The Mosaic

The Mosaic by Deborah Kelly, illustrated by Nicky Johnston (EK Books) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN: 9781922539731

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

Frankie’s life changes the day that her mother’s vase is smashed. Her father leaves, and her grandmother arrives to look after her. The vase once held many happy memories, but it’s now a big mess – much like her family. Nan takes Frankie to an art gallery, and Frankie discovers a huge mosaic on the wall. It is made from broken ‘pots and bowls and plates and cups’, yet the overall picture is breathtaking. Frankie decides that maybe the fragments of her existence can fit together in a new way, one that is ‘every bit as beautiful as a mosaic’.

Deborah Kelly’s moving metaphor comparing a shattered family to a mosaic will bring comfort to children aged four to eight who are coming to terms with parental separation. Frankie’s joyful visit to the art gallery reveals an uplifting truth: when everything has fallen to pieces, the only thing to do is to make the best of the situation. Art therapy has never been more heartening.

In keeping with the gentleness of the story, Nicky Johnston’s pastel-coloured images are calming to the eye. Stronger hues are reserved for the enlightening mosaic, as warm reds, jolly pinks, peaceful blues and fresh greens combine to create a rainbow of floral hope. Youngsters will adore the characters’ charming faces, which are flush with evocative emotion.

The Mosaic reassures readers that every family is perfect in its own way – even if the people have been rearranged into a new reality. Sometimes, when a fractured life imitates art, something precious is created with the pieces. 

Coco and the Spiderling

Coco and the Spiderling written by Laura Bunting, Illustrated by Nicky Johnston (Scholastic) BH RRP $19.99 ISBN 9781761201530

Reviewed by Sarah Tegerdine

Coco and the Spiderling is book four of a charming picture book series about a curious fun-loving little kitten called Coco.

In this chapter, Coco just can’t get to sleep, so she slinks off her bed to spy on her parents in the front room. She discovers a secret about a surprise family holiday that sets her imagination off into a whirlwind of possibilities, mostly of big cities.

She tucks herself back into bed and dreams of all the exciting places they may get to visit, the art galleries, fancy restaurants, and HUGE playgrounds.

Her new best friend Max loves camping holidays and suggests to Coco that she would like to join him and his family one day. However, Coco cannot get past how cold and uncomfortable that would be and continues to daydream about her purrfect upcoming city adventure.

One morning she wakes in the arms of Daddy Cat,

and she realises this must be the day of the secret holiday. She falls back to sleep, but on waking she is confronted with not being in a city at all. Upset, Coco goes off exploring and through her wanderings she comes to see how very magical and pawsome her surprise holiday can be.

For children aged between 4 to 8 years, Coco’s adventures can be read in any order and would suit readers who have a love for animals, animal stories and characters.

Jorn’s Magnificent Imagination

Jorn’s Magnificent Imagination by Coral Vass, illustrated by Nicky Johnston (EK Books) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN 9781922539144

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

As a young boy, Jorn loved to build and create new things. He was constantly inspired by his surroundings and was always collecting ideas. Not everyone liked his creative efforts, but encouraging words always came from his parents, and he persisted. As Jorn got older he pursued his architectural dreams and expanded upon his imaginative and daring building ideas. One day he entered a design competition for what would later become an iconic Australian landmark, and one of the most famous buildings in the world.

Jorn’s Magnificent Imagination is an informative picture book that tells the intriguing true story of the creative mind behind the visually stunning Sydney Opera House. The cartoon-like illustrations support the text beautifully and the final endpapers include a timeline of the professional highlights in Jorn Utzon’s architectural career. Jorn’s Magnificent Imagination is suitable for children aged 4–8 years old and is recommended for any primary school library.

This is My Dad

This is My Dad by Dimity Powell, illustrated by Nicky Johnston (EK Books) PB RRP $24.99 ISBN 9781922539076

Reviewed by Kathleen Grace

Sub-titled ‘The perfect dad isn’t always a father,’ This is My Dad is a picture book inspired by teacher-librarians who noticed the lack of stories reflecting children who have never known a ‘father figure’. The story explores this family dynamic experienced by millions of children, in a positive and creative way. It tells the story of Leo, whose normal love of show and tell turns to dread when he is asked to talk about his father, who he has never known. ‘How can I celebrate someone I’ve never met?’ he worries.

He imagines his father a world-renowned surgeon, a first class-hydrochute, or even just a frisbee-throwing dad. He asks his next-door neighbour to come to show and tell, but he says he’s too old. His solution – to take along his mother for show and tell – is ingenious and proves that families come in many shapes and sizes. 

The illustrations are soft and cartoon-like and add to the book’s overall feel.

This book would suit children aged 6 years and older.

The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp

The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp by Paul Russell, illustrated by Nicky Johnston (EK Books) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN: 9781925820881

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

Bowen’s brain is like a cerebral bullet train – it races from one idea to another at breakneck speed, occasionally pausing at thoughts that other people never ponder. And the older he gets, the more different he feels from the world. ‘Until one day, when being different was exactly what was needed,’ Bowen discovers that his incredibly busy mind allows him to come up with ‘solutions that no one else had thought of’.

In the gentle hands of Paul Russell, Bowen’s tale is told with great perception and sensitivity. Whenever Bowen is asked a question, his mental floodgate opens wide. As readers are carried from one notion to another by the capricious current, they develop a deep empathy for this neurodiverse character. The story is awash with playfulness and poignancy, while the clever ending is a well of hope for all children who wonder when they will fit in.

Nicky Johnston’s lively illustrations mirror the busyness that is bubbling away in Bowen’s brain. Vignettes burst across some pages, while other spreads feature full-bleed images with plenty of dynamic details for small eyes to explore. Bowen’s messy bedroom is perhaps the most powerful image in the book. It visually reflects the protagonist’s tangled thought patterns, but it also represents the ‘normal’ rooms of many kids – this encourages readers to see Bowen as not so dissimilar to them. 

Ideal for five-to ten-year-olds who are trying to find their place in the world, The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp creates a safe space in which to probe the concepts of diversity and potential. Evocative text and engaging illustrations ensure that readers will return to the story again and again, gleaning new insights each time.

Coco and the Butterfly

Coco and the Butterfly by Laura Bunting, illustrated by Nicky Johnston (Omnibus Books) HB RRP $19.99 ISBN 9781743834923

Reviewed by Nikki M Heath

Coco the cat cannot think of anything worse than moving to the country. Except, perhaps, the creepy-crawlies that seem to be everywhere, now that she’s been forced to leave her big city home. Everything is awful, Coco is miserable, and she just wants to escape - which she does, out into the garden. There, she meets a caterpillar who is struggling with its own change-related crisis, as it contemplates its upcoming transformation into a butterfly.

 In trying to support the caterpillar to face its fears of change head-on, Coco overcomes her own misgivings about her new country home. In the end, both the now-butterfly and Coco discover the joy they can find in their new situations. The theme of embracing change is clear but not didactic, and the charming characters draw readers into the delightful story.

This is a follow-up to Coco: Big City Kitty, and the series is a significant departure for Laura Bunting, so fans of her previous work in Koalas Eat Gum Leaves and Kookaburras Love to Laugh should be aware that this prose narrative is in a separate category. That said, Bunting appears entirely at home with this different style, supported by the gorgeous pastel-toned illustrations by Nicky Johnston. The two combines to create a story with a distinctly feminine feel but a universal message of openness and courage.

A must-have for lovers of Ruby Red Shoes, this story is gentle yet spirited, uplifting and full of heart. This book is perfect for children aged 4 and up who are struggling with change in their lives, or who simply love cats, butterflies and pretty things.

Saying Goodbye to Barkley

Saying Goodbye to Barkley by Devon Sillett, Illustrated by Nicky Johnston (EK Books) PB

RRP: $24.99 ISBN: 9781925335965

by Anne Helen Donnelly

Olivia is not just a little girl: she is a super hero – Super Olivia! She does good deeds, sniffs out clues and catches bad guys. But she cannot do it alone. Her ever-present, faithful dog, Barkley, is her amazing sidekick. They are inseparable, and together they make the perfect pair.

But one day, Barkley was no longer by her side. Olivia tried to continue fighting crime, but it wasn’t the same. With Barkley gone, Olivia didn’t feel so Super. She was too sad to eat, didn’t want to ‘get on with things’ and didn’t want to wake up from her dreams where Barkley was still there. Olivia thought of Barkley often and realised that he wouldn’t want her to stop doing good deeds and fighting crime. She had an idea.

After a visit to the animal shelter, Oliva chose a dog. A big white fluffy one and named him Spud. Olivia tried to teach Spud how to follow clues and catch the bad guys, but her new dog was rotten at fighting crime. Spud was no Barkley, and Olivia still missed Barkley. But she grew to love Spud for what he was, a loveable lump.

This is a tale that anyone who’s lost a family pet can relate to, with themes of dealing with grief and loss, and moving on. It has lovely illustrations by Nicky Johnston who has previously illustrated for EK. Recommended for boys and girls ages 4 – 8 years old.

At the End of Holyrood Lane

At the End of Holyrood Lane by Dimity Powell and Nicky Johnston (EK Books) PB RRP $24.99 ISBN: 9781925335767

Reviewed by Anne Helen Donnelly

Flick is like any other little child. She likes dancing with butterflies, tumbling through leaves and basking in the sunshine. But, she never knows when it will storm at her house. These storms smother the sunshine and ransack the fun. And when these storms are very loud, they make her ears hurt and her head throb. They make her feel smaller than she really is.

So, Flick has learnt to hide away from the storms. She has found really great places to hide and she can hide for a long time. But one day a monstrous storm strikes. It is darker and louder than ever before. She tries to ignore it, but it leaves her sodden and shaken and brings her to finally act. She seeks help. And it works. The storm leaves and the sun comes out, and it never storms again.

This is a sensitive book with a message of hope, bringing to the fore a child’s perspective of domestic violence and how it makes the child feel. This book should strike a chord with any child who has experienced any domestic violence and will afford a glimpse of such a situation of anyone who hasn’t. The uplifting ending will give hope to readers that help is at hand and send the message that regardless of how young you are, you can change things.

At the End of Holyrood Lane is a children’s picture book for children ages 6 and up. It is beautifully illustrated with gentle pictures that convey the varied emotions of this story. It has been endorsed by organisations including Act for Kids, Paradise Kids and Think Equal.

At the End of Holyrood Lane

At the End of Holyrood Lane by Dimity Fletcher & Nicky Johnston (EK Books) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN9781925335767

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This picture book tells of Flick, a small girl who loves to chase butterflies and jump in heaps of leaves, but who is terrified of storms. The first storm which arrives is shown in an illustration of Flick indoors looking to outside where ‘angry clouds muscle in and wild winds bully the curtains.’ Doubtless any child reader with a fear of storms would take the visual and written text as depicted on surface value.

However, the information sheet which accompanies the review copy says, ‘(the book) provides a sensitive glimpse into one aspect of domestic violence and how it can affect young lives’. Yes, Flick is shown hiding indoors day and night ‘in places where the thunder cannot reach her’. But until there’s an illustration – just one – which shows the silhouetted profile of a person in a storm cloud, there’s no real indication that the storm Flick is reacting to, could possibly be caused by an adult.

Flick flees outdoors where a black storm ‘seethes and snarls… drenching her in its fury’. There she does something she’s never done before – she seeks help. Once again, outdoors in an angry storm, she is embraced by a woman with an umbrella. Her confession works, the story tells, and ‘the sun comes out’.

This book is visually arresting and the words well written. And it’s one of the most difficult things in a book for young children to depict domestic violence. But one must question whether a child would see the duality of meaning in this picture book given its text. And, too, finding a solution to domestic violence is never easy for anyone – adult or child. Just telling an adult is not as easy as it seems. And too, in this book the simple act of telling immediately solves the problem.

Doubtless the book creators and the publisher mean well. They have tried valiantly to highlight and remedy a malaise which is too common in our society. Certainly, the book shows a child’s anxiety and fear of a storm. And at the end of the story when the storm has gone, we see the little girl still anxious that the storm might return.

The only way to see if this book can be understood by small readers is the test of time. A caring adult reading it to a child could use At the End of Holyrood Lane to prise out the underlying meaning through probing questions and sensitive disclosure of the book’s message.

The Fix-it Man

The Fix-it Man written by Dimity Powell, illustrated by Nicky Johnston (EK Books) HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-925335-34-7

Reviewed by Elizabeth Vercoe

Grief, love and loss are a natural part of life and The Fix-it Man broaches them all. In the hands of Dimity Powell and Nicky Johnston, the treatment of this often challenging subject is accessible, masterful and most importantly of all, age-appropriate.

A young girl believes her dad to be the king of fixing things. After the death of her mother, both the child and her father discover that broken hearts are not as easily repaired as damaged toys or cracked teapots.

The media release calls this, ‘A hopeful story of life, loss and love,’ and it is definitely that. It is also a celebration of what children do so well – living in the moment. It is important to note that this is a book for everyone, not just those who are moving through the challenges of grief and loss. It’s divine.

What is not spoken out loud through the text is delicately conveyed through detailed pen and wash illustrations. Together the text and images work in tandem to create a colourful, uplifting and profoundly affecting narrative. I particularly love the snippets of rhyme which provide an unexpected change of pace at significant moments.

The ability of this work to travel into sadness and move through to the other side with joy is remarkable. Every element of this picture book has been explored deeply, to create a work of strength and hope.

The story, with its subtle directives for dealing with grief and loss in young children, cuts to the heart of what it means to live and to love. Reading this book actually warmed my heart.This is a simply beautiful picture book for 4-8 year olds.

Substantial teachers’ notes from the author are also available.