Picture books

Press, 1 June 1989, Page 12

Picture books

Niki Daly has caught exactly the frustration of a younger sibling in “Look at Me!” (Walker, $5.99). Josh's efforts to join in the fun when his sister's friend comes to play are delightfully and realistically portrayed, with a happy ending that strikes just the right note. Also in Daly’s “Storytime” series is “Monsters are Like That" and “Just Like Archie.”

Mairi Hedderwick has dedicated “Katie Morag and the Two Grandmothers” (Collins Picture Lions, $7.50). “To all grandmothers — big or wee.” Although the Scottish setting may be foreign to New Zealand children. Katie Morag’s predicament in having two such different grandmothers will strike a chord with many youngsters.

Hedderwick’s illustrations are full of atmosphere and humorous detail. I particularly enjoyed her depiction of the agricultural fair, in which the city grandma unwittingly helps the country grandma to steal the show.

The English city setting of “Ellie’s Doorstep” (Century Hutchinson, $19.95) may also be difficult for New Zealand children to identify with, but the imaginative games Ellie plays have international appeal. Alison Catley’s illustrations are enchanting, and her rhyming text adds its own touch of magic. Lovers of Judith Kerr’s delightfully dotty cat, Mog, will be pleased to see the newest reprinting of “Mog’s Christmas” (Collins Picture Lions, $7.50). “One day Mog woke up and nothing was right in her house ...” Cat-owning households will find

plenty of shared chuckles and predicaments here.

Helen Oxenbury’s zany illustrations are reason enough for reprinting Ivor Cutler’s “Meal One" (Collins Picture Lions, $7.50), originally published in 1971.

The story is theoretically about the havoc wreaked by a magic plum tree, but the underlying message is a wonderfully spirited affirmation of a great relationship between mother and son. McNaughton and Attenborough’s “Walk, Rabbit, Walk” is a sturdy, glossily produced paperback in the Pocket Puffin imprint ($6.99). The series fills the awkward gap between the big-format picture book, which is hard for young readers to carry around, and the fully-fledged paperback where the illustrations are often black and white, and less frequent. There are lively colour illustrations on each page. The simple story follows the time-honoured “more haste, less speed” theme with modern overtones. Rabbit walks to Eagle’s house for tea. On the way, his friends stop their glamorous conveyances to offer him a lift, but he refuses — and arrives before any of them. Aliki’s “Welcome, Little Baby” (Pan Piper, $9.95) is a celebration of the mother-baby relationship, with delicate romantic pictures and a simple loving text, which first-time parents may enjoy sharing with their newborn. Since siblings do not figure, at all. it would not be particularly useful for parents looking for something to help older children come to terms with a new arrival.