Little Hedgehog is not scared. Nope, not at all. They are not scared when they wake up to find Big Hedgehog gone. They are not scared when they must search down in the dark, creepy basement. They are not even scared when they hear mysterious voices singing in the woods around them. Basically, Little Hedgehog is not scared, not even a little bit, not at all …
The Swing, by accomplished illustrator Britta Teckentrup, is a beautifully produced volume that chronicles sweetly and lyrically the passing of time in everyday lives. We don’t know when it was put there, but this swing has been a landmark for ages. Its location, on a hill overlooking the ever-changing sea, is what makes the swing so much a part of the community.
Teckentrup’s work needs no introduction to people who read picturebooks. She is author of The Egg; Under the Same Sky; Neon Leon, and many more. What they all have in common is beautiful artwork and this is no exception. I don’t use the word ‘stunning’ lightly, but it is deserved here. If you know a child who loves facts, or birds, who is curious about the world, then begin with this book.
One can judge a picturebook by its cover! When opening my package, unwrapping the brown box and the bubble wrap to reveal the joy of a stunning picturebook, it was like receiving a gift in the post. Little Mouse and the Red Wall is a story about facing our fears, discovering freedom, and travelling into the unknown. Like the story itself, when you remove the red wall dust jacket, behind it is a cover exposing a whole other world, a world of colour and curiosities.
This is a book about the big questions everyone asks at some stage in their lives: What will become of me? Is it possible to think of nothing? Why can’t I fly? Is it possible to feel too happy? Britta Teckentrup doesn’t answer the questions, but leafing through this attractive picturebook should encourage many interesting conversations.
In a world where kindness is in short supply and where differences readily deepen into divisions, this book conveys a vital message about the damage wrong attitudes can cause and the restoration that compassion brings.
Teckentrup’s books often deliver a humanitarian or ecological message. Here, the rhyming text delivers a strong message to children that each of us is unique and wonderful but, as we make friends, we form strong collaborations that help us become more than the sum of our individual parts. This is an important message in a world in which, increasingly, we are warned about the proliferation of social media platforms where we risk replacing real friendship with virtual or cyber friends.
A picturebook from Britta Teckentrup is something to be looked forward to and treasured and Oskar loves… is no exception.
