A Place called Perfect by Helena Duggan

About halfway through this book I was sure I would give it five stars but then things became a little too tangled and complicated, so I have settled on four stars. This book is fast paced and so I read it all in one day. I would be very happy to recommend this book to readers aged 10+.

The premise that the whole town is controlled taking away the sight of every citizen and then providing them with special glasses that allow them to see, is intriguing. Yes, the glasses do work, the way people view the world through these lenses has been manipulated and so the people see perfection everywhere in the town of Perfect. And the glasses have another even more sinister function. They contain a device that robs everyone of their imagination. Imaginations are stored in glass jars after being collected late at the night. How did everyone become blind? It is all linked to some special tea which is provided to everyone, every day, several times each day. Even the children in school stop for regular 'tea' breaks. The tea is addictive and delicious because it tastes like your personal favourite flavour. 

There is an issue though with these glasses.  They only work when they are kept on your face. No one would be prepared to wear glasses in bed, so every night there is curfew which is designed to stop people hearing any sounds from the other side of the wall. This is where any people have been sent who haven't conformed to the regime imposed by Edward and George Archer. Why have they set up these schemes to manipulate the people in this town? Of course it is all about power and also we learn it is about jealousy. The people in No-Mans-Land are only allowed out at night and they are guarded by thugs called Watchers. They seem to have lost any urge to rebel. 

Violet becomes caught up in all of this because her father is a skilled ophthalmologist. She has moved with her father and mother to Perfect. Her mother very quickly changes into a 'perfect' person baking cakes and joining community events such as a the local book club but right from the start Violet is suspicious of the brothers, of the tea, and of this seemingly perfect town. 

Meanwhile (spoiler alert) the Archer brothers are working on making or growing eyes (you can see them on the cover). They have this very disturbing plan to operate and transplant these 'special' eyes into everyone. Luckily Violet meets Boy - he is an orphan who lives in No-Mans-Land and he is desperate to uncover the evil work by the Archers. It will take courage, teamwork, and determination to stop these evil men. You will be sitting on the edge of your seat because Helena Duggan makes her reader live through every terrifying situation. There were so many times when I was sure Violet and Boy would be captured and punished by the Archers. 

Publisher blurb (Usborne): Violet never wanted to move to Perfect. Who wants to live in a town where everyone has to wear glasses to stop them going blind? And who wants to be neat and tidy and perfectly behaved all the time? But Violet quickly discovers there's something weird going on in the town - she keeps hearing voices, her mam is acting strange and her dad has disappeared. When she meets Boy she realizes that her dad is not the only person to have vanished... and that the mysterious Watchers are guarding a perfectly creepy secret!

A place called Perfect was published in 2017. I picked up my copy for just AUS$3 at a charity book fair. 

This quirky, creepy mystery adventure story is an original debut that should intrigue 9+ readers who like their stories with an offbeat, uneasy atmosphere.  There are plenty of macabre details, particularly to do with eyes, and some fast-paced action but the plot does become rather over-complicated by the end and readers will need to concentrate.  This book provides plenty of dark humour amidst the action and some key messages about not following the crowd, being brave, looking beneath the surface and resisting controlling bullies.  Books for Keeps

I have now discovered there are three books in the series:

This book opens with a terrific map:

Helena Duggan is a children's author, graphic designer and illustrator from Kilkenny, a medieval town in Ireland, which was the inspiration for A Place Called Perfect. She writes in a treehouse built by her husband Robbie and his brother in the bottom of their garden.

Companion books:

Eventown

Masterminds

Simon Sort of Says

Faelan the Wolf Book One: Odd Wolf Out by Juliette Maciver

 

Before I talk about this book I do need to give you a warning - this is Book One in a planned three book series and the first book ends with a cliff hanger which will leave you desperate for Book 2 which is published and available and then for Book 3 which is not out yet!

Faelan is different - he is a non-conformer in the wolf pack. He does not enjoy hunting for prey. He does not want to eat the forest creatures that are caught by the pack. He lives on his own in a small hut constructed from debris discarded by humans. He has a small vegetable plot, and he enjoys eating beans which he cooks on a small fire. The other wolves are suspicious of Faelan, they fear fire and so, many of the young wolves bully and ostracize him. Faelan is lonely but he has made friends with a skunk named Flora. Of course, this also horrifies the other wolves because they expect to eat creatures like Flora and not invite them to be a friend. 

The pack is ruled by an old wolf named Bardolph Lupus but he is growing old and weak. To some extent Bardolph has protected Faelan, but his son and heir named Weylin has a plan to reverse this. Faelan has been told his father and mother are dead. He has a faint memory of his mother and her singing, but his father is a mystery. Then he learns his father is not dead. He was banished from the pack and is now rumored to be the leader of the rival pack. His father's name is Varg and he is very dangerous.

This book is only 172 pages. It does contain some interesting ideas - such as the issue of battery hens, conformity versus nonconformity and the abuse of power. The character of Weylin is especially curious and I expect we will learn more about him in book 2. He wears gloves:

"Weylin rose to his hind legs, smoothed down the white gloves he always wore on his forepaws ... "

When Faelan visits Weylin's den he sees Weylin (who always purports to be brave and 'manly') has decorated his space with flowers and art. 

"Covering the entrance to this private chamber hung fine curtains of spider weave, again interlaced with flowers, this time tiny blue forget-me-nots, which were worked into the curtains in intricate patterns."

Here are the teachers notes from the publisher who describes this book as an anthropomorphic fantasy. These notes have more plot details.

If you are sharing this book with a class or introducing it in your library you could talk about the author's choices for character names: Avian (the chicken); Granny Beowulf (the healer who understands how to use herbs collected in the forest); and Flora (the skunk - she does not smell like flowers).  I also learnt a new word in this book ‘mouflon' - this is a type of sheep which should make you laugh when you think about where this book comes from! Readers aged 10+ who enjoy quirky books told from a different point of view will enjoy Odd Wolf Out. 

Odd Wolf Out is published by Scholastic in New Zealand. It was offered on our Australian Scholastic Book club brochure which explains how I came to find it in the Westmead Children's Hospital library (Book Bunker) where I volunteer. The library is a philanthropic cause supported by Scholastic Australia and that company are our main source of new books for the collection.

Faelan Maculf’s story may not be a laugh a minute, but it is an important story about tolerance, kindness, and complicated family—with a bit of humour. The Sapling

Here is book two:

Teachers notes with a story synopsis

Companion reads although these are both more serious and not anthropomorphic:

A Wolf called Wonder

Firstborn

In some ways this book reminded me of this one:

The Wolves of Greycoat Hall

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?

Frank's Red Hat by Sean E Avery

Frank is a creative soul. He discovers the joy of knitting and he makes a splendid hat but the other conservative penguins are not sure this is a good idea. They like their safe predicable black and white world and then when their friend Neville is eaten by a killer whale they are convinced nothing good will come from wearing Frank's hats.

But Frank is not a penguin who accepts defeat.  He continues to make his hats embracing so many exotic colours. 

He tries to share his best hat with his old penguin friends but the run away terrified. Luckily for Frank someone else has been watching all of this. The seals love his hats and so Frank regains his confidence and his creativity. Frank has been given a very distinct and very appealing personality.

This book gave me a huge smile. I adore the illustrations which remind of the award-winning illustrator Jon Klassen who also uses similar textured effects.The use of analogue and digital illustrative techniques lends this book an air of sophistication. 

There are some deeper meanings here but I just love the lightness of touch given to the story, the perseverance of Frank, his creativity, and the hilarious twist at the end. This book will open up conversations about risk taking, difference and courage along with a terrific discussion about the names we give to colours. It also opens up opportunities to think about other perspectives such as the penguins and their resistance to change. 

The end papers are perfect. I love the way the illustrations delightfully extend the text such as when Frank uses the broken walrus tusk as fish spike. Those eyes on the walrus say so much. Then things go full circle when we see the walrus has his tusk tied on with pink wool and, like the seals, he too is wearing a special hat but wait a minute - look at the nose on the snowman - oh no!

The story pace is perfect too. Sean Avery shows us how to read a line like “it’s for keeping our head warm – in style” by the simple placement of that dash. In terms of the plot line, I enjoyed the moment of drama when Neville is eaten by a killer whale – the text makes this feel less tragic and more about the cycle of life and death on the ice.   

Frank’s Red Hat is one of those picture books that certainly can be shared with younger children but which will also generate deeper discussions and enjoyment for older students too. This story addresses so many themes: the other, fear, conformity, 'group think', diversity. 

Frank's Red Hat was short listed for our Children's Book Council Book of the Year awards - Picture Book. I was a judge this year and so some of my comments are based on the critique I wrote which you can see here. 

Here are some junior teaching ideas from the publisher Walker books. Here is the website for Sean E Avery - he lives in Western Australia. Here is a video where Sean shows his art process. 

Flocked by Chren Byng illustrated by Andrew Joyner

No one ever leaves the flock

"Welcome to the flock. In the flock, everything is good. In the flock, everything is warm. In the flock, everything is safe. .. Do not question the flock. The flock is all you need. The flock is all you know. You are the flock and the flock is you. You are happy in the flock."

There’s sure to be a correct literary term for this plot but I call it a “grass is greener story” and I have read lots of them. Daisy by Brian Wildsmith; Wendy by Gus Gordon; Once upon a Small Rhinoceros by Meg McKinlay; and the famous Iranian allegory The Little Black Fish by Samad Behrangi. 

The point of difference here is the tone of indoctrination which is a theme you could explore with older students. The flock do not question their lot in life and everyone is expected to conform. The page where all the sheep are smiling is especially chilling. Is the head sheep a dictator? 

The pages set under the sea and in the busy city street offer a stark contrast to the ‘sameness’ of the flock in the field.

The final pages ask the reader to ‘fill in the gaps’. We see that the young sheep has survived and indeed thrived in the outside world so perhaps after reading the post card, others in the flock might take a step out into the wider world? The expression “pulling the wool over our eyes” comes to mind when I look at the woolly end papers. I think this is more than a story about bravery and stepping out of your comfort zone and it is interesting that the youngest community member is the one who is curious about the world and it is the youngest sheep who is willing to take a risk and defy convention.

You could also view this as an allegory about group think. It plays on the notion that people are like sheep - who follow one another around without thinking. If you look at the labels I have added to this post I think you can see there are terrific possibilities for using this book with a group of older students to explore "bigger" themes such as propaganda; conformity; independence; misuse of power; risk taking; and adventures. This is a book that repays rereading and older children will love being able to predict where the story is going and even what happens next.

The character of the little sheep himself is especially appealing. We see his personality and interests start to develop – with the sideways glances away from the flock and towards the little red flower. You can see more books illustrated by Andrew Joyner here. 

Companion books:

Brian the Brave

Louis I King of the Sheep

Daisy 

Once upon a small Rhinoceros

Louise the Adventures of a chicken

The Little Black Fish