We do not Welcome our Ten-Year-Old Overlord

Kim's sister Eila finds a strange globe in the lake. It looks a little like a basketball but it also has terrifying powers. Eila is a smart girl but she is only ten years old. She names the globe Aster and becomes quite possessive and secretive about her new 'friend'. Early on in the story as readers we realise Aster is 'using' Eila but young Eila thinks she is helping Aster learn about life on earth. Kim finds a dead kangaroo - well he finds the empty skin. Yes that is creepy. Then the pet guinea pigs of the two girls are found dead. 

Madir worries her parents are always fighting, always busy and give their children no time. Then very strangely their behaviour changes. Equally Kim and Eila live in a home where the children are expected to assist their scientist parents with chores in the greenhouses. The family have no radio or television. The children are not allowed to read fiction books but Kim has smuggled a copy of A Wizard of Earthsea into his wardrobe. Returning home one day, not long after Aster arrives, Kim is totally shocked when he discovers there is a television in their house. The Basalt family also like to assist their neighbour. Mrs Benison is elderly and unwell but then she seems to miraculously recover and even gain energy and vitality.

Surely there is something sinister and dangerous about Aster. What is this thing they found in the lake? Kim enlists the help of his three friends. Their plan is to throw Aster back into water but then Eila realises things are spinning out of control. The only way to destroy Aster she tells the group is to hold her in direct sunlight. The race to do this make the scenes in the final five chapters of this reading journey, worthwhile. 

The setting for this book is Canberra and the year is 1975. None of that really matters and readers who are unfamiliar with Canberra won't make this connection. Kim and Bennie and their two friends also like to play Dungeons and Dragons. Garth Nix explains this is a game he played too, as an older teenager. I know nothing about this game but if readers are familiar with the way it is played that might add to the story enjoyment. Garth Nix also explains, in the acknowledgements section at the back of the book, that he and his friends did find a strange object in the shallow water on the edge of the lake - but it turned out to be a head shaped rock covered in flowing weeds. This image of this and his curiosity about this object lingered with him and now years later we have this book. 

The names in this book are very inventive but I also found them a little distracting - Chimera “Kim” Basalt and Benjamina “Bennie” Chance are twelve-year-old best friends and they play, as I said, Dungeons and Dragons with two other friends every week. Kim of course has to keep this a secret from his parents. Their sisters are Eileithyia “Eila” Indigofera Basalt and Madir Sofitela Chance. Kim and Eila live on an alternate farm. Mum and Dad have given themselves new names. Mum is Marie Basalt named after Marie Curie and Dad is Darwin Basalt named after Charles Darwin.

I did rush my reading of this book because it was due back at the library. The scene on pages 228-229 needs careful attention because this is where everything is 'sort of' explained. I read the last few chapters on a train and found I totally forgot where I was - that's always a terrific thing that happens when you enjoy a book.

When I read about the strange cloud that hovers over the city it reminded me of this Science Fiction book from many years ago:

Read more here

Last night We do not Welcome our Ten-Year-Old Overlord was announced as a 2025 CBCA Younger Readers Notable. 

Here are some reviews of We do not Welcome our Ten-Year-Old Overlord:

An entertainingly offbeat science-fiction romp. Kirkus

You know as soon as you hold a new Garth Nix book that you are in for a treat. Usually a creepy, oft-bizarre and freakish treat, but a treat none-the-less. Your readers who are into such vibes as Stranger Things, The X-Files, Wednesday, Strange Objects, The Water Tower… and indeed, anything that smacks of other-worldly with a hefty dose of scare-the-bejeezus-out-of-you, are going to go mad for this. Just so Stories

Everything in this novel, down to Kim’s Dungeons & Dragons game is carefully thought out, and delivered at the right time. It means that we get to hit all the beats effectively, and find out what we need to know at crucial points throughout the novel.  The Book Muse

If you are unfamiliar with The Watertower try to find it -this is one of the best picture books you will ever read to a group of children in a school library aged 10+ and it would be a good companion read:

Bookseller blurb: All Kim wants to do is play Dungeons & Dragons with his friends and ride his bike around the local lake. But he has always lived in the shadow of his younger sister. Eila is a prodigy, and everyone talks about how smart she is, though in Kim's eyes, she has no common sense. So when Eila finds an enigmatic, otherworldly globe which gives her astonishing powers, Kim not only has to save his sister from herself, he might also have to save the world from his sister!

The title of this book intrigued me. Oddly after reading this book I wondered if the title might make more sense (to me at least) if it was called We do not welcome the Ten-Year-Old Overlord.  Anyway, putting that tiny thought aside it was interesting to read a new Science Fiction book. There do not seem to have been quite so many books in this genre published for ages 10+ here in Australia in recent years - at least I couldn't think of any.

It seems important to define Science Fiction at this point. Here are a few quotes:

• Science fiction, popularly shortened as sci-fi, is a genre of fiction that creatively depicts real or imaginary science and technology as part of its plot, setting, or theme.
• The word science refers to the fact that the story in some way involves science or technology that—no matter how advanced—is depicted as being based on real scientific principles, as opposed to involving magic or the supernatural.
• Regardless of the specific technologies or scientific advances being depicted, sci-fi often speculates about their effects on or consequences for the reality of the world being described. In other words, sci-fi stories often ponder how science and technology can go wrong for individual people or society (often as a metaphor for how they can go or have gone wrong in our own reality).

Back in 2021 I talked about Science Fiction and shared some examples of children's books because this genre linked perfectly with the CBCA Book Week Slogan that year - Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds. 

Decades ago, I did read a few books by Garth Nix - well before I started this blog - such as The Keys to the Kingdom. The set in my former library did had a different set of covers.  Lord Sunday was nominated for Carnegie Medal in Literature. Mister Monday was a CBCA 2004 Older Readers Honour title. Garth Nix has over 200 titles listed in GoodReads. 

We also had this set but I have no memory of reading any of these:

To the Other Side by Erika Meza

También de este lado hay sueños
"There are dreams on this side too."

A big sister tells her younger sibling they are playing a game. The pair, and all their 'friends' don masks and they set off careful to avoid the monsters and knowing it is vital that they are not caught.

"She promised the masks would hide us. Make us fast. Make us brave. It's like tag. If the monsters catch you, you're out. 'We win the game when we cross the line.' Everyone was racing to see who could get there faster."

So where are these kids going? And why? And who are the monsters?

"We thought hard of what we might win. 'A home!' 'A really big school!' 'A spotty dog!' "A pair of shiny red shoes."

Take a look at this list - a home? This might be your first hint something bigger and way more serious is going on here. And in the illustrations, we see the children and others are running and then they are on a bus, a raft and train. But they are not riding in the train they are on the roof. This is another hint about the real reason for this 'game'. 

"This isn't a game ... is it?' I asked."

Finally you reach the last page - which contains the back matter for this story:

"There are currently 13 million child refugees in the world. Every year tens of thousands of children leave their homes, sometimes with their families, and sometimes alone, in search of a safter place to live."

Now go back and notice tiny details in the illustrations: the boy's mask eyes can close but his sister's eyes are always wide open. There are bars everywhere (anticipating immigration detention) even the game of hopscotch ends in a chalk set of bars that looks suspiciously like the US flag. The village they leave (flee) is on fire. There are black, evil looking figures watching them the whole way. The children only have their small backpacks. As they jump off the train, it turns into a monster. 

I was chilled to see crosses drawn on the wall and you can see the words written on the wall at the top of this post. This journey is truly one of life and death. And on the final pages, even though they have reached safety and have a new life, the sister still holds onto her mask. And there is a whole discussion that needs to be had about the colour choices and use colour in this book. 

This is one of the most interesting picture books I have read in a long time. As an adult reader it is clear this book is dealing with a devasting journey and deep themes of the plight of refugees and border crossings especially from Mexico into the US.  Betsy Bird said: I don’t know how this book got made. I mean, I know the rudimentary basics behind it. I know how an author would write out a proposal and, if they were also an artist, draw some sketches. What I don’t know is how a person can look at a topic as impossible to encapsulate as child migrants moving across the U.S.-Mexico border and then know how to write a picture book on the subject.... when I read To the Other Side by Erika Meza, I was floored. With care and invention, she’s actually managed to tell a migrant story that is both literal and figurative, realistic and metaphorical, and does so with honesty and more than a bit of cleverness.

A gorgeously rendered, heartbreaking look at one family’s immigration experience. Kirkus Kirkus Star review

To The Other Side, written and illustrated by Erika Meza, is an allegorical picture book that gently addresses child and family migration with compassion and empathy. Meza skillfully balances the challenging aspects of the immigrant experience, presenting it as an adventure or game, while acknowledging the emotional complexity behind colorful masks worn by the kids on this journey. Common Sense Media

Yes, this particular story is of crossing from Mexico to the U.S. but with more and more asylum-seeking children from various parts of the world being welcomed into homes and schools in the UK, this book is highly relevant here and wherever else there are immigrants. Strongly recommended for sharing in primary schools to open up discussion. Books for Keeps

Awards:

• Shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2024
• Shortlisted for the Jhalak Children's & Young Adult Prize 2024
• Empathy Collection title
• 2024 Inclusive Books for Children

I would share To the Other Side with older primary students aged 10+ and it would be a perfect text for a High School class. There is sure to be a lot of discussion with the group about the story and themes of this book. This is not a book to read and discard. It is a book that needs careful reading and deep thought. The copy I borrowed from a school library is not shelved with their picture books - it is in the non-fiction [325] which is the Dewey number for International Migration. Decisions like this are important and must be based around your library users (staff and students). In my former school, for example, I had a shelving bay with Picture Books for Older readers (Grade 5 and 6) which is where I would place this book.

About the author: Erika Meza was born in Mexico and developed a taste for eclairs in Paris before moving to the UK to teach drawing. She won a scholarship to study in L'Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs, where she learned to combine bold colour and mark-making with poetry.

Companion books:

Read more about each of these books about crossing the border from Mexico to the US

Above all else, these stories showcase the humanity of the people who risk everything to seek refuge in the United States. More than providing insight into someone else’s reality, in these stories immigrant children can also see their own stories reflected back at them—

stories of fortitude, resilience, joy, and sorrow.

Read more here.

Kirkus Star review

Please take a minute to watch this video of Erika Meza talking about her book. In this radio interview Erika talks about her use of masks in this book. 

Here are other books by Erika Meza:

By chance today I was talking to a friend and she mentioned a former student from my previous school. Take a look at this article written by lawyer and journalist Claire McMullen about the plight of families trying to cross the border from Guatemala into the US. I was thrilled to see her success as a lawyer and journalist and impressed a school kid from suburban Australia is tackling big topics just like the one covered in this book. 

Fish and Sun by Sergio Ruzzier

Young Fish is cold and bored living under the sea. He tells his mum won't bother with breakfast - he is going to find a different place where it is warmer and more interesting. Up near the surface Fish sees Sun. Sun is warm and best of all Sun is fun! They play hide and seek, and Fish demonstrates his ability to spit out water but then something terrible happens. Sun sinks down and the sky turns red. 

"Sun are you okay? You seem a bit red."

"I know, I'm setting."

Fish returns home to his mum feeling very sad. He has lost his new friend. But wait - tomorrow Fish swims near the surface again. It is a cloudy day and at first he cannot see his new friend. Then the clouds part and yay - Sun is back!

This book has just over 160 words! And it is an example of a very simple graphic novel or as my friend calls them - Toon. The whole plot is told through a simple dialogue and using speech bubbles. AND this book is cheap here in Australia at only AUS$13. Oh, and this book has a satisfying story so it is a book you can read to a child, re-read to a child, and then later they will read it to you! (You cannot say that about silly school reader books or the new phonics books called decodables). Perhaps you could even take turns with your child and read it with two different voices.

The book nearly sparkles with color: The sun-dappled palette is one of warm, eye-catching, and elegant pastel shades. The book’s dialogue is set in bold black text in clean, white speech balloons.  Kirkus Star review

This beginning comic reader is an ideal introduction to the sequential art format, and the guided reading series provides a short tutorial for budding comic fans. Ruzzier presents a delicately designed story of friendship full of intimacy and emotion. His textured watercolors mirror the environment as well as the shifting moods of the lonely Fish. School Library Journal

If you are unfamiliar with this style of book there is a handy guide to reading the speech bubbles on the first page. Kirkus explain this - Like many titles in the series, this one includes a page at the beginning that demonstrates the fundamentals of reading comics, including the order in which panels should be read and the differences between various types of word balloons. Each spread consists of a single panel, with thoughtful separation between the left and right sides.

Fish and Wave from the same series won a Theodore Geisel Honour in 2023. 

The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.   The winner(s), recognized for their literary and artistic achievements that demonstrate creativity and imagination to engage children in reading, receives a bronze medal.

There are three more books in this series:

Due out June 11th, 2024

I previously talked about Sergio Ruzzier and his book A letter for Leo (not a Toon or graphic novel). Try to find A letter for Leo it is such a sweet story about friendship and letter writing.

A Letter for Leo

Sergio Ruzzier is a picture book author and illustrator. He was born in Milan, Italy, in 1966, and began his career as an illustrator in 1986. Sergio has written and illustrated many picture books, including Fox and Chick: The Party, a 2019 Geisel Honor Book; Fish and Wave, a 2023 Geisel Honor book; Two Mice; and more. ... His work has won many awards, including the Parents’ Choice Gold Medal for The Room of Wonders and This Is Not a Picture Book!. After many years in Brooklyn, NY, he now lives in a very old house in the Apennine Mountains in northern Italy. 

Molly, Olive and Dexter by Catherine Rayner

Molly's favourite game is hide and seek. I am sure your young reading companion will know how to play this game and that gives this book an extra layer of enjoyment because your child or library group will laugh when they see how Olive and Dexter really have no idea how this game works.

First Olive and Dexter hide their own eyes! Then they hide behind the tree which is right beside where Molly has been counting.  Let's try this one more time. Oh no! The friends are really hidden. Molly cannot find them. 

"What is they got lost when I told them to hide? I'll never see them again and it's all my fault."

Never fear - Molly just needs to look in one more place!

This is a perfect book to share with a very young child. The illustrations by Catherine Rayner are fabulous. She gives each of the animal friends such expressive faces. Every preschool should add this book and the others from this series to their shelves. Here is the Kirkus review. 

There are four books in this series:

Here are two other books about the game of Hide and Seek:

The Best Hiding Place

The Best Hiding Place by Jane Godwin illustrated by Sylvia Morris

 

Hide and seek is a game that all children (dare I say even around the world) love to play. One of my favourite books to read to the youngest children in my school library for over 20 years was this one about little Moonbear playing hide and seek with his friend the moon.

One night Moonbear decides to play hide-and-seek with the moon. When it’s Moonbear’s turn to hide, the moon finds him every time. But when the moon ducks behind a cloud and doesn’t come out, Moonbear gets worried. Is the moon lost forever?

In this new Australian picture book - The Best Hiding Place - a group of children - perhaps they are cousins - are playing hide and seek inside their Grandparent's house. It seems as though they have played this many times before and so all the kids have found terrific hiding places except for the littlest child - he always climbs into the washing basket. 

The cover of this book is SO perfect showing all the rooms where the children hide during their game. I have special memories of other books from my childhood that showed houses in cross section like this. I love exploring all the little domestic details.  AND notice this is game to play inside AND this is a game that does not involve devices! All of that is a lovely, perhaps unintentional message. 

Sylvia Morris has met some interesting challenges here in a creative and effective way – showing multiple points of the action on one page; giving readers an insight into a domestic environment – probably one that children will recognise; and allowing us to “hear” the boy inside the cupboard. As readers we watch his emotions change from confidence (he won't be found) to doubt and even terror (perhaps he will never be found). 

The scene where we see the boy hiding in the darkness inside the musty cupboard adds a perfect amount of tension and feelings of claustrophobia, especially with the addition of the slightly scary, and possibly smelly, old teddy bear. Readers will feel every long minute or perhaps hour that the little boy waits to be found. One of the best illustrations in this book is the close-up image of the boy’s face with just a slither of light coming from the slightly open door. 

The final illustration is perfect – show don’t tell – no need for the words to say anything, little Sam is heading back into his favourite hiding place and this is exactly what a child his age would do! The addition of the bead necklace invites readers to re-visit the illustrations to work out where this trinket came from. The colour palette has a slightly retro feel which is very appealing. 

The title page, which has all the children and their names, works really well – notice how Archie standing slightly away from his siblings or cousins. 

Jane Godwin says: This story was partly inspired by re-reading Winnicott’s iconic book Playing and Reality, and thinking about the traditional, well-loved game of hide-and-seek, and realising that although it appears simple, it is actually rich with meaning. No wonder it has endured for centuries and throughout the world! Hide-and-seek reflects a child’s personal development. It’s a game that deals with both sides of our selves - the private, ‘hidden’ self, and the communal, public self. We love to hide, but being found, being discovered for who you are, is also a great joy. Hide-and-seek is a game of aloneness and togetherness, and the power and intensity of both.

Sylvia Morris is an illustrator for our NSW School Magazine. This is her first picture book and it was a New Illustrator short listed title. (I was one of the judges for the CBCA 2021-23).

Here are the judge's comments (which might repeat some of my words because I contributed to this):

The colour palette in The Best Hiding Place creates a lovely retro and nostalgic quality. Each and every image allows the reader to peek inside different parts of the house, often showing multiple points of action on one page. Archie’s claustrophobia in his hiding spot is conveyed effectively to create a sustained moment of tension that readers will identify with. Distinct characters and relationships are shown, and some humorous details invite readers to re-visit and examine earlier illustrations. The illustrations perfectly capture those mixed feelings of playing hide and seek as a child, which will appeal to readers of all ages.

Jane Godwin is the author of picture books, junior novels, middle grade and young adult novels.

Don't forget

Ivanhoe Swift left home at Six

Go Go and the Silver Shoes

What do you wish for?

Ruby's Sword by Jacqueline Véissid illustrated by Paola Zakimi

Ruby would love to play with her two brothers but they keep either ignoring or rebuffing her. Then she finds three sword shaped sticks in the grass. 

"I found dragon fighting swords!' she announced. Her brothers jumped down to take a closer look. Ruby granted them each a sword."

Two swords, two boys - Ruby is excluded again so she sets off to make her own games. With her trusty sword she spears some apples from a tall tree and then she fights against the wind and rumbling clouds. She catches a wind blown sheet off the clothes line and builds a tent. Her brothers arrive to see what she is doing. Can they play too? Ruby is not sure. Click Clack was all they heard. The boys head off and return with some "honourable offerings of twigs, rocks and dandelions" and the three children begin a wonderful game of knights and castles.

Zakimi’s beautifully illustrated double-page spreads capture Ruby’s bouncy bob, the anger in her eyes, and the windy, leaf-strewing storm. Kirkus

This is a wonderful book to share with young children about relationships between siblings and more importantly about imaginative play. It might inspire you to go outside and hunt for sword sticks for your own game of knight, dragons and castles. I have a Pinterest of picture books about using your imagination. Ruby's Sword was published in 2019 and while it is available here in Australia it is quite expensive which is very disappointing. Update I did find a discount book seller (11th April 2023) with copies for just AUS$15 but you would need to act quickly. 

Take a look inside Ruby's Sword. Here is the image under the dust jacket - I do love books where removing the dust jacket reveals a surprise.

Here are some quotes from Happily Ever Elephants about imaginative play:

Kids learn empathy by taking on new personas and stepping into another’s shoes. They explore scary situations while nestled in safe spaces. They experiment with language when they act as parents or teachers, or, even better, when they make up their own languages while pretending to be animals or fairies. They even learn to problem solve when they determine how build a castle or how to perfect a jump shot high enough to knock down a star.

So often, we underestimate the power of play. Yet it is play – pretend play, imaginative play, playing “make-believe” – that helps our children make sense of their worlds. Kids learn not just by doing, but by imagining.

Ruby's Sword is a debut picture book by US Author Jacquelin Véissid. The illustrations are by Paola Zakimi comes from Argentina.  She also illustrated Teddy and Co. by Cynthia Voigt - please note very sadly this book is not available in Australia. I am not sure why. 

Frank and Bert by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

There is a such a warm tone to this story which is narrated by fox (Frank).  Frank and Bert (he is a bear) love to play hide and seek but Bear is so huge and time is so short when Frank counts to ten that Bear is always found. Just once Bear would love to win so Frank agrees to count to 100. Unfortunately a strand from Bear's scarf is snagged on a tree and so it is very easy for Frank to follow the thread and find his friend.

Now comes the most wonderful page in this book - this is the page where I suggest you could stop and ask your young reading companions to share their advice - what should fox do?

With a humorous little twist at the end that works really well, this is a good book for looking at issues around other peoples feelings and what it means to be a friend.  Reading Zone

Frank and Bert is a beautiful book that shows the importance of thinking outside of ourselves and dealing with the tricky subject of winning. It really highlights the importance of good sportsmanship, and how to be a great friend. Kids' Book Review

Take a look inside this book on the Nosy Crow web page. In this post Chris Naylor-Ballesteros talks about his work on this book and the changes he made to the story and illustrations as the story was being developed. 

You will already know that I adored a previous book by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros:

The Suitcase

The Zebra who ran too Fast by Jenni Desmond

Zebra, Elephant and Bird are three good friends. They have terrific fun together but one day Zebra just wants to run and run and Elephant and Bird are left behind. The next day Zebra's friends do not want to play with him any more. How can these three good friends rediscover the importance of their friendship? And what might happen if a fourth friend wants to join in? This book is perfect for preschoolers and Kindergarten children navigating new friendships. 

This weekend Lifeline held one of their book fairs.  These events are so well organised with thousands of book treasures to explore. I went twice and spent $120 on over 60 books. My friend from kinderbookswitheverything spotted The Zebra who ran too Fast (2014) by Jenni Desmond. I have added to a pile of books I am planning to gift to a very small regional school. 

I loved a previous book illustrated by Jenni Desmond - On the night of the Shooting Star.

Here are some other books by Jenni Desmond:

Very Rich by Polly Horvath

Please take this warning very seriously - do not read this book if you are hungry. You have probably heard of unrequited love? Well this book is full of unrequited meals! I had to stop reading around page 225 and make myself a delicious lunch because, like the hero of the story Rupert, I was starving. 

Starving - not really - but Rupert is starving. His family are poor, dirt poor. Rupert is lucky to eat one paltry meal each day. Mrs Brown can only serve the large family oatmeal flavoured with kitchen scraps scrounged from bins around their small town. Rupert is thin and very cold. He has no coat, worn out sandshoes and he is forced to wear his three shirts as he trudges to and from school. The writing in this book is so good that I felt cold (even though the day here was sunny and warm).

As the story opens, Rupert sets off for school. The streets are oddly quiet and after his long cold journey he discovers the school is closed. On the way home his jacket is caught on the swinging gates of a mansion in the rich part of town. Rupert finds himself whisked into Christmas day with the huge and very eccentric Rivers Family. It should be the day all his dreams come true - an abundance of delicious food, games with fabulous prizes and moments of genuine laughter and happiness but right at the end of this extravagant day everything goes horribly wrong. 

What Rupert does not realise, though, is that some of the crazy family members feel sorry for the way things turn out and so over the coming months each of them, secretly, take Rupert out of his home and school with the intention of treating him to a wonderful day. Unfortunately though, these amazing days never seem actually work out and each time Rupert is left hungry, puzzled and disappointed. 

Publisher blurb: Ten-year-old Rupert Brown inadvertently finds himself spending Christmas with the wealthiest family in town and is astonished to discover a world he never knew existed. Rupert lives with his parents and many siblings in a small house in the poorest section of Steelville, Ohio. When he spends Christmas with his classmate Turgid Rivers, he is offered all the food he can eat, and the opportunity to win wonderful prizes in the family games—prizes he hopes to take home so he can share his Christmas bounty with his family. But after he loses everything in the last game, Rupert resigns himself to going home empty handed. Feeling secretly guilty, all of the adults in Rivers family try to make it up to him by taking Rupert on one unlikely adventure after another, embroiling him in everything from time travel to bank robberies. But can anything he experiences make up for what he has lost? Deftly blending magical realism with heartbreak, hope, and a wide cast of eccentric characters, Polly Horvath weaves a tale that is darkly funny and deeply poignant. Very Rich is a bittersweet and quirky story that celebrates the unique nature of human experience.

I would love to book talk this book with a group of Grade 5 or 6 students. I think I would read `page 32 and 33 - the Christmas feast. This book will also be perfect for fans of A series of Unfortunate Events and Roald Dahl (especially Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) books. 

Horvath is at her odd, arch best here—generous with her wry observations of people and their awkward relationships and foibles. Kirkus

Horvath is having a ball with this story. It’s fast-paced and filled with witty asides, creative scenarios, and a ridiculously entertaining cast. She pulls from Dickens, but Rupert’s parents have qualities akin to Roald Dahl’s despicable adult characters, and Uncle Henry’s time machine is a whirring cardboard box reminiscent of Dorothy’s flying house and the hot-air balloon in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Plus, there is a gravity-defying restaurant scene similar to the laughing-gas chapter in Mary Poppins. Quill and Quire

After reading this book you may want to make a funnel cake. I had no idea about this but they sound delicious.

Find the Recipe here 

When I was growing up, my family had a tradition of visiting the county fair every year. I loved riding the ferris wheel and viewing all of the livestock, but what I looked forward to the most was all of the fair food! I loved the deep fried Oreos, corn dogs, kettle corn, and best of all, the funnel cakes! There really is nothing better than a hot funnel cake, dusted with powdered sugar.

Here are a few text quotes to give you a flavour of this writing (and I hope to also entice you to read this book!)

"There were three bedrooms in the house. One for the boys, one for the girls, and one for Mr and Mrs Brown. In the boys' and girls' bedrooms, the younger children slept in the beds and the older ones slept under them. Rupert shared the underneath of a bed with John and Dirk."

"He could feel the chocolate ooze all over his tongue and run down into his stomach, where it awoke a hunter so vast, it was as if the chocolate were a flame thawing Rupert's frozen insides and igniting the appetite therein."

"He ate the roll and then saw the butter pat and he stuck that whole into his mouth and let it melt in savory wonder all over is tongue. He'd never had butter. The only kind of fat the Brown's ever saw was lard. He like lard but the butter was simply out of this world."

"Tomorrow we're going to the library to get library cards and then we'll get books of stories to read. But tonight I'll tell you one of mine."

Can't Catch me by Constanze von Kitzing

"I'm going to catch you' said Little Lion. 'No, you won't."

How do the animals such as the grasshopper, frog, rabbit and chameleon escape the Little Lion? They use camouflage of course which makes for truly scrumptious illustrations. Predator - Little Lion. Prey - other animals. Defence - successful. But what will happen when a rhinoceros arrives on the scene? 

Award-winning illustrator Constanze von Kitzing delivers yet again with another charming Little Lion picturebook for young children. The muted tones of her illustrations create a gentle backdrop for the mischievous tale. The text is printed in a thick font, and with just one simple sentence per double-page, the author uses her images to further the story. As they search for the hidden creatures, children can learn about the concept of camouflage while also enjoying a light-hearted read. Children’s Books Ireland

The call-and-response dialogue makes this a fun read-aloud with older toddlers and younger preschoolers who will quickly pick up on the rhythm and flow of the simple text. School Library Journal

Constanze von Kitzing was born in Poland. She now lives in Germany. Can't Catch Me was originally published in Switzerland under the title Cache-cache. Take a look here to see a few illustrations from Can't Catch Me. For more information about Constanze here is an interview with SCWBI in Germany. 

Just recently I have been reading A family of Readers and I found these two quotes. The art in Can't Catch Me is truly "breathtaking" and the ending is "not too tidy".

"A true picture book is so much more than a sequence of words and images - the most breathtaking art, the most memorable prose, is static and lifeless without compelling page turns." Sutton, Roger and Parravano Martha V., A family of Readers, Candlewick Press, 2011. p.29

"Speaking of endings - the endings of picture books are important. They can easily be too tidy, too finished, boxing reader in rather than releasing their imaginations or making them eager for more." Sutton, Roger and Parravano Martha V., A family of Readers, Candlewick Press, 2011. p.40

The paperback edition of Can't Catch Me was published in 2019 and so this book is currently available. There are two more books which are also available in this series by Constanze von Kitzing: