The town of Littlelight is clearly lacking excitement. Grey buildings, grey clothes, grey everything shows readers of a drab town in need of change. When bricks start to go missing from the town walls, the stern looking mayor is not impressed, he immediately convinces the town people that they are in danger.
As more and more bricks disappear, bright neon colours enter the pages and show a little of what lay outside the town walls. The story rolls forward with flow, rhythm and repetition showing that the proposed danger is anything but. A clever, amusing ending gives the mayor plenty of time for thinking.
I adore the loose watercolour style ink illustrations, they set the scene and tell much of the story as does the unique use of grey tones contrasting with neon colours. Along with the brilliant artwork, the repetition of text and sophisticated vocabulary is intriguing for curious minds and will leave readers enlightened.
Perfect for classrooms, Littlelight stands out on a shelf and could lead to many discussions on topics from art and culture to politics and more. Adults and some children are likely to spot it as being a clever and timely take on the infamous Trump border wall.
Kelly Canby is an author illustrator based in Western Australia, two of her other brilliant books are Rodney, and The Hole Story.
Title: Littlelight
Author/Illustrator: Kelly Canby
Publisher: Fremantle Press , $24.99
Publication Date: 15 April 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781925815764
For ages: 5 – 7
Type: Picture Book
