Postcard

Jamela is every little girl, loving pretty things, wanting to be a princess, trying to be perfect—but often ending up being naughty by mistake! Much loved by her Mama and her Gogo, she is part of a wider community, where her adventures with a chicken destined for Christmas lunch, the lovely African fabric meant for her Mama's special dress, and the hair styling of the singing star Miss Bambi Chaka Chaka introduce a magical cast of local characters.

Daly never falters in his utter understanding of what it means to be small in a world of adults and to have your own ideas about how things should be. Generations of children have loved these stories, and this new edition is set to take them onward to even more young readers. Absolutely endearing in the gentle story and the insightful illustrations, this collection has a well-deserved place at the heart of every child.

Lesley Beake


It's Jamela!
Niki Daly
Cape Town, South Africa: Tafelberg, 2019, 160 pp.
ISBN: 978-0-624-08742-7
(Picturebook collection; ages 4-6)

Granny McFlitter is a knitter beyond compare. Her family is concerned because they can't wear everything she knits. This dilemma is solved when Granny discovers penguins recovering from an oil spill (a true event) who need little vests to keep warm while their new feathers grow. As with any quality picturebook, the marriage of the rich illustrations and the perfectly metered rhyming text is excellent. Lael Chisholm, who won a prestigious New Zealand illustration award as an eighteen-year-old, is an illustrator to follow. The color and curve of the illustrations are rich and humorous, and the placement of the text and the play with font sizes contribute to the pleasing aesthetics and fun of this story.

Nicola Daly


Granny McFlitter the Champion Knitter
Heather Haylock
Illustrated by Lael Chisholm
Auckland, New Zealand: Penguin Random House, 2018, 32 pp.
ISBN: 978-0-143-77054-1
(Picturebook; ages 4-7)

What does a descendant of Baron Munchausen look like, who happens to be an old Polish circus dog with the name of Igor? In her first picturebook, Paul has convincingly resolved the question. By using hatching to imitate scratchboard, she makes Igor's black fur streaked with white and his eyes sparkle when he fantasizes about his life as an artist. The illustrations celebrate in muted colors the eastern European tradition, while the cast of characters calls to mind that of the "Town Musicians of Bremen." But here animals stand as equals of their human companions. The pictures are permeated with musicality and conviviality, delightfully filled with humorous details. Entertainment is also ensured by a rhythmical alternating between pages of text with minimal illustration and double-spread panoramas with no text at all. This title was nominated for the 2019 German Children's Literature Award.

Jury of the German Children's Literature Award


Polka für Igor (A Polka for Igor)
Iris Anemone Paul
Mannheim, Germany: Kunstanstifter, 2018, 48 pp.
ISBN: 978-3-942795-70-8
(Picturebook; ages 5+)

This picturebook concerns a boy's misunderstanding of an idiom. The main character, Memo, whose mother uses the idiom "My mind is on Memo," thinks that his mother forgot her mind in Memo literally. Memo tries to give her mind back since he thinks that his mother would be lost without her mind. After Memo completes a quest, the story ends happily.

The story develops an understanding of idioms for children while leading them to question metaphorical sentences that adults use. The narration reverses traditional gender roles, with the mother working and the father looking after the child. A pastel color palette creates a calm tone for the story, while large-sized human figures in close-ups signify the emotional status of the characters. Overall, the book provides a starting point for children to learn idioms within a catchy adventure story.

Barış Özcan


Annemin Aklı Bende Kaldı (My Mother's Mind Is on Me)
Özge Bahar Sunar
Illustrated by Mert Tugan
Istanbul, Turkey: Nesin Publications, 2018, 24 pp.
ISBN: 978-605-4883-99-8
(Picturebook; ages 4-6)

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