A while back we were sent the beautiful book, Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers. He rapidly headed on to my list of favourite picture book writers. Since then we’ve had a couple more and it was only when I started to write up This Moose belongs to Me that I realised I hadn’t written about the Hueys.
I love the Hueys. The drawing style is incredibly simple, which means it doesn’t get in the way of the equally simple story. This isn’t just a picture book for little children though, the idea of being your own self even if that means being different to all those around you is something that needs revisiting for all of us at some time I think. Would it be wrong of me to be trying to get the pre teen to read this one out loud in the hope that some of it might rub off?
I love it. I love the orange jumper. I love them all ending up different like each other. And if you could get a Hueys T shirt with I want to be different like everyone else written on it, I’d be there like a shot. Do you think if I asked nicely Oliver Jeffers would design one for me?
This Moose belongs to Me takes in another really important concept. Something around friendship versus ownership – reminds me of the Little Prince and his friend the Fox.
The pictures in this are completely different to the Hueys. I’m getting hints of Eric Carle in the broad brush strokes, I adore the panoramic vistas which look kind of Canadian maybe and I love the simple line drawing of the little boy.
Actually, writing this review has brought home to me what it is about these books I love. They are picture books, great for reading with small children, and my small children loves reading them too. But they are so much more than that. The language may be simple enough for children, but the illustration and underlying issues confronted are timeless and ageless and these stories are things that I could easily enjoy reading for myself.
Which is not something I say about all that many picture books, I can assure you.
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