Dandelions

Dandelions by Katrina McKelvey, illustrated by Kirrili Lonergan (EK Books)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-921966-82-8

Reviewed by Elizabeth Vercoe

 A young girl is sad because in the process of mowing the lawn, her father has cut her beloved dandelions: I was waiting for those dandelion flowers to turn into puff balls so I could blow them away.

The girl resolves to wait as long as it takes for more dandelions to grow, settling in for the long haul with toys and books comfortably piled around her. But it seems that Dad has other plans when he leads her away from the hungry mower blades…

With their secret ‘stash’, Father and daughter then spend a glorious few moments together blowing dandelion seeds (who doesn’t remember this satisfying pastime?) and watching as they dance through simple but exquisite picture-scapes. 

Dandelions is a beautiful picture book that will delight both small people and the bigger ones who read aloud to them. With an enchanting sense of hope and magic, this story celebrates the father daughter bond with whimsy and a soft, translucent watercolour palette. The end-papers are breathtaking.

This is an uplifting story that takes us into the wondrous essence of Mother Nature, on the breath of hundreds of fluffy floating seeds.