Who Might You Be? – A Tale in Tangrams

Who Might You Be? – A Tale in Tangrams by Robert Henderson (Allen & Unwin) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN: 9781760526276

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

Hands up if you’ve ever been frustrated by tangram puzzles? Surely, I’m not the only one left sitting with one of the seven pieces that just won’t fit to make the picture, no matter which way I ‘flip, slide or turn’ it?

Clearly, author Robert Henderson will not be raising his hand, given he has illustrated his book Who Might You Be? with tangram pictures.

This is a really clever concept. The narrative itself is not unique – use your imagination and you can be who or whatever you want to be – but the illustrations are (to my knowledge anyway) and that’s what makes this delightful picture book really stand out.

The story starts with a rhetorical question – Who might I be? – and introduces the star of the show (the tangram) immediately. As we progress, we turn each page wondering what shape the seven geometrical pieces will become this time. We’re presented with a tiger, the Milky Way galaxy, a pirate ship and even ‘a party balloon on its very last wheeze’.

The language is playful – ‘I’m shattered. I’m scattered.’ – and often unexpected with turns ‘leftways’ and ‘rightways’, not to mention the author’s surprising realisation that they may be ‘the cakey-est kid on the street’.

Who Might You Be? A Tale in Tangrams is fun, funny and inspires imagination and creativity. Who knows, I might even be encouraged to make a copy of the tangram pattern provided in the back of the book and have a go at some of those designs.

Or maybe not. My track record is not good. But I’d be all for reading the book again and again and just enjoying the quirkiness of text and illustration.

Even though the target audience is set at children aged from 3 to 6, tangrams are for (almost) everyone – and I do see this book being enjoyed by older children (and their adults) too.  

Perfect for young readers from 3 to 7 years of age, Blueberry Farm is another heartwarming offering from this multi-award-winning author and illustrator who also brought us Leaf and Mutt Dog.