Goodbye House, Hello House

By Margaret Wild

Illustrated by Ann James

Allen & Unwin

Crows Nest, Australia

2019

ISBN: 9781743311103

Reviewed by Cath Young

“Goodbye House, Hello House” by Margaret Wild is a story about one girl’s experience moving to a new house.  It is split into two halves. The first half of the story tracks the girl as she says goodbye for the last time to the various parts of her home and known life. In the second half of the story the reader accompanies the girl as she greets her new house and says hello to a whole new world of “firsts”. The text is sparse and emotionally neutral which allows the reader to relate to the story using their own imagination or experiences.   The list of places or activities that the girl says goodbye and hello to is quite expansive. It is a welcome reminder to adults of how experiences such as swinging on a gate or jumping over cracks can be particularly salient to a child.  

The illustrations by Ann James, support the text with dreamily rendered landscapes and pictures of indistinct rooms in the houses, as viewed through open doors and windows.   The main character is given a name through the illustrations, inviting the reader to pay attention to the details.  The character of “Emma” is rendered with a simple black line drawing, highlighted against the subtle background colours. Similar to the text, this allows the reader to provide some of the details themselves, perhaps allowing them to see themselves in the character. Many of the illustrations show the back of Emma, looking out doors or windows, therefore her facial expressions are not visible, again allowing interpretation from the reader. The backgrounds in the first half of the book feature scenes from the country and the second half indicates that Emma has moved to the city, making it clear that Emma has to cope with not just moving to a new house, but also a new lifestyle.   The final image of Emma smiling, with an arm raised against a warm sunset city street, leaves the reader in no doubt that the move has ultimately been a positive experience.

SOME STUFF by Elizabeth Ring

Illustrated by Anne Canevari Green

The Millbrook Press Inc 1995

ISBN 1562944665

Age range 3-7

“Some Stuff” by Elizabeth Ring is the story of Lenore, a girl with lots of toys but no one to play with.  She meets a new boy, Jerome, from next door and in her excitement overwhelms him. She thrusts toys at him until he is literally buried beneath them.  The budding new friendship is almost lost but, just in the nick of time, Lenore remembers to ask her new friend for his opinion on what would be fun and suggests that they just go outside and play in the sun.  

This is essentially a short social story about how to share, not only toys, but ideas. It also addresses the need to make space for another person.  The book is a monologue, in Lenore’s voice, and the syncopated rhyming structure makes for a comic and pacy read.

The two characters in the book are Caucasian, primary school aged children, and the setting is a middle-class leafy neighbourhood and suburban house.  The illustrations by Anne Canevari Green are richly detailed coloured pencil drawings, with a cartoon like quality to the figures. There is a focus on facial expressions such as worry, boredom, anger, happiness and sadness.  These could be great talking points for parents and their children as they follow the progress of the friendship in the book.

Inkless Tales is a fun reading/writing/information site for ages two to middle primary school. It has stories, poems, music, games, printables, writing prompts and more. Children can submit their own stories and questions to the creator, Elisabeth Williams Bushey. The site pages contain a lot of information and children may need assistance to navigate each one depending upon their own literacy and computer literacy levels. This youtube video gives a brief introduction. While the stories seemed to be pitched to younger readers, the science, craft and writing activities may be enjoyed by older primary aged children as well.

The Spaghetti Book Club is a resource where children can read book reviews written by other children. Children can search for reviews based on their interests. Schools and teachers can subscribe to allow their students the opportunity to submit reviews. The administration provides scaffolding which assists all children to cover the necessary elements they require for publication. Children are also encouraged to submit a drawing with their review, so the site itself is peppered with colourful children’s drawings. This site has been added to our Fun Resources page.

Some Boys by Nelly Thomas

Illustrated by Sarah Dunk

Publisher: Some Kids’ Books 2018

(in conjunction with Piccolo Nero)

ISBN 9781760640897

Age range 0-7

Reviewed by Cath Young

Some Boys by Nelly Thomas is a brief manifesto which challenges the gender stereotypes for boys and encourages them to express themselves however they want to out in the world. It is fast paced and fun.  Repetition within the text recalls childhood chants, culminating in the very affirming position of “All kids can be whoever they want!”   It tackles the way boys look, what they wear, how they do their hair, what toys they play with and what emotions they express.   It affirms all ways of being by comparing the different way boys may present themselves or behave. As such boys are presented equally positively whether they wear shirts or skirts, play with dolls or diggers, are gentle or rough, or are sad or mad.   The book also briefly embraces the complexity of the human experience by announcing that lots of boys are, “Sad, mad, shy, funny, nice and naughty all at the same time!”

The full-page illustrations are bright, simplified drawings of children at play.  Children from a variety of racial backgrounds are depicted in the illustrations. The illustrations are also positively inclusive of both able-bodied children and children with a disability or illness, for example one scene shows a boy in a wheelchair playing basketball, and another a boy with an oxygen tube baking a cake.  The font forms part of the vehicle for communication about difference. Specific words are highlighted through size and colour and add meaning and energy to the page.

MY DADDY IS DIFFERENT

by Suzi Faed

Illustrations by Lisa Coutts

Publisher: Empowering Resources 2019

ISBN: 9781925592184

Ages 5+

This book follows the story of an unnamed young boy whose Father’s emotional state and availability changes due to an unspecified mental illness. Although it is not a light-hearted story, or topic, the book ends on a positive note. The boy’s emotional journey is the focus of the story. The boy moves from a positive and connected relationship with his Father, (who initially makes “wonderful things” for him and smiles warmly), into a disconnected and confusing one as his Father’s withdrawal into illness begins to affect their lives. The boy eventually moves back to a state connectedness with his Father, after his Father is helped by a stay in hospital.  Finally the boy accepts that although his Father is “different”, he is still a loving and caring parent. A brief meeting in the hospital with another child allows the boy to see that he is not the only child who has a parent with a mental illness.  

The simplicity of the prose allows the focus to be on the inner experiences of the child. This is further highlighted by the change in font on key words and phrases such as “Remember, I still love you. That will never change.” The background colours of each page reflect the boy’s journey, changing from yellow to blue/grey to pink as the story develops.

The illustrations are simple colourful sketches with a soft pastel effect.  The character’s emotions are represented by simple smiles and frowns and provide a good talking point for parents and children as they reflect upon what the boy is feeling.  This book does not shy away from the fact that a child’s life is greatly affected by having a parent with a mental illness, however it outlines this in very general terms. This gives the adult reader plenty of scope to use this book as a platform for discussing the personal experience of any child to whom they may be reading.