Seven for a Secret by Laurence Anholt illustrated by Jim Coplestone

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret,

Never to be told.

Ruby lives in an apartment in the city. Grampa lives in the country near a forest. Grampa and Ruby write letters and magically the words in the nursery rhyme that Grampa has sent seem to come true. But what is the secret?

From the blurb: "Told entirely in letter form and woven around the ancient rhyme of the magpies, Laurence Anholt's profoundly moving story is about youth and old age, sunshine and snow, sorrow and joy, birth and death - most of all it is a song of love and hope."

Ruby writes about city life, the noise, the winter cold, the news that a baby brother is coming, then summer arrives and dad builds a bird table, but in the next letter she tells Grampa that mum and dad are worried about money. Grampa writes about the magpie in his garden, tracks in the snow, then he is unwell but he does send a necklace for Ruby and an interesting secret message. Sadly, Grampa dies but when the family move into his forest home they discover an amazing secret! Five for silver, six for gold!

There is a mystical, almost fey, element to this story, along with a lyricism that makes it memorable. The gentle, autumnal watercolour illustrations reflect perfectly the poignant interwoven text, Grampa’s growing weakness, and Ruby’s sadness, and the end pages with post-people carrying the letters in town and country are a delight. Books for Keeps

Everyone has secrets. Some secrets are happy, like the one Grandpa has for Ruby. She’s going to be a big sister, and Grandpa has “been hiding shiny things” that he plans to pass on to her. Other secrets are sad, such as Dad’s fear that they will lose their home and not be able to afford the new baby. But Grandpa has the saddest secret of all: he’s dying and may never see Ruby again or get to meet her baby brother. Foreword Reviews

If I had a rating system for end papers this book would be awarded a gold star. At the front we see the postwoman traveling over a bridge through the city and at the back a different postman is riding his bike across the countryside. I do hope you can find this book from 2006 in your local or school library. 

Amira's Magpie by Kate Gordon illustrated by Krista Brennan

A young girl named Amira sees a magpie outside her door. She admires his sharp black eyes and black and white patterned feathers. The magpie sings his song and Amira is sure he is saying hello and telling her of his journeys to far away places. Perhaps he could fly to her old home and visit her grandfather because he needs to know Amira is safe, and she is growing bigger. Amira's world is small. She has the blue sky and her black and white bird. She clings to her memories especially memories of her beloved grandfather. Where is Amira living? Why is she separated from her grandfather? She needs new shoes - who will buy them?

No mention is made of the word refugee on the publisher page for Amira's Magpie although they do use the word "escape". My interpretation of this story leads me to describe this as a book about a refugee child who has come to Australia. She is desperately missing her homeland which is perhaps Afghanistan and she is missing her beautiful grandfather. She befriends a magpie and then imagines the bird flying over the sea to her grandfather. The idea of her bird visiting him in his home far away brings her comfort.

Why do I think this is a refugee story? On one page we see Amira standing in front of a very tall wire fence. On another page she sits alone under a concrete wall. In the text we read she sits under "a small square of sky."  These words remind me of the view seen by a prisoner.

I checked the National Library of Australia cataloguing details for this book but no mention is made of refugees in the subject headings although asylum seekers are mentioned in their notes:

Amira's Magpie is a story of friendship, family and escape; of bravery and resilience in the face of hardship. It is the story of hope we find in small happinesses, even when it seems like all hope is lost. In the evocative and primarily monochrome illustrations, we see Amira living in some kind of compound. Her beloved grandfather lives a long way away, and as she remembers him, Amira imagines her magpie flying backwards and forwards between them, bringing news of home. In a beautifully lyrical way, this gentle yet powerful story reminds us of asylum seekers and anyone who longs for home. An outstanding book for older picture book readers and for education and awareness in schools.

Here is my Pinterest collection of picture books which explore the Refugee Experience. And here are a set of teachers notes from Lamont and Wombat Books. Here is the web site for Krista Brennan and Tasmanian author Kate Gordon. 

There are many things I like about this book:

• The restrained colour palette of grey, yellow and pale blue
• The understated story which invites readers to fill in the gaps
• The movement right to left and left to right on the end papers
• The front cover which is filled with emotion
• The relationship between Amira and her magpie
• The striking illustration of the magpie's eye which fills one page

I don't usually criticise the books I share on my blog but there are a few things about Amira's Magpie that I wish were better mostly in relation to the book design:

• I wish the book designer had chosen a different, softer and smaller font for the text
• On some pages the way the text is centred feels awkward and single words are left hanging
• The use of a capital letter at the start of each line is distracting
• Part of the text on one page is printed over the illustration making it a little difficult to read

Companion books:

Sonam and the Silence