A Slice of Sky

“Augustus And His Smile” by Catherine Rayner.2006. Little Tiger Press. Picture Book. Ages 2-6.

The storyline is very simple: Augustus the tiger, wants to find his smile. He searches for it across hills and forests. In the end, he finds it in a pool of water. Augustus realizes that his smile is there all the while, on his face. Joy is found within oneself , this book seems to say.

The illustrator won the Best Illustrator Award in the Booktrust Early years Awards 2006.
I can see why. The drawings of Augustus ,the tiger, draws out the mystery of the animal and the child-likeness of his quest. The brush strokes are bold , much like what you see in Chinese paintings of horses and tigers.

Another lovely tiger book is “ Tiger Who Came to Tea” by Judith Kerr, Illustrated by the author, 2002. HarperCollins Publishers

A tiger pays Sophie and her mother a visit in their home. He is warmly welcomed and is invited immediately to join them for tea. He eats and drinks everything up, including the water from the kitchen tap. His tummy full, he bids Sophie and her mother goodbye. But there is no food left for dad when he gets home. The problem is amiably resolved with a restaurant supper of sausages, chips and ice-cream.

The appeal of this book to children lies in its simplicity. A creature of great majesty and mystery –the tiger- drops in on an ordinary simple English family. He wallops up their resources, but leaves their lives unperturbed by his intrusion. The reader gets the impression that Sophie and her family are safe, because they are strong and love each other. Problems can be overcome.

My children have borrowed the book three times from the library. When they do, they insist on reading this story again and again. They are delighted with the tiger. And they are delighted that dad gets home and settles the problem of having an empty larder, so wonderfully. I , myself, love the gentle nuances of family life depicted in this story. A good read for Christmas I should think.

“Edward the Emu” by Sheela Knowles, illustrated by Rod Clement. 1988. HaroperTrophy. Picture Book. Ages 3-7.

Edward is an emu who lives a lackluster life at the zoo. Bored of being an emu, he decides to try being something else. He attempts the outrageous, like swimming with seals, roaring in the lions’ den and slithering with snakes. Unltimately, his explorations lead him to the one obvious conclusion- that he is really best when he is himself.

Told in rhyming verse, with eye-catching illustrations that emphasize the absurdity of Edward’s exploits- this book is an attention grabber for reading aloud with kids, whether individually or in groups.

You could have a discussion with your child after reading. Ask her if there are some things she doesn’t like about herself. Ask her what they are. Are they other people or story characters that they wish they could be instead? Why? At the end of your discussion, assure her that she is special as she is and that you value her . Tell her five things about her that you like best. Let her take her turn telling you which five things she likes best about you!