Category Archives: Family

Les Tres Riches Heures de Mrs Mole by Ronald Searle

Posted by Abbie Jury in Family and tagged with

Tres Riches Heures de Mrs MoleRonald Searle is probably best known for his cartoons and his St Trinian’s books, along with the Molesworth series. His style is very distinctive – often oversized bodies of animals or people topped with disproportionately small, angular heads and unmistakeable facial expressions conveyed with wonderful simplicity and humour. This little book is a special testimony to love – 47 drawings of Mrs Mole looking happy. You have to read the brief written notes to understand what it is about. These were private sketches done for his wife, one for each bout of chemotherapy as she began a fight against virulent breast cancer in 1969. They were Searle’s way of showing love and support in a situation where he was helpless in the face of her suffering. Each sketch celebrates Mrs Mole and an aspect of the life they planned together in a Provencal village.

The joy of the book is that, against all odds, Monica Searle survived and went on to live that very life with her husband for a further 40 years, not dying until July this year. Publishing the sketches in a small book format was clearly a mutual decision and the result is a touching affirmation of love, survival and simplicity. It is a wonderful book to give to any woman diagnosed with breast cancer but it may make a gift of love to any woman who is struggling with adversity in her life. There is such poignant charm in this little book of hope.

Les Tres Riches Heures de Mrs Mole by Ronald Searle (Harper Collins; ISBN: 978 0 00 744910 1) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

People by Blexbolex

Posted by Abbie Jury in Family and tagged with ,

People by Blexbolex

There are just two or three words (one of which is the indefinite article) and one illustration per page in this book by a French illustrator and cartoonist. He trained in screen printing and that is clear in the flat, very matt, deceptively simple pictures. It is the subtle nuances which make this book so rich – a blind man juxtaposed with a distracted man (the latter is about to walk into a post). A hostess is hurrying on a page facing a cat burglar in a very similar pose who is definitely sneaking furtively. A sailor and a siren, a romantic and a prince, a friend and a bully – there is much to look at, talk about and laugh at in this book. It is not for very young children. I would be holding off until the five to eight age range but in the end, I suspect it is another of those books which will be appreciated more by older siblings and adults. It is, perhaps, a book for children to grow into but it is also a book for families which are visually literate and inclined to conversation.

People by Blexbolex (Gecko Press; ISBN: 978 1 877467 78 3) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

Stories of the Wild West Gang by Joy Cowley

Posted by Abbie Jury in Family, Middle childhood and tagged with ,

Stories of the Wild West GangThe narrator, Michael, is the only child of prim and proper parents. He loves to escape the confines of a well ordered home and spend time with the unpredictable and wayward West family – his aunt, uncle and cousins. This new edition is a collation of ten individual stories, though they flow on from each other and there is development of the characters as the stories progress. Joy Cowley is one of our foremost children’s writers and these are rollicking, fun tales of family life and kids’ antics in a real world setting. There is plenty of laughter, irreverence and hilarity.

The stories were originally written as short chapter tales, perfect for the newly independent reader aged about 7 upwards as well as for the reluctant reader of maybe 10 or 11 or, indeed, for family reading aloud. The problem with this collated edition is that it is a thick book to handle so it may well appear too intimidating for a reluctant reader. Added to that, while the illustrations are by Trevor Pye who has a wonderful track record, the decision to go with a very retro, black and white style makes it look old fashioned. So I do not think this new edition is well suited to the reluctant reader in presentation, even though the content is appropriate. It is perfect family holiday reading, however, and children as young as 4 will enjoy sharing in the listening.

Stories of the Wild West Gang by Joy Cowley (Gecko Press; ISBN: 978 1 877467 85 1) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

Happy Feet’s Incredible Journey

Posted by Abbie Jury in Family, Picture books and tagged with ,

Happy FeetWe loved Happy Feet, the wandering emperor penguin, though it would have been better had we been given closure, as they say. In other words, it would have been nice to know what happened to him. But in time for the Christmas market, we have a fundraiser for Forest and Bird with this bright and colourful book. It is a mix of story (told in the first person by Happy Feet) and side bar boxes with factual information, and a combination of bright illustrations and photographs. It is not great literature or great art and is unlikely to stick around bookcases for years to come, but it is topical and accurate and a story for the here and now. Children under the age of eight will enjoy it because it is about an event that they will remember from this very year.

Happy Feet’s Incredible Journey (Penguin: ISBN: 9780143306924) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

Rahui by Chris Szekely, illustrated by Malcom Ross

Posted by Abbie Jury in Family, Middle childhood, Other children's books, Picture books and tagged with ,

RahuiUsing 17 pre-existing paintings from the late Malcolm Ross, the author has written a simple, almost stark tale of summers at the beach. When cousin Thomas drowns, a rahui is placed. It is a beautiful and unusual book with extraordinary illustrations which are not within the usual range expected in children’s picture books. It is also a book with a very strong sense of place and people – unmistakeably anchored in Maoridom. Will it be popular with children? I think the answer is yes in families who treat this book as a taonga, a precious gift to be shared. If you just hand it to a child, I suspect only a few will appreciate it. It is a book which deserves more reverence and dignity, as befits the subject matter and the intensity of the illustrations. It is not a book for everyone, but it is a book that will be treasured by some and it has the capacity to enrich experience and understanding through the reading experience. It is best suited to sharing with children aged 4 upwards and comes in both Maori and English language versions.

Rahui by Chris Szekely, illustrated by Malcom Ross (Huia; ISBN: 978 1 86969 470 8) reviewed by Abbie Jury.