant.  Mazzel gives the plant the last of his water. "To our amazement, the plant began to flower, then dropped into my palm a little round fruit that sounded like a bell."

The next obstacle is a huge wall which is being built by child slaves.  Mazzel offers his gift that was intended for the newborn king in exchange for the children's freedom but the rich man takes the star crystal and he will not free the children.  So Mazzel and Chamberlin stay on and help the children with the building.  As a way of saying thank you a  little girl gives them a wooden toy lamb. "It made me smile.  I hid the lamb in my tunic and promised her, that somehow, we would all be free."

This is a religious Christmas story but surely Christmas is a religious time.  The ending will make you smile along with the time you share exploring the joyous and detailed illustration.

Here is a web site about the author with some funny comments about camels.  Here is a detailed review. An animated film was made of this book but it seems to be unavailable.

The Christmas Book by Dick Bruna

The Christmas book is so perfect for a young child.  It is a simple retelling of the famous bible story but Dick Bruna still uses the authentic vocabulary. "One gave him gold, one frankincense and one myrrh."

I love the format of this book. It is a thin, landscape presentation with text on one page and a full page illustration on each facing side.  Even the back cover is perfect - it has the star!

Thanks to one generous family you can find this book in our library.  I had thought it was out of print and then last year we were given a copy as a present.  Here is a lovely review.