The children who loved books by Peter Carnavas
New Frontier, 2012. ISBN 9781921928161.
(Age: Pre-school-6) Recommended. Angus and Lucy love books. They
have so many of them that the caravan they live in becomes much too
crowded and the books have to go. But they don't have a
television or a car and without the books there was a lot of space
between the family members. Then one day they discovered Lucy's
library book and reading it brought the family closer together. And
when they found the library they knew they had everything they would
ever need.
Peter Carnavas has the happy knack of writing uplifting stories that
warm the heart and leave the reader feeling happy. Lucy and
Angas' family is portrayed as poor, living in a caravan and
having few material goods, a relatively rare occurrence in picture
books. However Carnavas beautifully shows that it is not possessions
that are the most important things in the world, rather it is the
closeness of family life, and that reading can make a family happy.
His signature soft water colours bring the life of the family alive.
There are little touches of humour like the chickens perching on top
of the caravan or pecking at the ground and a little ginger and
black striped cat on most of the pages. The drawings of the people are
memorable, with uplifted noses and distinct personalities.
This is a wonderful book that celebrates reading and the importance
of libraries.
Pat Pledger
