Magic Fish Dreaming written by June Perkins,
illustrated by Helene Magisson (GumBootsPearlz Press) PB RRP $17.99 ISBN 978-0-980731-18-7
Reviewed by
Elizabeth Vercoe
Magic Fish Dreaming is a beautiful book of poetry, inspired by the
people, creatures and country of Far North Queensland. To travel to FNQ through
this delightful book of poetry is, quite simply, a treat.
Perkins is a Papua
New Guinean Australian writer with a PhD on the topic of Writing Empowerment.
She and illustrator Magisson have captured and delivered a series of
age-appropriate vignettes that traverse clever, captivating poetry alongside
divine pictures.
From dancing in the
storm to finding ‘giggle poems,’ from discovering a secret fishing spot to
glimpsing the flicker of a gecko, the ideas in this book encourage children to
take time, to create space, to cultivate patience, to watch, to wait… to dance…
‘Storm Dancers’ –
She said, “I’ll dance with you,”
as the cloud’s violent sneezes caused
a flood in her garden.
He said, “I’ll dance with you
One of those anti-rain dances
But we can’t dance too long
‘cause we don’t want drought.”
The text and
illustrations intermingle, to weave their magic not just through the core ideas
of the poetry, but in and around the very pages themselves. With gorgeous and
sometimes surprising messages delivered in a unique and unselfconscious manner,
this is a book that emanates joy in every reading.
Instant
gratification, armchair travel and lightning-fast images and sounds are a way
of life in 2017. Rich, nourishing books like this one that bring conversation
and evoke spirit of place, country and critter not just one time but over and
over again, are on a different space-time continuum.
This book is
recommended for children of all ages (even really old ones!).
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