Mirror by Jeannie Baker

A picture book is text, illustrations, total design; an item of manufacture 

and a commercial product; 

a social, cultural, historical document; and foremost an experience for a child. 

As an art form it hinges on the interdependence of pictures and words, 

on the simultaneous display of two facing pages, 

and on the drama of the turning page. 

Bader, B. American Picturebooks from Noah’s Ark to the Beast Within.1976.

Think about the words - simultaneous display of two facing pages - Mirror by Jeannie Baker goes even further - it feels as though you are reading two books side by side.

To pick up a copy of Mirror was to experience something quite at odds with the whole tendency of books to enter the e-world, the virtual and slippery place where textbooks and novels cluster, waiting for the click of a button to whisk them into existence. Those experienced in handling picture books instinctively opened the cover to full width, to reveal two equivalent scenes, each one showing a boy looking out at the night sky from an upstairs window. One scene is of a building with lacy decoration, against a pink and green landscape of cultivated farmland; the other shows an urban skyline, with tall buildings many Australian readers would recognise as those of Sydney. Dr Robin Morrow

I have mentioned Mirror (2010) in several previous posts but I wanted to do a deeper dive into this innovative and important book especially after reading this essay from Reading Australia by Dr Robin Morrow. When Mirror was published I knew this was a book that readers in my library would need to experience closely and flat on a table for ease of opening SO I immediately purchased ten copies. Perhaps this was extravagant but in those days I had a very supportive Principal who allocated a generous budget to our school library. 

Mirror is one of those books that is sure to be found in every Australian school and public library and it is a book you should treasure in your own collection. Mirror is still available so it might be time to update your copy. Here are the teachers notes from the publisher Walker Books. You should also take a look at the NCACL Picture Books for Older Readers Database. 

The dual-book format illustrates the two disparate worlds, but also highlights the universal themes of family, community and home. Baker’s intricate collages are truly amazing, but the cultural respect and humanity in this book make it shine. Readings Melbourne

Here is the full Kirkus Star review:

This entirely original book is a strong contender to bring to a desert island, especially as it’s two books in one. Open the “books” simultaneously, in English from left to right and in Arabic from right to left. Scan the pictures and compare family life and global interdependence as the panorama of urban and rural scenes from two very different countries unfolds. Wordless, except for an introduction and an illustrator’s afterword in English and Arabic, the pictures allow readers to meet an Australian boy and a Moroccan boy whose lives become interconnected. The Moroccan boy and his father sell a rug woven in their rural home, and it ends up in Sydney, in a small house that is being renovated by an Australian family. As the boy in Australia draws a picture of his new “flying carpet,” the Moroccan boy sets up his computer, bought with profits from the rug. Baker’s entrancing collages, packed with visual information and created with fabric, sand, vegetation and other unusual materials, have the power to bring back child and adult viewers for infinite “readings.” Perfectly spectacular.

Mirror is a book to be treasured, to be read and re-read with children who will spot new details each time they look through the pages. The book stirs the imagination and creates countless opportunities to talk about our own culture and everyday life as well as exploring the culture of the people of Morocco in a way that children (and adults) will find relatable and personal. Kids' Book Review

Awards:

• British Book Design and Production Awards (2011) – Winner
• English 4-11 Book Awards Leicester (2011) – Winner
• Indie Book Awards – Children’s Category (2011) – Winner
• Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Gold Award (2010) – Winner
• Australian Book Industry Awards, Book of the Year for Younger Children (2011) – Short-listed
• NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature (2011) – Short-listed
• West Australian Young Readers’ Book Award – Picture Book (2011) – Short-listed
• Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards, Children’s Books (2010) – Short-listed
•  Joint Winner CBCA Picture Book of the Year 2011
• Australian Indie Award Best Children’s Book 2011
• An International Youth Library White Ravens Award 2011