November 2013, Book Island, 32 pages, Hardback, Review copy
Summary from Book Island
Maia is an impatient little scamp. When something pops into her head,
she wants it. Now! Right this minute! Her grandma’s just the same and
they get along like a house on fire. One day Grandma falls ill and loses
her control over words. The grown-ups don’t seem to understand her, but
Maia never loses sight of her strong, wonderful grandma and knows
exactly what she means.
Nayuleska's thoughts
Two things drew me to this stoey, the cover
text and the cover illustrations. The title resonated with what I find
important in life. The rest of the story did too - Maia's first word was
something extremely important (and yummy!), Maia's life was filled with fun
until her grandma got sick then a lot changed and there was an unexpected plot
twist that took me by surprise.
It's
not just the story though which makes this book sweet, it's the illustrations.
Detailed is an understatement. The inside covers reminded me when I was little
and had stamps and ink to play with and put anything anywhere. Even though the
scenes change there are key characters who keep coming back including the
squirrel and a bird. The illustrations don't necessarily match exactly what the
story says, but they do match exactly the emotions which Maia is feeling. I
liked how the nurses didn't have any facial features, to me that signifies they
weren't important to Maia and were annoying entities that were to be avoided.
Oddly I didn't find it weird when her grandpa was almost hugging the house - I
felt that he was showing his love for Maia and her grandmother.
The use of dark and light definitely matches
the mood of the story, with the dark being somber and uncertain but not scary
in a bad way. Hours can be spent both over the illustrations and wondering what
happened next to Maia and her family or how the reader would deal with the
events that happen.
Suggested read
Another thought provoking read is My Grandpa by Marta Altes (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)
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