[Review] Roland Humphrey is Wearing a WHAT?; Eileen Kiernan-Johnson

Roland Humphrey is Wearing a WHAT?

Published 2013, Huntley Rahara Press. Suitable for ages 3+

From the cover:

“Roland Humphrey is a little boy for whom sparkly pink things bring a measure of joy. Roland sees girls at his school dress in a rainbow of hues and is confused by the “rules” limiting what boys can choose. He likes sports but also ballet; Roland doesn’t understand why girls can like both but for boys there’s just one way.

Will he bow to peer pressure? Conform to others’ ideas of who he should be? Or will he follow his own heart and be the authentic Roland Humphrey?

I love books that do their part to destroy gender binaries, harmful stereotypes and Roland Humphrey is Wearing a What? is just such a book.

Unlike a number of other books I’ve featured Roland Humphrey is Wearing a WHAT? does not address gender directly. It’s speaks of the unwritten rules that seek to shape our behavior and keep us complicit in our biologically determined gender roles.

Roland’s dilemma is one familiar to many children of liberal parents. He’s always been taught that he can dress how he likes without judgement but this theory is tested when he is outside the safety of the familial home; when Roland wears his ‘girly’ colours and motifs to school, his friends make a helpful list of what is appropriate for him to wear.

Lucy and Ella’s colour rules 4 boys

Roland is upset by these prescriptive demands, but the next day he’s made a decision:

“Hi friends!” in a bright voice Roland declared.
“You need to know that I’m no longer scared.

Not scared about how you’ll view what I’m wearing,
because I’ve decided I need to be daring.

What matters to me is whether you’re kind.
The friends I deserve truly won’t mind

if I choose sparkly nailpolish, skirts or clogs,
they’ll like me for me, not for my togs.

Roland’s decision to be true to himself appears to have given him more than just the confidence to wear pink. For the first time we see him wearing a dress and tiara, a fairy wand and catcher’s mitt peeping out of his backpack.

Digital illustrations from Katrina Revenaugh are bright and colourful, making full use of the so-called feminine palette, stylistically recalling the work of Rex  Ray in 10,000 Dresses. Each page is  full of interest.

The narrative, unfortunately, leaves a little to be desired. Kiernan-Johnson tells Roland’s story in rhyming couplets, but the language is occasionally forced and the rhythm sometimes stumbles. These slips are jarring and make for an uncomfortable reading experience.

There’s something about Roland Humphrey… that I can only describe as a self-published quality. It is well meaning, absolutlely, and it hits the mark about 70% of the time, which is absolutely not bad. But it needs to be hitting the mark 100% of the time. The language is slightly off; the cover text feels like an afterthought. Revenaugh’s art is lovely, but it’s just not matched by the text, which means Roland Humphrey is Wearing a WHAT? scrapes 5/10.

My thanks to Huntley Rahara for providing a copy for review.

Review: Charles Gilman; Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #1, Professor Gargoyle and #2, Slither Sisters

Professor Gargoyle

Published October 2012 and January 2013, Quirk Books. Hardback. List price, £10.99

Appropriate for ages 7-11.

From the cover of Professor Gargoyle:

‘Strange things are happening at Lovecraft Middle School. Rats are leaping frm lockers. Students are disappearing. The school library is a labryinth of secret coridors. and the science teacher is acting very, very, perculiar. Robert Arthur knew that seventh grade was going to be weird, but this is ridiculous!

With the help of some unlikely new friends, Robert discovers theres more to Lovecraft Middle Schol than meets the eye. Can he uncover the secrets of the school before it’s too late?’

It’s really difficult to stick to the old adage of never judging a book by its cover when you get a book with a cover like this.The lenticular covers of each book in the Tales from Lovecraft Middle School series morph as you move them: the dignified looking bearded man becomes a horned beast; the svelte, wan twin sisters become scaled hydras. It’s sure to pull in reluctant readers and it made me want to dive in immediately.

It is, perhaps, a little odd to describe a paranormal story with an antagonist who eats live hamsters as ‘comforting’ and ‘warm’, but that’s exactly what the first two books in Charles Gilman’s middle readers series are. Similar to RL Stein’s Goosebumps but far wittier, far creepier and far more intelligently written, Professor Gargoyle and Slither Sisters follow awkward pre-teen everykid Robert Arthur as he arrives at the newly built state-of-the-art Lovecraft Middle School, a place where the mysterious, gilt and dust world of the supernatural sits beside the digital chalkboard and brightly anonymous fittings of a super-modern school campus.

slither Sisters

The stories are engrossing. What child does not fantasize that their science teacher might secretly be a demon or the cool, popular girls running for class President Medusa- headed monsters? This is the force that drives the series, which, though inspired by HP Lovecraft, has none of his overwrought prose. It’s clear Gilman knows his characters inside out and cares deeply for his audience. Never condescending, always bright and often funny, its difficult to find a downside to Gilman’s storytelling.

Intertexual references to Lovecraft abound. Monsters are borrowed from the Cthulhu Mythos, philosophising that,

The Great Old Ones have the intelligence of ten thousand men combined. We should not question their actions.

Professor Gargoyle, p. 73

Though the books don’t explore too deeply Lovecraftian philosophy the groundwork is laid for future books in the series to delve further. In another nod to Lovecraft the books’ accompanying website plays Camille Saint-Saëns Dance Macabre.

Review: The Further Tales of Peter Rabbit; Emma Thompson

The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit; Emma Thompson, illus. Eleanor Taylor

Published September 2012. F. Warne & Co. List price £12.99

Appropriate for ages 20 months and up

From the cover:

‘Peter Rabbit is in low spirits, what he needs is a change of scene. He squeezes under the gate into Mr McGregor’s garden intending to steal a lettuce – but what happens next is just the excitement that Peter is looking for.

He discovers a picnic basket and before Peter knows it he is in Scotland, and so the further tale of Peter Rabbit begins…’

Beatrix Potter’s series of 24 books, published between 1902 and 1930 are classics, enjoyed in childhood and beyond. Peter Rabbit, who made his first appearance in 1902 with The Tale of Peter Rabbit, is undoubtedly the most popular of Potter’s beloved characters. It is testament to the popularity of the naughty little rabbit and his creator that so many adaptations have been produced: from countless animated versions to a ballet, Beatrix Potter biopics, CD-ROMs & other digital media and myriad merchandise, they have been reproduced and absorbed in to our culture and recognised as a significant point in the history of children’s literature. The books are, unusually for the age, child-sized; the illustrations are designed to be read in conjunction with the text; even Potter’s merchandising of her characters was groundbreaking at the turn of the last century.

[Review, stage] Swallows and Amazons

Swallows and Amazons promotional poster

Reviewed performance: Saturday matinée, 4th Feb. 2012. Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. Swallows and Amazons tours nationally until May 2012.

One of the joys of attending theatre for children as an (admittedly rather short) adult is that one generally has a clear view of the action. So it was that on a chilly, windy day in Dùn Èideann, I found myself warm  and with an uninterrupted view of the stage as National Theatre’s touring production of Swallows and Amazons began.

I had been apprehensive – I just wasn’t sure that Swallows and Amazons would work as a musical – but, the score is perfectly acceptable, if nothing particularly special. Provided by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy (no, really) the songs are not numbers, they’re not (with one exception) set pieces, and as such the show would do perfectly well without them. Only John’s solo adds to the narrative; from it we glean a deeper understanding of the boy’s motives, a move which makes the character infinitely more likeable. Even this song is instantly forgettable, though – you won’t be humming the tunes as you leave the auditorium.

Adapted by Helen Edmundson and directed by Tom Morris, Swallows and Amazons sticks fairly closely to Arthur Ramsome’s 1930 classic (with one glaring omission to which I will attend later). Ransome’s child characters, aged between 7-13, are portrayed ably by actors aged 22-38. Roger, aged seven, sports knee-pads and a five o’clock shadow, but such incongruencies can be overlooked when the talent on stage so completely inhabit their characters. Titty is mischievous and bouncing, Susan is the Angel in the House, John is Captain Sensible. But Roger, oh Roger. Roger is an utter joy to behold. He is seven, short-trousered and sharp. So utterly consumed by his seven-ness that it seems not at all odd to see a grown man throw himself face down on the floor in childish despair. There’s no high dramatics, though. Despite the pantomimic elements the show takes on part way through the second act, there’s no cartoonishness, no overwrought theatrics. Instead, we are treated to myriad subtleties, performances that have been, one feels, heavily workshopped but that shine.

[Review, DVD] Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood (2011)

Fairy tales suffer a lot. They undergo constant revision, both by design and by accident; by people purposely seeking to subvert the traditional tales (a la James Thurber), and by misrememberings and chinese whispers of oral storytelling.

Little Red Riding Hood may well be the most reinterpreted of the classic Tales of Mother Goose: Roald Dahl’s comic verse; Angela Carter’s twisted tales in The Bloody Chamber; Toby Forward’s POV swappage. There’s a plethora of retellings available on Amazon, from  board books for toddlers to long YA tomes that Freud would be proud of. In its lifetime, the story of the hooded one has been a morality tale, a metaphor for sexual awakening, a love story. It has been a thriller and a creature feature, a revenger’s tragedy and a modern satire.

Hollywood has taken the story to heart, with the character having been portrayed on-screen in at least 117 features. The The Weinstein Company‘s Hoodwinked! was released in 2005 to a lukewarm reception, and the latest take on the tale comes from Twlight director Catherine Hardwicke.

Perrault’s Le Petit Chaperon Rouge is the simplest and most well-known version of the story. In it Red is beat to Grandmother’s house by the wolf because she stops to pick wildflowers, and after running through the ‘what big arms/legs/ears/eyes/teeth you have’ schtick, is eaten up by the wolf. There’s no rescue, no redemption, and the tale ends with a moral:

Little girls, this seems to say,
Never stop upon your way.
Never trust a stranger-friend;
No one knows how it will end.
As you’re pretty, so be wise;
Wolves may lurk in every guise.
Handsome they may be, and kind,
Gay, or charming never mind!
Now, as then, ‘tis simple truth—
Sweetest tongue has sharpest tooth!

Rotkäppchen (or Little Red Cap) by the Grimms differs slightly from Le Petit Chaperon Rouge. Split into two parts, the first half mirrors the Perrault text but has Red rescued by the Huntsman after she’s been eaten. Once bitten, twice shy, the Grimm’s add a second part to the story that sees Red and Grandmother foil further similar attempts to gobble them up by a second wolf.

Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy kid: Cabin Fever; Jeff Kinney

Published November 2011, Puffin. List price £12.99

Appropriate for ages 7-12

From the cover;

‘Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is he’s innocent. Or at least sort of.

The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he’s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for the holidays?’

Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has spawned six novels, two full-length cinematic releases, a movie tie-in, activity book and a boat load of merchandise. To say it’s popular would be a gross understatement.

Cabin Fever begins with a discussion of the problem of Santa. Can he see you all the time? What if he sees something from the wrong angle and misconstrues nice as naughty? Can you be mean to people who don’t celebrate Christmas, since Santa won’t be looking over there? Unfortunately, this is the high point of the book, and it’s over within ten pages.

It’s worth ignoring the various criticisms of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise as histrionic pearl clutching. Yes there’s some irreverence and an undercurrent of anti-authoritarianism but this is not the reason to disuade your children from reading the books; disuade your children from reading them because they are, well, crap.

The plot is flimsy, the jokes are not quite as laugh-out-loud as we’ve been lead to believe, and the overall effect is of a slow puncture in an airbed – irritating and ultimately deflating. The occasional truism about modern living is not enough to pull the book from the gutter. So… blah is the book that it’s astonishingly difficult to find anything to say about it. This is not a case, you understand, of trying to find something complimentary to say, but to find  anything at all to say. Cabin Fever is 216 pages of nothing. I’m surprised Kinney managed to get it to stretch that far.

It’s lucky, then, that Greg, the 13-year-old protagonist is such a brilliantly realised creation. He’s occasionally startlingly observant, selfish, egotistical, sometimes mean, vaguely witty and a little precocious. Indeed, it is Kinney’s characters that are his saving grace when it comes to Cabin Fever.Even characters we glimpse only briefly appear rounded and realistic. It is for this reason alone that Cabin Fever deserves 2.5 out of 10.

Review: This Book Belongs to Aye-Aye; Richard Byrne

Richard Byrne; This Book Belongs to Aye-Aye

Published June 2011, Oxford University Press. Hardback. List price £10.99

Appropriate for ages 2-10.

From the cover:

‘Meet Aye-Aye. He’s kind of unusual. And Unusually kind. And this is his story’.

It’s impossible to think of the aye-aye without thinking of Stephen Fry, and this is why:

They’re funny looking creatures (one commenter on the above video declares that they look like ‘half fiendish koalas on crack’, and it’s hard to disagree),  with ET-like middle fingers, elongated and spindly, which they use for scooping grubs from under the bark of trees. To be fair, they do look like they might eat your soul, but they’ll still charm your socks off.

Like Richard Byrne’s previous offering (Millicent and Meer, reviewed by TreasuryIslands back in March), This Book Belongs to Aye-Aye explores what it’s like to be different. Unlike Millicent and Meer, in which the story was driven by difference, …Aye-Aye lets this issue take a back seat. It still works, though. We find out that Aye-Aye is different from his super-cute classmates on page one, then zip off into a kindergarten whodunnit until the final pages.

Review: Billionaire Boy; David Walliams

David Walliams; Billionaire Boy

Published in paperback June 2011, Harper Collins. List price £6.99

Appropriate for ages 7-11.

From the cover;

‘Meet Joe Spud, the richest 12-year-old in the world. Joe has everything he could ever want: his own Formula One racing car, a thousand pairs of trainers, even an orang-utan for a butler!

Yes, Joe has everything he wants, but there’s just one thing he really needs: a friend…’

David Walliams’ first offering, The Boy in the Dress was a mildly subversive but otherwise unremarkable book. Lucky to have both fame and illustrator Quentin Blake on his side, the book was nevertheless a bestseller. His follow-up, Mr Stink, though released under significantly less fan-fare, was awarded The People’s Book Award in 2010.  So we come to the third novel from the Walliams stable: Billionaire Boy.

Let me get this out of the way before I start. The premise – that money doesn’t buy happiness – is the kind of thing that poor people say when they want to console themselves and rich people say when they’re feeling guilty. And they’re right. Directly, money doesn’t buy happiness. But it really really helps. For every character in lit that finds happiness after losing everything, there are 100 people in actual real life whose lives are made that much better with the provision of a bit of spare cash. The lonely rich kid trope is a common one in television, film and literature, and Billionaire Boy does nothing to challenge the model.

Review: Millicent and Meer; Richard Byrne

Richard Byrne; Millicent and Meer

Published March 2011, Simon & Schuster. Paperback. List price £5.99

Appropriate for ages 2-6.

From the cover:

‘Millicent has ALWAYS wanted a cat so when, one day, a large wooden box labelled Mm…ee…er…ka…t lands THUMP! in her garden, Millicent couldn’t be happier.

“Yippee! You’re a cat and your name is Meer,” she cries. “You can be MY cat!”

Millicent takes Meer indoors but, before long, she discovers that there’s more to her new friend than meets the eye’.

Meerkats are all the rage at the moment. Richard Byrne has spied the bandwagon rollin’ on down the hill and jumped on it with both feet.

The full-page illustrations in Millicent and Meer are bright and clear. A mix of computer generated and hand sketched artwork on each matte page makes for richly textured images that are a pleasure to interact with. Text and image are given equal weight on the page, nudging the reader to read both together to glean a fuller understanding of the story.

The story itself is funny and poignant. Meer is accepted with love and friendship by other characters despite his difference. He doesn’t behave like a cat, though, and ultimately Dad says that Meer has to go and live at the zoo. Meer is as happy at the zoo doing meerkat things with his meerkat family as he was living with Millicent.

The messages of the text are confused. The necessity that he go live with others of his kind slightly undermines the acceptance that the characters show Meer: he is separate but equal, and family trumps friendship. Nevertheless Millicent and Meer is a lovely story, and for that reason it deserves 8 out of 10.

I look forward to Byrne’s next offering, This Book Belongs to Aye-Aye, due in the Summer, with joyful anticipation.