EMILY BEARN
on books for all ages
The pandemic has been a difficult subject for picture books to tackle. But One Hundred Steps, in which the late Captain Sir Tom Moore recalls his extraordinary journey around his Bedfordshire garden (Puffin, 32pp, £12.99), is a title from which every child should glean some valuable lessons. ‘When a dangerous disease swept around the world, Tom knew that he had to do something,’ Captain Tom writes simply – reminding us that ‘one step has the power to inspire one hundred more!’ And in a book likely to strike a chord with every grandparent, The Forgettery by Rachel Ip (Egmont, 32pp, £6.99) tells the story of how Amelia and her forgetful granny learn about the transformative power of memories. (‘Amelia’s Granny was forgetful. Sometimes she forgot little things. Like where she’d put the marmalade … Sometimes she forgot important things.’)
In contrast No! Said Rabbit by Marjoke Henrichs (Scallywag Press, 32pp, £12.99) is the anarchic tale of a rabbit who does not like being told what to do. ‘No, no, no, no, no!’ cries Rabbit, until finally his mother makes him an offer he can’t refuse. And Jon Agee’s beloved The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau (Scallywag, 40pp, £12.99) is back in print, telling the story of an artist who stuns the art world when his portrait of a duck starts quacking. ‘They called him a genius. It was the first time in history a painting had quacked.’ But Clousseau finds that artistic fame can quickly turn sour. The subjects of poverty and social injustice have become increasingly prevalent in picture books, and The Invisible by Tom Percival (Simon & Schuster, 32pp, £6.99) is a winning example. Telling the story of a child whose family loses its home, Percival’s gentle narrative and lyrical illustrations enable him to broach challenging themes. ‘It was very beautiful, and Isabel always noticed beautiful things. But there was no escaping the fact that it was also cold. Very cold.’
The pandemic has also seen an increased focus on mental health, with a flood of titles such as Happy Confident Me and Letting Go! jostling for shelf space. For those preferring a narrative approach, The Elephant – a first novel by the picture book author Peter Carnavas (Pushkin, 176pp, £6.99) – explores themes of grief and depression through the touching story of a grey elephant which brings sadness in its wake. (‘When Olive walked into the kitchen, she found an elephant sitting beside her father … They both wore the same weary expression.’) For fantasy lovers, Harklights (Usborne, 304pp, £7.99) is an enchanting debut novel by Tim Tilley, which follows the plight of an orphaned boy living in a match factory, whose adventures begin when a bird drops a magical acorn at his feet. And Can You Whistle Johanna by the late Swedish author Ulf Stark (Gecko, 92pp, £7.99) is the much loved story of a boy called Berra, who wonders why he does not have a grandfather – and sets out to find one. With stunning illustrations by Anna Hoglund, this 20thanniversary edition underlines the book’s enduring appeal. And finally it would not be spring without a slew of titles about saving the planet. Where better to start than with When We Went Wild (Ivy Kids, 32pp, £7.99) by Isabella Tree, author of the bestselling Wilding. Here she tells the story of two farmers who slowly persuade their sceptical neighbours as to the virtues of letting nature run amok: ‘ “What were we thinking of?” they said. “Let’s all go wild!”’