Top 5 for Friday - Picture books with a message

When I attended a children's and teens librarians hui earlier this year, we had the pleasure (and hilarity) of a presentation by Kiwi author Kyle Mewburn. He gave a fantastic talk (and display) based on a book review he had read in an Australian newspaper which contained the words "spinach ice cream". The idea was that while we all (or at least most of us) enjoy ice-cream, if you combine it with spinach you get somewhat less palatable (and in his case extraordinarily messy when his blender blew up). If you apply this analogy to the number of picture books for children that aim to teach or provide a message, you sometimes find that the same thing happens. Both the message and the enjoyment of the reading experience are lost.

I thought of this when I looked my picture book shelves this week and read through some of the new books that have come in. Here are five new books which all fall into the above category and my purely subjective of if they work or not.

1. Stand Tall like a mountain (Dr Shara Ray, illustrator Pamela Drysdale). "The book is presented by a feisty little storyteller 'Mouse', who presents a toolbox of practical strategies to teach our children how to stand tall through 'tricky, thick and thin'. The book offers a lively message of hope, helping to foster each child's personal sense of pride and self accomplishment." Okay I get the concept here and I am the first one who will pick up a warm fuzzies type book to find a pithy quote for self esteem. But as the mouse doesn't actually look all that feisty to me, I lost interest in this as a children's picture book quite quickly. Like many of it's ilk, it will have it's place in a dedicated lesson on values and self-esteem, but it doesn't work as a general picture book for me. Another new picture book that is very similar is God Is (Mark Macleod, illustrator Kirrily Schell) which examines the question "Where is God".


2. Todd's TV (James Proimos). "When Todd's parents are too busy to take care of him, his television steps in to handle the parenting." The School Library Journal provided a glowing review of this book "With broad strokes and witty slapdashery, Proimos's light cartoon art and plotline carry some weighty themes ... the author jumps into a hilariously exaggerated focal plot that manages to ease the tension and intensify the message ... funny-scary cautionary tale. It's a hoot.-Susan Weitz" although the Booklist review notes "This cautionary picture book, though entertaining and meaningful on a child's level, might be more directed at parents." This picture book almost works. I think a child would it up and enjoy the humour although they may find the ending unsatisfactory.


3. Stolen Girl (Trina Saffioti, illustrator Norma MacDonald). "Stolen Girl is a fictionalised account of the now universally known story of the Stolen Generation and tells of an Aboriginal girl taken from her family and sent to a childrens home. Each night she sings, and dreams of her mother and the life they once shared of sitting on the verandah of their corrugated-iron home, cooking damper and hunting goanna. But each morning she is woken by the bell to the harsh reality of the childrens home, until finally one day she puts into action her carefully crafted plan unlocking the door and taking her first step back toward home." Because this is aimed at a slightly older audience, it works better for me. This title belongs to the group of books which tell stories of part of the world's history, events that we hope will never happen again, which can be slightly easier to create than the "message" book. I enjoyed this. The illustrations and text work well together. Not everything is spelled out leaving something to the reader's imagination. This makes it more sophisticated and excellent for classroom discussions. A similar book is Azad's Camel (Erika Pal) about an orphan boy who is forced to be a part of the dangerous sport of camel riding.


4. Please is a Good word to say (Barbara Joosse, illustrator Jennifer Plecas). Harriet gives examples of polite words and expressions to use in various social situations to make them more pleasant. I can understand why there are no copies of this on the bookshelves of Auckland Libraries. So at least on one level (the parents are keen to pick it up) it works. However as a picture book that kids want to pick up to read, I doubt it. However, there is humour in it, the illustrations are cute (aimed at girls) and the dialogue is quite realistic.


5. Of Thee I Sing: A letter to my daughters (Barack Obama, illustrator Loren Long). "In this tender, beautiful letter to his daughters, President Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to thirteen groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation. From the artistry of Georgia O'Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson, to the patriotism of George Washington, President Obama sees the traits of these heroes within his own children, and within all of America's children" Famous people thinking they can write picture books is the subject for a whole other discussion, so I was more than a little reluctant to pick up this book. It's true that there is an American flavour, especially in the conclusion. It's also true that it is a motivational speech in book form, perhaps even with a political motive. But it is also a fantastic story to read to your children to tell them how much you love them, introduce heroes and let them know they can dream big. Supported by evocative illustrations, for me this was a picture book that worked for both adults and children.

All of which leaves me to ponder. Are picture books written for children or for adults? Have a great weekend everyone.