The Legend of Kevin
Although the research is lacking, perhaps nothing can cheer up a reader like a roly-poly flying pony. Cute as a button and wonderfully huggable, Kevin is yet another fantastic creation by that amazing storytelling duo, writer Philip Reeve and artist Sarah McIntyre.
Kevin lives in a nest in a tree in the ‘wild, wet hills of the Outermost West’. Within eleven pages he’s blown far from his home by a magical storm. With a ‘poof ’ he hits an apartment building in the small city of Bumbleford. Inside the building there’s a boy called Max who has always wanted a pet. Max tends to Kevin’s damaged wing and feeds him custard creams. They snuggle asleep only to wake and discover that a magical flood has arrived with the storm. The rising water brings mermaids, tentacled monsters and those dastardly sea monkeys last seen in the equally enjoyable Oliver and the Seawigs. Kevin and Max are soon needed to save the townsfolk. There’s joys aplenty here and an overflow of imagination in beautiful two-colour illustrations skilfully integrated into a lively story. As with these authors’ previous collaborations, this is a feat of fun and kindness with quirky details in both text and image. Even in the absence of conclusive research, it’s safe to say that The Legend of Kevin will elicit laughter and joy in any child or adult who reads it. Highly recommended.
