Candle Island Lauren Wolk

"Six mysteries waited for me on Candle Island.

One involved a bird.

The second a hidden room.

A song the third.

A poet the fourth.

A cat fifth.

A fire sixth.

Each of them exciting in its own way.

But none more interesting than the mystery I took there with me."

Begin with the cover - I really like it and after reading this book you will want to go back and see how an important story element has been incorporated into this illustration. 

Here is the quote on the opening page - it is very pertinent to this story:

"As music is the poetry of sound, so is painting the poetry of sight." James McNeill Whistler

I think sensitive readers (with some reading stamina) aged 10+ will really enjoy Candle Island. I had no idea this story was set in the 1970s (see the Kirkus review).  I loved the island setting and the way Lucretia and her mum were keeping the identity of the artist of their famous paintings a secret kept me turning the pages knowing that they were sure to be discovered. I was also happy that there was no twist at the end and that the bad things that happened on the island were all down to those awful rich kids as Lucretia, Bastian and Murdock suspected. If you look at the labels I have assigned this post you can see the plot covers a lot of things - Lucretia finds a wounded baby bird (an osprey) and she nurses him back to health; there are three summer kids who are dreadful bullies; there is an art theft; the island is small and suspicious of strangers; Lucretia and her mum are experiencing terrible pain after the death of her father; and each of the three island kids has a special talent. Oh, and I do need to mention two more things - mum cooks delicious food in this book and I adore the town librarian (I think I need to make a list of books that feature very special librarians).

Curious readers might want to know more about osprey birds after reading this book. Also Lucretia is named after Lucretia Mott - a Quaker suffragist and anti-slavery campaigner. You might also want to learn more about the scale of being or the Great Chain of Being. 

Candle Island is set on an island - I know that is obvious - so I was not surprised to read Lauren Wolk lives on Cape Cod. I really enjoy visiting islands and I enjoy books set on islands and even though I have not been there for some reason Maine, USA has a special fascination for me.

Here are some text quotes:

"When I let myself spill onto the canvas like melted wax, I built a world where I felt exactly right, entirely who I really was. Free. Unwatched. Alone."

"He was singing a story. A sad one that suddenly became something else and then something else again, the colour changing as the story did, from a radiant magenta to some kind of violet. And then a gold I rarely heard."

"When I hit the water, my head exploded. Every particle of my body panicked. It was as if I'd been injected with frozen mint. As if my skin was size too small. As if I'd been scoured with a wire brush dipped in acid. All of that, all at once."

The town librarian - notice the placement of the word beautiful: "She was old. Thin. In a black dress with a lace collar. Her hair was a beautiful white, twisted into a crown on top of her head. Her skin was the same deep brown as my eyes. ... At her full height she was smaller than I was, but she seemed much taller."

"The most common form of despair is not being who you are - Soren Kierkegaard"

There are certain authors for children that are capable of the kind of writing that is not merely full of strong character growth and interesting plotting, but legitimately lovely prose as well. On a single page I found lines that end with glimpses of a “bruise-blue sea.” Or, when Lucretia thinks about befriending the prickly Murdock, she is thinking of, “How adding even a little yellow to the coldest gray could warm it toward something altogether new. But Murdock was a girl, not a painting. I would have to remember that.” I mark in my copy of this book the lines I like best. What’s remarkable about them is how seamlessly they’re integrated into the plot. Betsy Bird SLJ

And bottom line, this is a beautiful book set on a beautiful island off the coast of Maine. It will linger in your heart. Sonder Books

Wolk’s latest novel wonderfully portrays new relationships while tackling grief and self-discovery. The characters are well developed, and readers can see parts of themselves and those they know. The book also has several small mysteries that readers will be itching to solve. While a work of historical fiction, the story has the modern feel of a quiet life without current technology and trends. School Library Journal

Here is an interview with Lauren Wolk.

I spied this book some weeks ago and knowing how much I loved every previous book by Lauren Wolk, I added it to my 'to read' and 'to buy' list. Luckily for me this book has appeared in the library where I work as a volunteer, so I borrowed it and read it over one or two days. This is a longish book with 340 pages, but the print size makes it easy to read and of course Lauren Wolk creates a page turning story with characters you really care about. The library has a copy because this book was sold as a Scholastic Australia Book Club title (issue 5, 2025 AUS$12). We are having extreme rain conditions in my city and so today (after some very necessary chores) I snuggled down beside my heater and finished read Candle Island.

Publisher (Scholastic Australia) blurb: Lucretia and her mother have come to tiny Candle Island, Maine (Population: Summer, 986; Winter, 315) with a secret to keep ... and to escape—escape memories of the car accident that killed her father and escape the journalists that hound her mother, a famous and reclusive artist. The rocky coast and ocean breeze are a welcome respite for Lucretia, who dedicates her summer days to painting, exploring the island, and caring for an orphaned osprey chick. But Candle Island also has secrets—a hidden room in her new house, a mysterious boy with a beautiful voice—and just like the strong tides that surround the shores, they will catch Lucretia in their wake. With an unforgettable New England setting and a complex web of relationships old and new, this is a powerful story about art, loss and the power of being true to your own voice.

There is a huge error in my Scholastic Australia copy of this book. This book was originally published in hardcover by the Penguin Young Readers Group [9780593698549]. My copy in paperback is a new 'edition' BUT the imprint page does not acknowledge the original publisher or date of publication AND the author's name is spelt incorrectly as Wolke. This is funny but also disturbing. 

Other books I have loved by Lauren Wolk:

Wolf Hollow

My Own Lightning

Beyond the Bright Sea

Echo Mountain

The Pickpocket and the Gargoyle by Lindsay Eager

There are a host of very different characters in this splendid book. The setting feels like an ancient European city such as Paris or Rome and the unfinished cathedral, which has several gargoyles on the roof, is so well described I felt as though I was roaming right through the city and standing on the cathedral while I 'lived' through the whole year covered by this story. The descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells are so vivid. The derelict cathedral is at the centre of the story. It was built one hundred years ago in Odierne and is apply named Cathedral Sans Nom. A huge gargoyle observes the life of the city. He is not alone on the top of this building, but the other gargoyles are on the opposite side facing east and they shun him. Our alternate chapter narrator is the gargoyle facing west. One evening a young woman holding a tiny baby, climbs up to the roof of the ruined building in an attempt to escape the police. When she is finally cornered, she jumps into the river clutching her tiny baby. Eight years have now passed by the gargoyle still feels so much pain. His job is to protect but he failed to protect the mother and child. But what can he do. He is a gargoyle. He cannot move and he cannot talk, except to the pigeons who try to roost in his open mouth. He is powerless and deeply sad. 

Then we meet Duck. Duck is rescued as a tiny baby girl from the Saluire, the river that runs through the city. She is taken in by a gang of pickpockets and petty criminals all of whom are really children themselves. The gang call themselves Crowns. Duck does not know this yet but it is not a coincidence that the gang have moved into Odierne. The gang leader Gnat (this is the most perfect name for him) organises for Duck to work for Griselde as a baker's apprentice. His scheme is to have Duck steal bread and money to pass onto the Crowns each Saturday at the market. But Duck has a destiny. It is clear from the beginning she has a talent for baking and for creating delicious flavor combinations especially with her favourite herb - rosemary.

As I said at the beginning of this post, each of the characters in this book is so well drawn. Baker Griselde is a huge woman with enormous patience and good sense. Her journeyman Petrus is a thin suspicious figure who is always watching Duck. In the gang Ash, is both Duck's rescuer and her one true friend. Gnat, leader of the Crowns, revels in the power he wields over this group of young orphans but Duck has learnt to watch his face closely and from time to time she sees tiny hints of his true character and yearning to know about his own past and possible family. As for Duck, it is a joy to watch her transformation from a timid, almost silent child, into a young girl who learns to read, to bake and who gains enough confidence to question Gnat especially now he seems to be conspiring with the dangerous rival gang the Red Swords. 

Publisher blurb: Fished from the river as an infant and raised by a roving band of street urchins who call themselves the Crowns, eight-year-old Duck keeps her head down and her mouth shut. It’s a rollicking life, always thieving, always on the run – until the ragtag Crowns infiltrate an abandoned cathedral in the city of Odierne and decide to put down roots. It’s all part of the bold new plan hatched by the Crowns’ fearless leader, Gnat, to ensure the Crowns always have a steady supply of food and money. But no sooner is Duck apprenticed to the kindly local baker than her allegiances start to blur. Who is she really: a Crown or an apprentice baker? And who does she want to be? Meanwhile, high above the streets of Odierne, on the roof of the unfinished cathedral, an old and ugly gargoyle grows weary of waiting to fulfil his own destiny to watch and protect. Told in alternating viewpoints, this exquisite novel evokes a timeless tale of love, self-discovery, and what it means to be rescued.

I have had this book on my to read pile for many months. I picked it up a couple of times but the opening prelude to the story didn't quite grab me. This book has 448 pages and so I did keep pushing it to the bottom of the pile until this week. I did take the whole week to read this book but near the end I devoured the final chapters because they were so gripping. I was desperately hoping Duck would finally find her true place in the world even though Gnat had so horribly used and betrayed her.  After reading this book (or perhaps listening to an audio version if one is made) you will want to head off to your own local bakery so you can also devour some delicious breads in as many different forms and flavours as you can find. I recommend this book for keen readers who have good reading stamina aged 10+.

Here is an excellent review by Margot Hillel for Reading Time:

This is a book about loyalty and choices, particularly having one’s loyalty tested when required to choose sides. It is also about belonging and community; about what makes a home and what constitutes a family. It is a multi-layered book that will benefit from discussion in a class but is also a rich, individual reading experience.

"The craft of the baker is described in mouth-watering detail, and the reader gains some insight into how medieval guilds might have operated. ... Those interested in historical fiction (with a touch of magical realism) will enjoy this one." Reading Time Margaret McKay-Lowndes March, 2023.

Companion books:

The Threads of Magic

A Very Unusual Pursuit

Manxmouse by Paul Gallico

This book has twelve chapters and each reads like a short story. We first meet Manxmouse as he is created by a ceramic artist who specializes in making mice. On this night, however, he has been drinking and his newest mouse looks very odd. This chapter is entitled "The story of the Tiddly Mouse-Maker."

"In the first place it was not grey but an utterly mad blue. It had a fat little body like an opossum, hind feet like those of a kangaroo, the front paws of a money and instead of delicate and transparent ears, these were long and much more like those of a rabbit and what's more they were blue too, and violently orange-coloured on the inside."

And of course this little creation has no tail - just a button.

As the clock strikes thirteen, Manxmouse makes his getaway. He discovers his fate lies with meeting a manx cat and so his long adventures filled with interesting characters begins. He meets a movie star, an elephant in a circus, a greedy pet shop owner, a long-distance truck driver, a taxi driver, a tiger and a lonely child named Wendy H Troy. He flies on the back of a hawk who talks like the captain of a passenger jet and rescues a fox from a pack of hunting dogs. Every story feels like a wild ride and readers are sure to keep turning the pages anxious to know the outcome of meeting the fabled manx cat which you are sure to anticipate will end in disaster. 

Blurb: The brave little Manxmouse is one-of -a-kind creature on a special journey. But everyone knows who awaits him, for the Manxmouse belongs to the Manx Cat… The Manxmouse is one-of-a-kind. He’s the strangest little mouse you’ll ever see, with bright blue fur, huge rabbit ears and a distinct lack of tail. But Manxmouse doesn’t mind being different. He knows that destiny awaits him, and so Manxmouse sets out on an exciting adventure. He meets tigers and hawks and dastardly pet-shop owners, but there’s someone he dreads and desires to meet more than anyone else. The someone who has been waiting for him all along… the Manx Cat.

I think this book has stood the test of time even though it is quite a quirky tale. Children in Australia may be unfamiliar with some of the settings in London such as Madame Tussaud's wax museum. If this story was your own childhood favourite you could read it as a family read aloud - one chapter per night. 

Here is a discover - The Manx Cat is a real breed: The Manx cat is a breed of domestic cat originating on the Isle of Man. It is one of the oldest known cat breeds. The Manx is medium-sized, stocky, and heavily boned, with sloping shoulders and full chests. It has a naturally occurring mutation that shortens the tail, and can be identified as being either a rumpy, a rumpy riser, a stumpy, or a longy. 

Manx is also a Celtic language spoken on the Isle of Man. All of the UK references in this book seem a little strange to me now that I have discovered Paul Callico is from the USA.

On my recent trip to Melbourne I visited several bookshops including a few I had not seen before. One was North Melbourne Books and it had the best back list titles and eclectic collection of children's books of any store from my visit. 

Manxmouse was published in 1968. You are sure to recognise the name Paul Gallico (1879-1976) and perhaps you read others of his famous books such as The Snow Goose (1941). I didn't realise he wrote Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris (1958) but I did love the recent movie. He also wrote The Poseidon Adventure (1968) and again, although it was long ago, I did love the movie. Reading about Paul Gallico I was amazed to find that in 2000, J.K. Rowling declared that Gallico's Manxmouse was one of her favorite childhood books. Again, this one has a movie adaption - this time as a Japanese Anime movie Manxmouse's Great Activity (Tondemo Nezumi Daikatsuyaku). Manxmouse even has his own Wikipedia page. 

Here are some previous cover designs (using these to talk to students about appeal and design etc can be a powerful discussion starter).

My copy of Manxmouse is from the series Collins Modern Classics - here are a few others:

The Apprentice Witnesser by Bren McDibble

Once again Bren MacDibble takes us to a dystopian future world - this time set in Queensland. We have wrecked the world. There is no electricity and no cars and worse there are now diseases. Blame comes from both sides - the sides in this book are women versus men. This disease seems to affect men more than women so in this divided world women live a subsistence life in make-shift villages and men have been sent into the mountains. If baby boys are born, they are dressed up as girls so they can stay in the community. Bastienne, a young girl, has been rescued by Lodyma. Lodyma's own son has been banished from the community following the death of her older son and husband. 

"Both Lodyma's own kids were boys. When the sickness spreads it always takes the men. Lodyma says women and girls got different immune systems better able to put up with the sickness .. "

Bastienne Scull is nearly twelve years old, and she lives a simple life as an apprentice to the Witnesser of Miracles in a small village mostly populated by women and girls. Basti knows that miracle-hunting is a lot like mystery-solving, and her little world is full of wonder and intrigue and unexpected adventure. Lodyma is a witnesser. 

"She's witnesser of miracles. People want to think she's special. ...  We have markets here three nights a week. That's a lot of miracles we gotta hunt down on the other four days. Lodyma's been witness to more that a hundred miracles, so she can get through them over and over."

The 'miracles' are not really miracles, but Lodyma is a brilliant storyteller and so people 'pay' for her performances with produce and occasional coins. Basti keeps the crowd together and she sells peanuts from a local farm, and these also bring a few coins. Lodyma 'proves' her miracles with photographic evidence. I enjoyed the references to 'old tech' in this story. Lodyma has an instamatic camera. She has a limited amount of 'film' but Basti has the task of recording any 'miracles' they encounter. Basti is a very observant girl, so even though she should not waste this precious resource, she takes other photos too - photos of precious interactions between people - photos that show love. 

"I don't say nothing about the other photos tucked away in my bag. The one where the fruit vendor gave those two little kids a memory they'll keep in their hearts forever, and hopefully the one of Lodyma in the shade, along with some other special photos I've taken."

Here are descriptions of the landscape:

"Far as I can tell, the collapse was when the climate got hotter, the cities washed into the sea and pollution and diseases took out most of the people."

"Over the hills, the streets are a mess. Abandoned trucks, dumped tyres, wire fences fallen down, warehouses torn open and bits and pieces pulled out and scattered everywhere. Rusty hunks of machinery things, I dunno what. Plastic contains that's cracked and faded, bits of piping and taps and sinks and old cupboards left out in the weather to swell and collapse."

Someone is selling plastic shoes at the market and then two young boys arrive and summon Lodyma to another distant settlement. Lodyma and Basti make an amazing discovery about the factory that makes the shoes but more importantly, in the monastery at Ravenshoe, they find a young wild girl. Her eyes match the strange pattern of Lodyma's - is it possible that she is the daughter of her lost son? 

So now we have a group of three and Basti is no longer sure of her place - will Lodyma really want an apprentice? Perhaps Basti will need to resign herself to tedious work at the peanut farm. She becomes deeply unhappy and angry (but she holds her anger inside). Meanwhile caring for little Raveena is a full-time job. This little girl, aged five or six, is such a wild spirit and her life story is a mystery which Basti is determined to solve. As it says in the blurb below - finding this little girl will change all their lives. Is she the real miracle?

Publisher blurb: Bastienne Scull is a young orphan who lives with the local Witnesser of Miracles, Lodyma Darsey, who investigates 'miraculous events' and spins them into stories she tells at the night markets. After Lodyma's husband and elder son died of a sickness that continues to sweep the land, she sent her teenage son Osmin into the hills to live with the mountain men. That was ten years ago, and Lodyma doesn't know if he's alive or dead. And she's taken Bastienne as an apprentice to fill the void of her lost family. One day, two young boys arrive in town asking Lodyma to go on a mysterious mission to a monastery. And when Lodyma and Bastienne arrive, what they discover will change their lives.

I do enjoy books where the author makes you work hard to fill in the gaps and also books where at the end things come together - not in a saccharine, we all live happily ever after way, but in a very satisfying way, allowing a character whom you have come to care deeply about to have the promise of a better life. And I did care very deeply about Basti. The final chapters of this book are especially wonderful. If I was 'hand selling' this book to a reader in my library (or even in a bookshop) I would explain that readers do need to stick with this story because the ending will make your heart melt with happiness. I recommend this book for all fans of Bren MacDibble aged 11+. Congratulations to the publisher Allen and Unwin and the cover designer/artist Julie Hunt - this book has such an arresting cover which is sure to grab the attention of readers. Take a look at the labels I have assigned to this post - suspicion, survival, and belonging. There is also the issue of the best ways to express love in a family. There are tiny moments in this story when you deeply feel the way Basti just longs to be loved by Lodyma. 

Huge thanks to Three Sparrows Bookshop who let me read the advance reader copy of The Apprentice Witnesser. It will be published on 30th April 2024.

Here is an audio book review from New Zealand. 

How to Bee

The Dog Runner

The Raven's Song

Across the Risen Sea

One Bee too Many by Andrés Pi Andreu illustrated by Kim Amate

I love the little touches of humor in this story which I am sure any adult sharing this book with a young child will really enjoy such as this:

"One day, the bees met in the hive to discuss why they were always so cramped. They didn't have enough space to play sudoku, Parcheesi and or even checkers."

On this page the bees are reading their newspaper - the Honey Times. And on the page where the bees are talking about how to find this terrible extra bee the law book has the title - Bee Laws by Bee Good. You might also spot a Rubics cube, security cameras, and a machine called a pinocchiotronic - yes it's a lie detector.

The bees are in a housing crisis. They employ three architects - naturally things in the hive are based on a hexagon. The experts conclude there is one bee too many and immediately accusations fly around the room - this is such a disturbing scene:

• a foreign bee
• an immigrant bee
• a dirty bee
• a robber eating OUR honey
• it might carry germs
• it wants to take my job

How can the members of the hive find this extra bee. Should they assign a number to each bee - no. The lawyer suggests everyone needs a passport and birth certificate; and the linguist suggests listening to every bee as a way to detect a foreign accent.

Finally the Queen Bee steps in with her words of wisdom and the obvious solution. 

There are fabulous words in this book - incredulously; dramatic pause; hysteria; requirements; worrisome; and chilling conclusion. 

Adults will quickly recognize the allegory with parallels to immigration and racism issues of the present day and perhaps grasp the lesson of the queen bee. If only we could find such human wisdom. Friends Journal

Featuring surreal and elaborate illustrations reminiscent of Catalan modernism, readers are sure to find new surprising details in every read. Originally published in Spanish, it has won prestigious awards such as the White Ravens List, Golden Medal of the Campoy-Ada Award, and USA National Children Literature Award. from Dymocks bookseller page

I would like to find the context for this quote from the back cover of the book: “The picture book comes across inconspicuously, but it is the most beautiful and cleverest philosophical book that has been on the book market for a long time” ―Hans Christian Andersen Committee - I am not sure if the author or illustrator were perhaps nominated for the HCAA Award.

Another reviewer quoted on the back cover uses the words - whimsy, delight, moving and captivating.

Listen to a sample of an audio reading. Kim Amate comes from Spain and Andrés Pi Andreu is originally from Cuba but now lives in the US.

Pair this book with:

Scary Bird

It is not related to this book but in February I will also be reading and talking another bee book by Australian author Megan Daley illustrated by Max Hamilton.

Broken Beaks by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer illustrated by Robert Ingpen

"Then, one morning the young sparrow awoke to discover that his beak had broken while he slept. It does not happen often, but sometime a sparrow's beak will break. No one knows how or why it happens. It just does."

Now it is so difficult for the young sparrow to pick up crumbs dropped by people at the cafe. Sadly, the other sparrow are either frightened of him, or suspicious of him while others are sure someone else will help the young sparrow. The people are no better. To their eyes this bird looks dirty and ugly. 

Luckily along comes a compassionate stranger - a homeless man. 

"He was thin and dirty. He had a bushy beard and long scraggly hair, and he talked to himself. The sparrow could tell from his voice that he was sad and lonely."

"Looking closely at the stranger, the young sparrow realised that they were alike. He somehow knew that the stranger also had a broken beak- only his beak was on the inside, where you couldn't see it. ... Like the sparrow, the stranger couldn't help that his beak was broken."

Now go back and think about the title - broken beaks. The bird has a broken beak and so does the man but readers should also think about the reactions of others (bird and human) - how we view others who are different, or who need compassion. 

The final scene in this book is sure to break your heart. This book has a personal connection with the author. 

Blurb: A beautiful story about a friendship between a small sparrow and a homeless man. Readers of all ages will be moved by this powerful narrative, which highlights the heroism and dignity of people with mental illness. Beautiful full colour illustrations drawn with depth and insight by former Hans Christian Andersen Medalist Robert Ingpen. 

Broken Beaks is long out of print and I think it might be very hard to find. IF you do have a copy it is now very valuable. I have seen copies listed between AU$90 and AU$150.

When I was a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) judge we read Crumbs by Phil Cummings illustrated by Shane Deveries. One of the judges in my category (Picture book of the Year) linked Crumbs with Broken Beaks (2003 and out of print). I love making connections between texts, but I had no idea about Broken Beaks. I was so thrilled to find this book in the school library I visit each week. What an extraordinary wealth of books this library holds. I continue to be so amazed and excited by the books I discover. 

Egg by Clare Atkins illustrated by Harrison Vial

 

This is my favourite type of picture book – a book with layers of meaning which can be enjoyed by a very young child but which will also challenge older children to think more deeply about the allegorical meaning. 

Clare Atkins said: "We sat on the grass in the sun and brainstormed themes we were both passionate about: migration, dislocation, racism, colonialism, difference, climate change, culture, history, authorship and many more."

With an older group it would be good to pair this book with The Island by Armin Greder (for older readers) or Scary Bird by Michel Streich. 

There are huge themes in this book - migration, racism and discrimination, fear of the unknown, climate change and refugees. 

This is such an interesting book. It has a deeper story than the one implied by pastel colour palette and the cartoon-style eggs. I do like the tactile cover and the story clue which is revealed when the cover is stretched out in full, and we can see a tiny island covered in trees. The end papers are based on the gentle movement of the ocean, and we see this image used to bookend the story firstly with the arrival of one ‘egg’ and later when lots of seeds are on the way. 

The egg conversation, written with indented lines and no speech marks, is innovative. I like the different fonts – a formal one for the narrator and informal one for the Egg residents.

Using a simple line, the illustrator manages to give each of the central characters of Little Egg and Strange Egg a distinct personality. The way the flashback page is framed with the commentary eggs in the corner will help readers to identify these are scenes from the past. I love the character of Little Egg and the way he/she/it shows kindness. The smallest egg is a true hero, and the silence of Strange Egg speaks volumes. 

I do wish we knew why the shade trees disappeared from the island – is this meant to be about global warming?  SO much to discuss with your students. 

• What is the egg? Or did you think this was a potato from the start?
• Does this make you think about the seed of hope and new ecological sustainability? 
• Is this book about finding a source of hope and difference in a parched same-same world? 
• Is the new egg an asylum seeker washed in from afar, the same but suspected of being different? 
• Who are the other eggs? Are they closed-minded adults or environmentally irresponsible citizens or perhaps politicians or just people with fear of the unknown or fearful of change? 

Paperbark words interview with Clare Atkins: I wanted Egg to be a book that could appeal to readers on multiple levels. Younger readers might giggle at the funny talking eggs and enjoy seeing Brave Egg and Strange Egg’s friendship develop and change. Older readers might pick up on the themes of migration, racism and discrimination, fear of the unknown, climate change and refugees. Parents or teachers could whiz through reading it to kids, doing funny egg voices, or take their time and discuss the ideas behind it.

Egg is a 2023 CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Notable Picture Book. 

Take a look here to see work by Adelaide illustrator Harrison Vial.

Bookseller blurb: A truly unique picture book about a newcomer arriving to an island inhabited by superstitious eggs. This thought-provoking story raises gentle questions about displacement, environment, xenophobia and climate refugees. When something strange washes up on the eggs' island, they are scared. It looks like them. But different. What if it hatches? What if there are more of them? Most of the eggs hope the newcomer will float back to where it came from, but one little egg is not afraid. Can their friendship prove there is nothing to fear?

The Seed by Isabel Pin translated by Rosemary Lanning

 

"Once upon a time - in a small, distant part of the great, wide world - there were two tribes ... "

This is such a powerful opening sentence filled with story possibilities. Now think about the names of the tribes - the Scarabs and the Chafers. Perhaps you have heard of scarab beetles but I had not heard of chafers. 

When an object falls from the sky the two tribes set out to investigate using very different methods. The Scarabs "scraped splinters from its surface and took them to their scientists who examined them with the very latest scientific instruments." The Chafers, make notes and sketches and their scholars review all their historical records to compare with this new object. Happily both groups come to the same conclusion. The object is a cherrystone. 

"There was only one problem. The cherrystone had come to rest right on the border." And so, as you will have guessed, a war begins with weapons and strategies. Years pass. Meanwhile the seed ...

I will leave you to guess the scene when the two tribes finally confront each other across their battle line. 

One day a seed drops from the sky and lands right on the border between two territories. The tribes on both sides of the border immediately claim it. ""This means war!"" their leaders declare. Both sides prepare for battle with great inventiveness, creating huge arsenals of deadly weapons, and drawing up complicated plans of attack. But ironically, in the midst of all these preparations, the seed itself is quietly providing the simple solution that the tribes, in their haste, have overlooked. Google

The Seed is of course long out of print. It was originally published with the title Der Kern in 2001.

Here are some of the illustrations - they really appeal to me.

Pin's "unusual" artwork is "filled with texture," noted School Library Journal contributor Marianne Saccardi, the critic adding that the "fantastical creatures"—part cockroach and part bee—are imaginatively rendered. Encyclopedia.com

A possible companion book would be this one:

It fell from the Sky

And if you want to read a less serious book about mysterious objects and beetles try to find this one.

Babak the Beetle

Isabel Pin is a new discovery of mine. She is an award-winning illustrator who has published more than 40 books, received numerous awards, and was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2011 and 2012. Born in France, she lives in Berlin, Germany.

The Seed is another terrific book from North South - I would love to visit a library one day, such as the International Youth Library in Munich and explore all of their titles - every book from this publisher that I have discovered is such a treasure. 

Many years ago I worked with my Grade Five students exploring Picture books on the theme of conflict resolution. Here are some of the books we explored - and I do wish I had also included The Seed.

Two Giants

Mina by Matthew Forsythe

 

Publisher blurb: Mina and her father live in a hollowed-out tree stump on the edge of a pond on the edge of a forest. Nothing ever bothers Mina, until one day, her father brings home a suspicious surprise from the woods. Should Mina trust her father—or listen to her own instincts?

This is one of those wonderful books where you, and more importantly your young reading companion, will know more than the characters. They might even be yelling at young Mina to alert her that her suspicions are correct and this huge creature dad has invited into their home is not a squirrel. Actually I want to write this again - this is NOT a squirrel!

Yes it is true squirrels are bigger than mice and yes they do have long bushy tails but ...  

When this huge animal just sits around Mina tries presenting it with a delicious acorn but this is ignored. Surely that is suspicious. Then horror of horrors her father brings home two more of these surprise creatures. Luckily they call on the doctor and he can see the truth perhaps because he has had an unfortunate accident some time in the past - you might notice he has a wooden leg. Was he once attacked by a cat? Oh no what can three tiny mice do when three enormous, yes they are cats, are set to eat them! The solution is certain to surprise and delight you.

See more work by Matthew Forsythe here. In this blog post you can read a very detailed description of Mina along with some ideas for sharing this book with a group of children. It is a good idea to read this book more than once and on your second or third reading pay special attention to the eyes of those cats - it is easy to 'read' their plans for those mice. 

Whichever way you think the story is going, it’s not, and Forsythe expertly subverts expectations with deadpan comedy and absurdist details that bring Mina’s tale perfectly full-circle. The Baby Bookworm

You can see inside Mina here. The end papers are fun - 

Awards for Mina:

• 2023 Winner Wanda Gag Read Aloud Award
• A 2022 Kirkus Book of the Year 
• A 2022 Shelf Awareness Book of the Year 
• A 2022 CBC Books Book of the Year 
• 2022 Winner - Quebec Writers Federation Prize
• 2022 Governor General’s Award Finalist

“This uniquely told, beautifully illustrated story manages to look directly at the big idea of parental fallibility—wrapped up with love and faith and trust—from such a distinctly child’s eye that we don’t even know it’s doing it.” - Jury’s Notes, Quebec Writers’ Federation

Ten years ago in 2013 I talked about another book illustrated by Matthew Forsythe:

My Name is Elizabeth