I started this blog in 2008. It is now 2025 and this is my 4000th blog post.
In
2018 I wrote about A Pet for Mrs Arbuckle by Gwenda Smyth illustrated by
Ann James from 1981 (Shortlisted CBCA 1982).
"Mrs Emmeline Arbuckle needed a pet. ... 'Well of course,' said the gingernut cat. 'You must advertise."
WANTED - A PET FOR A SWEET OLD LADY. VERY GOOD HOME.
Mrs Arbuckle receives seven letters and sets off around the world to interview the applicants. The gingernut cat goes along too, in case she needs a second opinion. It is these 'opinions' that add delicious touches of humour to the story. Here are some examples.
- The armadillo - do you want a ball or a pet?
- The llama (and her family) - a pet is a pet, and a herd is a herd.
- Aardvark - Are you going to spend your days finding ants to feed an aardvark?
- A bear - Take it from me - bear hugs can be very nasty in hot weather.
So what are the qualities of the perfect pet?
"A pet should go on and on, day after day. A pet should have regular meals and sleep in the same old corner night after night. A pet should be something you can stroke."
Of course, this perfect pet has been with Mrs Arbuckle all along. Gwenda Smyth has written a delightful text - it reads aloud so well and young readers quickly grasp the joke here that the gingernut cat has worked out exactly how to persuade Mrs Arbuckle that he/she truly is the most perfect pet.
The text in this book is also set out perfectly - on the left page we read about each of the animals from around the world as they are interviewed by Mrs A. Each has the chance to say why they would be a perfect pet, then on the facing page the gingernut cat supplies the (hilarious) counter argument.
Ann James describes the text: Her text for the story was such a strong catalyst -the dry humour and playfulness- for the way I tackled the illustrations.
It is all very satisfying for the book characters and the reader. Perhaps one day someone will republish this wonderful story which contains vibrant illustrations by Ann James depicting a range of settings from around the world and so many different emotions. If you have a copy at home or in your library hold it close. I always included this book in my library program and it was a winner every time. There are so many little details to discover and discuss. We usually began by talking about Mrs Arbuckle's husband whom she fondly calls Mr A. Then we used to map her journey on a large world map. You could easily build a whole week of discovery around this picture book.
Last month I was so privileged to visit the home of Ann James. It is filled to the brim with fabulous art from so many famous children's book illustrators (Andrew McLean; Bob Graham; Emma Quay and lots more). While I was there, I mentioned that I love A Pet for Mrs Arbuckle but that I did not have a copy. It was a fantastic surprise when Ann James offered to gift me a copy, and she signed it AND she showed me a photo of the real gingernut cat himself! AND this copy is also signed by the author Gwenda Smyth. I also learned that this is the
first book illustrated by Ann and it came about because a Melbourne bookseller, back in about 1980, advertised in The Australia newspaper for local authors and illustrators to display dummy books and pages from books that they were hoping would be published - and this led to the discovery and publishing of A Pet for Mrs Arbuckle and from there so
many more wonderful books.
Post edits Ann James says: Gwenda (Smyth) and I were friends (at the Publications Branch of the Vic Education Dept.) and we jointly decided to take up the challenge of creating a picture book for the Margareta Webber’s Bookshop invitation in 1979, to unpublished creators! We both had ginger cats and Gwenda (a wonderful storyteller with a delicious sense of humour) wove this story which I couldn’t resist illustrating.
Margareta Webber really kicked off the Golden Age in picture books with over 300 entries from all over Australia in this call for unpublished picture books! What a marvelously clever and special idea. It was a competition in a way too I remember. The winner was Amy’s Place by Marianne Stafford. So many of us were discovered then and there! Margareta Webber was a book seller from Melbourne Australia who ran a bookstore in McEwan house for nearly 40 years, called The Bookshop of Margareta Webber and opened in 1931.
Wikipedia says:
She focused on building an atmosphere of comfort in her bookshop with furnishings, pottery, prints, colourful rugs, and flowers, and she dispensed coffee and sherry. ... She also had an interest in education, particularly in early childhood education, providing literature for the kindergarten movement. The bookshop primarily dealt with new books, however, Webber would on request assist with finding and importing rare and valuable books. Other books by Gwenda Smyth - A hobby for Mrs Arbuckle (also illustrated by Ann James); The Six Wonders of Wobbly Bridge (illustrated by Roland Harvey); The Famous Wispy Bell (illustrated by Craig Smith); Orlando (illustrated by Mervyn Pywell); and Don't forget the Cheese Pa! (illustrated by Mitch Vane).
Wispy Bell is sick of being a fairy, dabbling in the dew and wearing a gossamer gown. She wants to ride a skateboard and eat peanut butter sandwiches, like the humans do! Her parents are dismayed at her lack of fairieness, but this is one determined fairy.
I am celebrating Momotimetoread post 4000!
And I have selected A pet for Mrs Arbuckle. This book was published in 1981 and that is about the time my journey into the world of children's literature began. I now own two art works by Ann James from It's a Miroocool and Bird and Bear and the Special Day (I talk about this here). I realise now I should have told Ann James how much I adored reading Little Humpty and Lucy Goosey to hundreds of children in my school library. This also seems like a good way to thank the wonderful Ann James (Hans Christian Andersen Award nominee 2019) for her wonderful books and more importantly for her generous contribution to IBBY Australia including these pieces you will find in our Mini Masterpiece art auction which begins on 14th November.
Ann also contributed pieces to our first Mini Masterpiece auction and our IBBY promotional flyer also features her work.
I am happy that my milestone post features a picture book and a book by an Australian author/illustrator. Here is a statement about picture books that resonates with me:
Picture books help to build young readers one glossy page at a time, and a good picture book is a work of art combining just the right illustrations with just the right words and placing them all together for an enjoyable reading experience.
There is nothing simple about the benefits of reading picture books with young (and not so young) children. Picture books cultivate an appreciation for art while strengthening a child's visual skills. Before a child can read the words they learn to read the pictures to understand the story. Picture books help children learn about the structure of a story while building their vocabulary and comprehension. Picture books can tell simple and familiar stories or very complex and serious stories, and children are exposed to the big world around them.
The most important aspect of picture books is how they are shared. They are meant to be a shared experience between a child, or a group of children, and a trusted adult. Reading books together builds a bond that is very special and unique. Contra Costa County Library, CA, USA
