MacIVER, Juliette (text) Stephanie Junovich (illus.) Bye! Bye! Bye! Scholastic (NZ), 2014 unpaged NZ$19.50 pbk ISBN 9781775432258 SCIS 1678924
This is a delightful poetic evocation of the love of a young girl for her pet animals. What happens to her pets when the family is about to head off for a holiday by the seaside is something that this young narrator puzzles about, worried that they will be well. Presumably the parents have made arrangements, but we are not told of this. Our young girl whines to Dad who is insistent that no pets can come, but for their sake, she defies the interdiction and smuggles them on board. A duck, fish, mouse, bunny and a cat are all seemingly hidden until, on the journey, parents look behind them and ‘Uh-oh!’ Surprise.
The soft and textured palette, as well as warm colours and the country look suggests nature as an idyll here. The images and the narrative blend to create a romantic vision of the child close to nature. Certainly, there is little of the typical crowded, intensive, suburban space here!
reviewed by John McKenzie