Bruno by Catharina Valckx illustrated by Nicolas Hubesch translated by Antony Shugaar

It would be fun to read this book to class when the children return to school perhaps. Teachers sometimes set the dreaded "what did you do in the holidays" writing task for their class. It might be fun to reverse this and ask the class to describe an ordinary day with friends or family. 

This book was published in 2017 by the wonderful Gecko Press. They sure do find some quirky and fun books to translate! Bruno has good days, bad days, so-so days, and even one perfect day. He is joined by his friends Ringo, the old pony; Bup, the fish; Georgette, the turtledove; and Tweety the mixed-up canary.

There are six 'chapters' in this book or rather six days with various, slightly inconsequential yet quirky, fun, odd and for Bruno even slightly annoying events.

Walker Books (agent for Gecko Press in Australia) blurb: Bruno, the cat in the checkered cap, takes life as it comes. When it’s too rainy to go outside, his friends come around for breakfast. When a fish invites him into the river, he follows it. Why not! When the canary forgets how to talk, Bruno helps out. Days come and go, and for Bruno they always bring something interesting. And once in a while, a day comes along that is just about perfect!

Readers and listeners with a taste for the quietly surreal may find this an (almost) perfect option; the rest will find other ways to fill their days, and that’s OK. Kirkus

Betsy Bird included this book in her Early Chapter book list of 2017. 

Bruno does contain the word 'stupid'. I know from past experience this word sometimes shocks young children. As always you do need to read this book for yourself before sharing it with a group of children.

Here are two other books that I loved by Catharina Vlackx:

Lisette's Green Sock

Zanzibar

Bear Hunt Anthony Browne

Tuesday Treasure

You may have heard of the idea of a picture book 'breaking the fourth wall'.  Back in 1979 when Bear Hunt was written I don't think we were using this term but if you need an example of this idea then pick up Bear Hunt and the companion volume Bear goes to Town by Anthony Browne. Of course Harold and the Purple Crayon also did this much earlier back in 1955.  Here is a blog post that explains what we mean by 'breaking the fourth wall.'

One day Bear went for a walk. 
So begins a ordinary day for bear perhaps but you might notice he is carrying a pencil. Bear is a bear and Bear is his name - notice the capital letter.
Two hunters were hunting. They saw Bear.
Now the reader becomes involved.  We hear a voice. An off stage narrator calls out:
Look out! Look out, Bear!
Bear takes his pencil and draws something - a post with a rope. Can you guess what will happen to the hunter? Yes, one hunter down but there were two hunters and the other one is still following our bear. The second hunter has a lasso.
Your turn again. You need to shout out:
Run, Bear, run!
What will Bear draw this time? He has to capture that lasso before it captures him.

And so the story continues. The hunters do not give up, but each time it seems he will certainly be captured, Bear takes his pencil and draws something clever or inventive or simply practical.

When you look at this book read it right through with a young child helping to warn the bear and then go back and look at the jungle plants. Anthony Browne loves to add smile moments - plants wearing ties, a blue finger hiding the leaves, shoes as leaves, ocean fish swimming between the plants, eyes are everywhere, hats and even some tiny socks and undies hanging on a clothes line. On the final page the plants are laughing as Bear flies away having completely foiled those hunters.

Goes to Town continues this style but with a slightly more sophisticated, even sinister story line.
One day Bear went to town.
He is still carrying his trusty pencil and wearing his smart polka dot bow tie.
Bear meets a cat and he kindly draws a great selection of foods when the cat says he is hungry.
Bear enjoys looking in shop windows especially the toy shop which is filled with bears -
I wonder if people eat them?
Then a voice calls:
Look out, Cat!
An animal catcher has picked up Cat. Bear grabs his pencil and draws a pair of roller skates so he can chase after the van which has a sinister skull painted on the side. The van is rushing down "Dead End Street".
Bear arrives at a building and sees Cat locked into a shed so he draws a ladder and a saw and climbs inside where he discovers farm animals - a cow, a sheep, a pig and a rooster. I think it is important to notice the animals are not "cartoonish" - they look like real farm animals. Is this place an abattoir or something worse?
Bear uses his pencil to organise their escape. Te guards come out in force and chase the animals but bear is able to stop them easily when he draws some banana skins.
Our group are not safe, though.
Look out behind you, Bear!

If you like the illustrations in these books with their surreal images another Anthony Browne book I highly recommend you hunt out is The Visitors who came to Stay by Annalena McAfee.

In 1988 a new edition of Bear Hunt was published with a different cover.

Iris and the tiger by Leanne Hall

"The piano was the big, glossy concert sort with a propped-up lid. A young woman was bent so far over its keys she appeared to have no head. Sheets of music were spread out in front of her  - and there were black specks swarming all over the cream paper. Iris took two steps forward, her mouth agape. What, what, what? The music notes were moving! ... they weren't notes at all but ants almost as big as her hand."

Iris is sent to visit her elderly relative in Spain - the eccentric and reclusive Aunt Ursula sister of the famous surreal artist James Freer.   Iris does not really understand why her parents are so desperate for her to spy on her aunt.  There is a promise of inheritance but this feels distant and distasteful to Iris.  Aunt Ursula is a larger than life character.  Her home is filled with very strange art and as the days unfold strange things start to appear.  Boots that look like feet pull her around the forest.  She sees the piano mentioned above and the tennis court with huge sunflowers but the thing that fascinates her the most is a painting which has her name - Iris and the Tiger.  Iris was the wife and true love of James Freer but when Iris eventually sees the painting in an art gallery in Barcelona there is no tiger.  This is a mystery she is determined to solve.

Meanwhile developers keep appearing.  They have white vans and surveying equipment and seem determined to turn the estate into a theme park.  Iris and her new Spanish friend Jordi, who lives on the estate with his father, begin their exploration of the special and magic places inside and outside of Bosque de Nubes.  There is also the mystery of Aunt Ursula herself - she keeps disappearing and when Iris looks at a photo taken thirty years ago it also seems Aunt Ursula is not aging.

Here is a review with more plot details.  Here is an interview with Leanne Hall.  Here are some very detailed teaching notes.  Before beginning this book I recommend you listen to an interview with the author on Radio National.  During the interview Leanne also reads one of the scenes that fascinated me - a disused tennis court where enormous sunflowers are engaged in a game of tennis using their huge leaves as rackets.

I took a long time to read Iris and the Tiger.  I did find some of the characters confusing - I wanted to know their motives and sort out who was good and who was bad.  While the descriptions of the paintings are good I also just wanted to see them.  I don't have any real experience of surreal art and I am sure some of my students may find this confusing too.  The illustrator site has a few larger versions of the images on the cover. James Freer is not a real artist but I desperately wanted him to be real.  This book demands some perseverance but the final pages are rewarding.  You might also enjoy The Billionaire's Curse.  If you like the idea of mysterious things arising from art take a look at The Medici Curse.

You can see below Iris and the Tiger won our NSW Premier's literary prize and this is one of the reasons I wanted to share this book with you.  I don't think it will appeal to all young readers but I do know some avid readers will find this book quite different, exciting and engrossing.