Giant Teacups. You Just Can't Go Wrong
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Lola is very excited because Marv is bringing his little brother Morten round to play, and Lola has lots of plans for Morten, all of which Morten, who seems to be chronically shy, doesn't seem to have a lot of say in. It ends well, as usual, but with that nicely ambiguous mix of morality and what children are actually like and what children actually do, which makes these books so appealing.
This has the usual top class illustrations. I love Child's style, the cut and paste, scrapbook mixed with line drawing and other media. It's fascinating to see what materials she has mixed up to create such child friendly illustrations. This may seem common now, but this type of illustration and the mixing of font styles and uneven lines of type was pioneered by Child.
All my kids love Charlie and Lola. This book is one of my 18 month old son's favourites. He loves the bold colours and the giant teacup motifs in particular. We never read it just the once, it's always a several times type story.
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Too much of a 'good thing'?
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I have never liked the Charlie and Lola books, even the early ones before they were introduced to a wider audience via the T.V. series, however there is no denying they seem to be universally enjoyed by toddlers and very young children, this latest addition, which I bought for a friends child has been no exception.
The story is about Lola meeting the little brother of Charlie's best friend Marv for the first time. Lola is extremely excited to meet Morten, who is her age, but it seems like Morten really isn't too bothered. She wants to play all sorts of games with him, such as tea party and "upside-down." Morten, however, just says nothing and does nothing, and when Lola finally asks him if he wants to play, he just shakes his head. However, some kids just need a little drawing out of their shell. And Lola, being the high-spirited (and somewhat annoying) girl that she is, may figure out how to crack Morten's shell yet. Yes, it all ends well.
I can understand the appeal of these books to young children but one or two in the bookcase is surely enough, everytime I walk into a bookshop another 'latest' title appears to be on display. I find the busy pages and garish colours quite distracting, I'm dismayed at the lack of detail, the nothingness to talk about in the illustrations. I hate the way in the books I've seen the words are designed to look as if they have been cut out and pasted in - there is something sinister about this as if a blackmailer or stalker has cobbled a collage of text together...
I have to give this book four stars because I know children will love it but when you buy add a Shirley Hughes or a Helen Cooper to your order and savour some classic and enduring children's art and literature at the same time. I promise you it will make for a much more satisfying bedtime story.
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