August 2009, MacMillan Children's Books
32 pages, Hardcover
Review copy
Nayuleska's thoughts
I can't quite remember if I requested this book, or if it was one of the one's thrown in free by the lovely publicist. Either way it's not moving from my bookshelf.
Lucy, the sweet young girl pictured on the front cover goes to market and finds strange and wonderful items. I think the picture of her on the first page, standing on a pile of cushions on a chair holding a rod type item with jars dangling off it gives a suggestion about her inquisitive nature. And the snail on top of the rod - well, he appears on every single page of the book. I liked having to find him (not that it says to, it is just something I did automatically).
This isn't a standard abc book. I was pleasantly surprised to find kimonos, quilts, and a tea house as being several of the items used for the alphabet. There is an extraodinary amount of detail in the book. Some of the pages have borders around them, like the one on the front cover. These are filled with similar items related to the theme of the particular page.
The ending took me by surprise. I can't honestly say how I expected it to end, but it wasn't like that! The conclusion makes total sense, and it was a delight to the eye to see the predominant pictures from earlier on in the book in the end pages. Including the snail.
Although this book may appeal more to girls, equally it is a well illustrated book for girls. Personally I think adults will appreciate the book more than children, with the skill which went into creating each page, and each story concept. Travel the world with Lucy!
Liked this? Try The Trouble With Dragons by Debi Gliori (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)
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