Harold &
Grace by written and
illustrated by Sean E Avery (Fremantle Press)
HB RRP $24.99
ISBN 9-781-925-162-295
Reviewed by Neridah McMullin
Harold
& Grace is a beautifully illustrated story about the power of friendship.
After a
terrible storm, one slimy egg and one silky egg survive on a ‘lonely leaf
growing on a tiny tree beside a little pond’. When the
eggs hatch, Harold the tadpole and Grace the caterpillar quickly become
unlikely best friends.
But when
Harold starts to grow fins and spends more time swimming, Grace can’t join in
the fun. Then one day, Harold remembers to visit his old friend at the lonely
leaf, but finds that she’s gone, and only a small, silky sack remains.
Wherever
could Grace be? Harold feels the full impact of his neglect of Grace and how
they had grown apart.
However,
Sean E Avery, cleverly brings them back together in a most humorous and
thoroughly satisfying way.
I can’t help but think how much fun this picture would
be in the classroom for both Pre-School and Primary students, perhaps up to
Year 4 students.
It’s ideal for schools to explore both the
Sustainability cross-curricular priority and Biological Science units. Project
skills can be honed by the children researching the different species of
butterflies and frogs that are native to Australia, as well as gaining an
understanding of the life cycles of a butterflies and frogs. Harold and Grace could easily form
the basis for an integrated learning unit on the theme of ‘ecology’ that could
last an entire term.
The artwork is a humorous fusion of drawing and
digital, the mainstay of colour palette being limited black and white tones
with splashes of colour throughout.
Sean E Avery is a very talented sculptor and artist
and there is no doubt his work is unique.
This is a highly recommended read for pre-school and
middle primary school readers.
Neridah
McMullin is the author of six books for children. Her next book is about a
horse in a bushfire to be published by Allen & Unwin in 2016. Neridah loves
family, footy and doing yoga with her cat Carlos (who also happens to love
footy). www.neridahmcmullin.com. www.neridahmcmullin.wordpress.com
