The Lost Kitten

The Lost Kitten by Lee, illustrated by Komako Sakai (Gecko Press) HB RRP $16.99 ISBN 9781877579554

Reviewed by Dawn Meredith

I have to say out of the three books released by Gecko Press this one is my favourite, simply because the illustrations are so stunningly beautiful. Komako Sakai uses a palette knife on board, with layering of simple opaque, pastel colours contrasted with charcoal greys and sparse Matisse-like black outlining, but the most stunning thing of all is the rendering of cats and kittens. This artist has an amazing ability to, with a few strokes, show the angular lines of a cat’s body as well as the softness of fur.

The story follows a little girl named Hina, who finds a skinny, scruffy kitten on the doorstep one day, behind which sits a mother cat and two other kittens. The understanding is that the mother cat is asking them to take care of her baby. At first Hina is unappreciative of the tiny cat saying “if we’re going to have a kitten I’d rather get a cute one from the pet shop.”

Her mother gently shows her how to care for the kitten, cleaning it with a soft wet towel, wiping the goo out from its eyes. Hina softens towards the creature and is drawn into the spell of wonder at its tiny life.

Hina stroked the kitten as gently as if she were touching butterfly wings. The kitten seemed to like it. Hina slipped her hand under its tummy and lifted. It was so soft and light. When she held the kitten, its tummy moved in and out and it purred deep in its throat. “Even though it’s so tiny,” Hina said, “it’s alive.”

As Hina learns to understand the kitten and its instinctive ways such as lapping up milk with its tongue and hiding under cupboards she also learns how to care for it, providing a bed and a collar with a bell and thinking up names for it.

But as her mum leaves the house to go and get food for the kitten Hina realises it has disappeared and she panics. It reminds her of a time when she was lost while shopping with her mother. The fear she felt on that day she now ascribes to how the kitten must feel, for she is sure that it is lost too.  Hina searches for the kitten and promises to be its friend. She persists, realising how much it means to her. As she puts on her coat to go searching outside she finds it at the bottom of the cupboard curled up with a sweater. The cat is thus named Sleepy and so begins the friendship.

The gentleness of the story, translated beautifully from Japanese, is very touching. Somehow the artist manages to convey the harshness of life as a wildcat with the softness of the kitten’s fur and the progressive softening of Hina’s heart. It’s a beautiful book and in hardcover edition is a comforting heirloom. Suitable for ages 2 to 5 years.

My Donkey Benjamin

My Donkey Benjamin by Hans Limmer and Lennart Osbeck (Scribble) HB RRP $24.95 ISBN 9781925321234

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Originally published in the late 1960s and currently in its 42^nd edition, this is a new English tradition of a modernist picture book classic. Illustrated throughout with clear black and white photographs, My Donkey Benjamin is told from the point of view of blonde-haired Susanne whom everyone calls Susi. Benjamin, who Susi calls Ben, is small like her, a baby donkey found by the girl and her father alone among rocks on Rhodes, near the Mediterranean Sea. Angelika, Susi’s baby sister, squeals with delight when toddler Susi and her dad bring home the donkey.

The book’s photos show the interior of Susi’s house with its white-washed walls and pebble floor where Ben seems to be allowed to have free reign. Susie lies across Ben, washes his face from a tub, ties white bandages on his head, and romps through the house. When the two are outdoors, the reader can see the dozens of Mediterranean houses and the sea beyond. At night Susi and Ben fall asleep in a makeshift bed – indoors, of course.

One day, Ben disappears, and of course Susi goes in search of him, and then the two are lost. Of course the book ends happily, both greeted at home by Mum and Dad.

This is a beautiful and engaging picture book sure to be enjoyed by small children being read to by their mum or dad.

The Rabbit and the Shadow

The Rabbit and the Shadow by Melanie Rutten, translated by Sarah Ardizzone (Book Island)

HB RRP $32.95
ISBN 9780994109804
Reviewed by Dianne Bates

From the outset, this picture book tells you it is a story of a rabbit, a stag, a soldier, a cat, a book and a shadow. When the story proceeds, the book is broken into sections with headings, such as the Rabbit and the Stag, the Soldier, the Cat, and so on, each section being like a short story within a larger story.

I found this a difficult book to get my head around so it is definitely not for small children except as a work of (illustrative) art. The story is written in simple sentences that are sometimes quite poignant, such as ‘One day, the Rabbit appeared. There was a slight wind. And a shadow perhaps. Little ones sometimes appear like that. Like the wind. Or sometimes like a storm.’

A Rabbit is befriended by a Stag. A Soldier also befriends Rabbit; these two then meet up with Cat. Next, Book is attacked by Soldier, after which meets Stag. At this point there is a flashback with Rabbit and Stag discussing the nature of their love and the fact that nothing is forever. There is much more, but to be frank, although I loved the simplicity of the writing, I really didn’t fully understand what the story is about. Perhaps, I decided, because Rabbit appears to be the central character, it is about it learning life’s lessons. And perhaps the moral of the story is contained in a sentence on the final page: ‘This is the story of a Stag who doesn’t feel anxious anymore and a Rabbit who has grown up.’

The illustrations – and there are many of them, usually contained within a vignette, although there are full-page illustrations -- appear to be watercolour. They display a distinctive artistic style with ample use of golden yellow and bush green. The cover, showing Stag embracing Rabbit, is quite lovely.

 Trying to make sense of the story, I came to the conclusion that author Rutten uses all of the characters symbolically – the Rabbit as child, the Stag as parent, the Soldier and Shadow as life threats, the Book as one’s search for meaning, the egg as life to come, the Cat... not sure what it represents. It would be interesting to discuss this book and what it’s about with someone else who has read it, too. All I can do is to recommend it to you if you like a book which is out of the box, very different from a mainstream picture book.

The Big Question

The Big Question by Leen van Den & Kaatje Vermiere, translated by David Colmer (Book Island)
HB RRP $28.00
ISBN9780994109842
Reviewed by Dianne Bates

The illustrations in this picture book are fantastical, like being inside a beautiful dream crowded with animals, people and landscape. You want the dream to go on and on! Some of the pages seem to be created from paper collage, others have painted images; there are wax rubbings and inked drawings – so much to look at and take in. The cover shows a harlequin leaning on top of an elephant’s head, surrounded by all manner of creatures from a French poodle to a pink pig on an armchair to a monkey holding a small windmill. The entire story appears to happen on the landscape of the elephant’s hide.

At the start of the story, elephant has something on her mind, a difficult question, a big question. At the annual meeting (chaired by an anxious ant) all of the creatures gather to find the answer. The question really is a biggie: How do you know you love someone? The mouse declares its love for the elephant, Snow White talks about what loves does to a person. And so it goes on, each creature endeavouring to give his or her answer. Meanwhile, there are gorgeous illustrations – two otters kissing, flamingos beak-to-beak, gibbons reaching out lovingly for one another, and so on.

This sumptuous book was made possible with financial support of the Flemish Literature Fund; it was first written in Dutch and translated into English, then published in New Zealand. It’s not really a book for young children; its appeal is more to those with a romantic soul. My only quibble with the portrait-shaped book is that it is over-sized; librarians and others will find it difficult to fit onto shelves. Despite this, it is certainly recommended!