Picture books
Dionne Christian + Zoe Gadd
OH NO! LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN
by Joy H. Davidson and Jenny Cooper (DHD Publishing, $20) Years ago, one of the family’s favourite picture books was one about a most recalcitrant cat called McGregor who was banished to live on a farm. So when this book arrived, I was delighted to see a picture of a cat that bore a striking resemblance to McGregor. Was this a sequel, many years later, to the story of that mischievous moggie? Alas, no. Cooper, who also illustrated McGregor, has created a new cat — maybe son of McGregor — for a story about an equally badly behaved pet that drags all manner of creatures through the cat flap at night. With repetitive phrases, it’s designed for younger children and the ending’s a little illogical but anyone with a cat will no doubt relate to and laugh along with the story while Cooper’s lively illustrations are a treat.
INKY’S AMAZING ESCAPE
by Sy Montgomery and Amy Schimler-Safford (Simon & Schuster, $20) Be warned — this is not a book to read at bedtime if you want your curious-about-the-world-andhow-it-works child to fall asleep; it’ll prompt questions, maybe an interpretive dance and philosophical discussion about the environmental impact of fishing and keeping animals in captivity. Inky the octopus became an international sensation in 2016 when he — to borrow a newspaper headline — “legged it to freedom” by breaking out of his tank at the National Aquarium of New Zealand in Napier, slithering across the floor, squeezing down a 50m drainpipe into the sea and maybe making for an octopus’ garden. Montgomery explores how and perhaps why Inky broke out; Schimler-Safford provides the simple but colourful mixed media illustrations. The endnotes, octopus facts and suggestions for further reading are thorough and add welcome information.
SHE MADE A MONSTER
by Lynn Fulton and Felicita Sala (Alfred A. Knopf, $32) The phenomenal success of 2017’s Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls has fuelled an explosion in picture books which seek to bring to young reader stories of extraordinary women and their achievements. This award-winning book is one of the latest, published late last year to mark the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s seminal book, which featured one of the most frightening and provocative monsters the world has seen. There’s a little more telling than showing but it remains a fascinating story about how a 20-year-old crafted a book that resonates today. Fulton acknowledges altering Shelley’s story ever so slightly to include mention of her mother, influential feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft. The illustrations are perfect, helping to create a somewhat otherworldly vibe, and the book provides an insight into how writers work. Not as spooky as we might have liked but nonetheless intriguing.
KATE SHEPPARD: LEADING THE WAY FOR WOMEN
by Maria Gill and Marco Ivancic (Scholastic, $28)
And our most famous suffragette has her story re-told for younger readers, starting with her childhood in Liverpool and journey to New Zealand. Kate Sheppard’s story is written as an historical fiction book, making it more accessible for younger readers and helping to make the world she and her fellow suffragettes inhabited more relatable. Imagine not being able to ride a bicycle or wear trousers just because you were female! Gill skilfully weaves in the facts of the matter(s) and, once again, there are informative and thought-provoking endnotes including the “Female (In)equality: Did you know” section, which makes plain how far girls and women still have to go. Ivancic’s illustrations are stunning; rarely has a little girl been drawn quite as determined as his picture of a football-kicking Kate.