The Goody
Everyone knows a Goody like Chirton Krauss – he washes his hands after going to the bathroom, he eats his broccoli, he goes to bed on time and never, ever picks his nose. And as much as Chriton is good, his little sister Myrtle, is not. This tale of the well-behaved sibling and the naughty sibling is one that will resonate with children everywhere.
Child has an uncanny way of capturing the big issues of little lives and does so with compassion and grace. Child’s illustrations are given more dimensions than usual in this book, as she includes both line drawing and scrapbooking to make characters, and the objects they use, pop off the page. It leads to an eye-catching effect that is sure to mesmerise smaller readers, though it’s sometimes a little too busy.
As much a book for the parents as it is for children, The Goody asks the reader to examine the demands placed on children and on their behaviour. Written in an engaging way, with questions and statements at the end of each page to prompt discussion, The Goody is not only a story, but also a manual for dealing with other people’s expectations.
