Great
Britain
Special
Mention
34
Blackman, Malorie
Noughts & Crosses
London [et al.] : Doubleday, 2001. - 446 p
ISBN 0-385-60008-9
Class society - Discrimination - Justice - Terrorism – Love
Sephy and Callum have always been best friends; but their friendship and
growing love is threatened in this fictional class society. Being a Cross,
Sephy, the daughter of an ambitious and ruthless politician, leads a
comfortable life, whereas Callum's family are noughts, second class citizens,
who have hardly any rights. When Callum and three other nought teenagers are
accepted into Sephy's high school as a test case, hostilities break out and
she suddenly finds herself forced to take sides. Confronted with hatred and
prejudices from both noughts and Crosses, Sephy's naïve view of the world
changes rapidly. In the end, when Callum's fight for justice fails and Sephy
is left with their unborn child, she sets her hopes on a better future.
Through the reversal of traditional roles - the ruling Crosses are black while
the suppressed noughts are white - this thought-provoking novel of racism,
discrimination and love encourages the readers to challenge traditional
conventions.
(14+) <>
35
Blake,
Quentin (text/illus.)
Tell me a picture
London : National Gallery Co., 2001. - [ca. 120] p
ISBN 1-85709-930-3
Arts - Artist - Painting – Museum
In 1999, while Quentin Blake was Britain's first Children's Laureate, he
initiated an unusual exhibition in London's National Gallery. He selected 26
paintings by famous artists and well-known illustrators and arranged them on
the museum walls (at a child's eye-level) in alphabetical order from Avercamp
to Lisbeth Zwerger. On the walls between all these art works, he painted
crowds of children looking at the pictures and added their comments. The
children's typical straightforward remarks invited Gallery visitors to express
their own spontaneous feelings about the paintings. This book »recreates«
the exhibition, adding suggestions of how to use the book and giving further
information about the artists and their pictures in a short appendix. (6+)
36
Doyle, Malachy (text)
Hess, Paul (illus.)
Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!
London : Andersen Press, 2000. - [28] p
ISBN 0-86264-928-5
Boy - Monster - Goblin - Eating – Fear
The two protagonists of this humorous picture book, a small boy and a »grisly,
ghastly goblin« are certainly having a weird conversation reminiscent of
Little Red Riding Hood's talking to the wolf. The large-format colourful
illustrations depict the scenes from unusual angles, zoom in on the ugly green
goblin and out again, and follow the monster chasing the boy through all of
the rooms of his cozy home; thus, they highlight the child's growing
uneasiness and fear about being eaten. The monster's repetitive chant »Hungry!
Hungry! Hungry!«, set in huge letters printed in bold type, further increases
the tension - until it is suddenly resolved into a completely unexpected and
highly amusing twist. (4+)
37
Ibbotson, Eva
Journey to the River Sea
London [et al.] : Macmillan Children's Books, 2001. - 296 p
ISBN 0-333-94740-1
Orphan - Amazonas/1910 - Indians/Brazil – Adventure
Two years after her parents' death, Maia's guardian has finally managed
to dig up some distant relatives. Therefore, Maia suddenly finds herself
whisked away from her safe girls' school in London and put onto a ship heading
for the Amazonas jungle. Her excitement and curiosity, however, are soon
smothered. Arrogant and greedy Mrs. Carter and her mean, envious twin
daughters make Maia's life miserable. Nevertheless, when Maia befriends an
Indian boy and helps him escape from two dreadful »head-hunters«, the
long-awaited adventures finally begin. Set in the 1910s, the engaging novel
easily transports readers back in time. The humorous language and the slightly
ironic characterisation, make this gripping adventure story an entertaining
read. (10+)
38
Kelly, Mij (text)
Jay, Alison (illus.)
William and the night-train
London : Hodder Children's Books, 2000. - [26] p
ISBN 0-340-73308-x ; 0-340-73250-4
Boy - Sleep - Waking up
Everybody aboard the night-train is sleeping - except wide-awake William.
He is so anxious to get to tomorrow as quickly as possible that he squirms and
kicks and runs around waiting for the train to take off. Kelly's short lines
of text and Jay's characteristic vibrant pictures brimming with funny details
perfectly capture William's excitement and restlessness. Painted in rich warm
colours, an absurd accumulation of people, animals, and objects are crowded
together inside the train, such as a boxer in leopard-trousers, an elephant
with two monkeys on its back, and a huge ice-cream cone. Children will eagerly
follow William around the train, and maybe, just like William, they may
finally fall asleep. (3+)
39
McCaughrean, Geraldine
The kite rider
Oxford [et al.] : Oxford Univ. Press, 2001. - 212 p
ISBN 0-19-271860-6
China/13th century - Mongols - Rebellion - Father - Death - Obedience –
Circus
Twelve-year old Hayou grows up in a society based on strict obedience and
respect towards the elders - values he never dares to question. But after his
father's death life becomes extremely difficult. Joining the Jade Circus as
its new attraction - he rides a kite among the clouds - offers him a chance to
escape from his problems, travel the country, and earn his own money. In this
engaging novel, McCaughrean convincingly describes the hero's feelings and
adventures, making the readers experience life in 13th century China through
the eyes of a young boy who is constantly exploited by his greedy uncle and
learns, step by step, that it is always better to rely on your own judgement
than to blindly obey other people. (12+)
40
Rai, Bali
(Un)arranged marriage
London [et al.] : Corgi Books, 2001. - 271 p
ISBN 0-552-54734-4
England - India/Punjab - Multicultural society - Family - Traditional
education – Conflict
Manjiit, or Manny as he calls himself, was born in Leicester into a
strictly traditional Punjabi family. His father, a proud man with a lot of
racial prejudice, expects his sons to honour the old family traditions and, if
necessary, he will use force to make them obey. But Manny wants more from life
than an arranged marriage at seventeen and a future set out for him by his
parents. His anger and frustration are easily shared by the readers as they
follow Manny's fight to free himself from family expectations and live his own
life - even if this means a complete break with his family. Although the
teenage slang seems strained at times, the author's fresh style and the quick
pace of the narration make this a strong first novel. (14+) <>
41
Spates, Tracy V.
Picture the world :
children's art around the globe
London : Milet, 2001. - 63 p
ISBN 1-84059-296-6
Children's art - Cultural diversity - Everyday life
This large-format book does not only contain fascinating examples of
children's art, it actually takes the reader on an informative journey around
the world, visiting eight different countries. In each chapter, several
pictures created by children of the respective country are presented. In
addition, a small map, photographs of people, buildings, animals, etc., as
well as examples of local folk art offer a brief introduction to the countries
with small units of text providing further insights. Each section ends with a
suggestion for an interesting arts activity for children to try out. This is a
truly innovative and enjoyable way of looking at cultural diversity around the
globe and enhancing children's creativity. (6+) <>
42
Tadjo, Véronique (ed./illus.)
Talking drums : a
selection of poems from Africa South of the Sahara
London : Black, 2000. - 96 p
ISBN 0-7136-5815-0 ; 0-7136-5397-3
Sub-Saharan Africa - Poetry - Animals – Independence
»Talking Drums« is a vivid collection of traditional and contemporary
African poetry beautifully illustrated by Véronique Tadjo. Her black ink
drawings, reminiscent of traditional African paintings, perfectly complement
the short moving verses. Arranged in seven chapters entitled Our Universe, The
Animal Kingdom, Love and Celebrations, People, Death, Pride and Defiance, and
The Changing Times, this collection tells the story of Africa, its creation
and history, its people and their fight for independence, from an African
point of view. The authors' love for their countries can easily be perceived
in each text. A map of Africa and a glossary of African words are added for
further information. (8+) <> ¤
43
Ward, Helen (text)
Anderson, Wayne (illus.)
The tin forest
Dorking, Surrey : Templar Publ., 2001. - [32] p
ISBN 1-84011-311-1
Loneliness - Dream - Happiness
»There was once a wide, windswept place, near nowhere and close to
forgotten, that was filled with all the things that no one wanted.« The old
man living in this sad grey place dreams of turning it into a beautiful
tropical forest. Step by step, he creates a jungle of tin trees, flowers, and
animals, and - because he never stops dreaming - his dearest wish finally
comes true. Ward's quiet and poetic text is perfectly complemented by
Anderson's stunning colour-pencil drawings. The monochrome illustrations at
the beginning ingeniously depict the garbage heap's icy greyness and the tin
forest's artificiality. With the arrival of the first two real birds, however,
the setting is slowly transformed into a colourful garden of joy and
happiness. (4+) ¤