In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

  • Postcards
  • Barbara Lehman

This book has a fascinating concept. It tells the tale of Hamish and Hermione, two holes who live in a chunk of Swiss Gruyère cheese in the kitchen of a royal palace. Unfortunately, a family of mice come along and eat the cheese—leaving the two holes homeless and vulnerable. In their search for a new home, they end up in the king's socks, in the queen's knickers, in her bicycle wheels, at the bottom of the king's boat, in a balloon which bursts, in a coat pocket, and in a custard jug. All these unwelcome holes cause the royals much inconvenience. Then, at the point of giving up, Hamish and Hermione meet the royal carpenter, who finds them a new home where they can feel useful and wanted.
This improbable story delights, as it personifies nothingness and allows readers to fantasize about everyday situations. It also encourages experimentation with holes in the colorfully illustrated "holey" front cover. Bright's fairytale-like story is complemented by Ingman's fantasy-like illustrations, rendering remarkable even the most ordinary things. This is a book (and a pun) for adults and children to share and laugh aloud together.

Penni Cotton

The Hole Story

Paul Bright
Illus. Bruce Ingman
London, UK: Andersen Press, 2016.
Unpaged.
ISBN: 9781783441938
(Picturebook; ages 3–7)

[End Page 19]

Mr. and Mrs. Hartlief have everything they desire except a baby. When Mr. Hartlief (reminiscent of Daly himself) discovers that the baby shop does not, in fact, sell babies, he arrives home with a piglet for his wife. They immediately fall in love with OtjiePotjie and raise him like a boy. Great is their disappointment when Otjie-Potjie is turned away on his first school day as Miss Frons (frown) only accepts boys and girls. Otjie-Potjie now, except for weekends, returns to a piggy life of mud and straw.
While the narrative, supported by Daly's delightful digital illustrations, shows that families are what you make them, the Hartliefs keep dreaming about Otjie-Potjie being human. The story culminates with visions of OtjiePotjie's transformation into a real boy—but then Mr. Hartlief wishes on a star that they would all wake up the same the next morning. Surprise! Surprise!
From flyleaf to flyleaf, from delightfully anthropomorphic depictions of Otjie-potjie to a scene of three exuberant pigs playing animatedly in the mud, this book is another example of the joie de vivre found in Niki Daly's work.

Magdel Vorster

Verrassing! Verrassing!/Surprise! Surprise!

Niki Daly
Afrikaans trans. Kobus Geldenhuys
Cape Town, South Africa:
Tafelberg Publishers, 2017. 32 pp.
ISBN: 9780624081258
(Afrikaans edition)
ISBN: 1910959995
(English edition, published by Otter-Barry Books, Hereford, UK)
(Picturebook; ages 3–6)

[End Page 33]

After the popular Faten comes Cappuccino as the second young adult novel by this distinguished Lebanese writer, who has written and translated more than 120 books.
The novel centers around two teenagers, Lina and Anas, who meet at a yoga class and develop friendship and mutual attraction. The book's beautiful style reflects the life of middle-class youth in Beirut.
This Arabic-language novel, co-narrated by the two protagonists, tackles two main social problems usually hidden and rarely mentioned, even among friends. One concerns domestic violence, a taboo subject rarely addressed, of which Anas's mother is a long-time victim. The other issue, which troubles Lina's family, is Family and Inheritance Laws that undermine women's rights. The novel also deals with the identity struggles of children raised in Western countries, criticizing consumerism and the obsession of many girls with their looks—who go as far as undergoing surgery for their appearance. The book is gripping; it shrewdly reflects the dynamics of society and the struggle for change. Anas's problem is successfully solved, and Lena's is waiting for further social transformation.

Jehan Helou

Cappuccino

Fatima Sharafeddine
Cover illus. Somar Kowkabi
Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al Saqi, 2017.
207 pp.
ISBN: 9786144259771
(Fiction; ages 14–18)

[End Page 37]

Recent Cambridge School of Art graduate Shuti Liao won the Macmillan Prize for connecting text and illustration in this fun picturebook. Naively expressionistic full-page illustrations echo...

pdf

Share