This is the essence of this beautiful picture book by renowned collaborators, Susanne Gervay and Anna Pignataro; a subtle yet powerful ode to the past and what ties us together in the present.
A small girl waits patiently each night for the return of her Papa from the car factory in which he works. Together with her beloved stuffie, Brownie, she rejoices with the universal unfettered exuberance of youngsters when he arrives, showering him with the outcomes of her day, her drawings, her yearnings.
She aches for a real dog of her own, like Ma had in
the old country. She is aware this dream may never eventuate. Ma and Papa
work hard to put their nightly repass of chicken soup on the table but despite
her longings for more, the girl and Brownie are happy. Along with occasional melancholy,
laughter and love fill her home.
Except during the nights when memories of the war in
Europe from whence her parents came torment dreams and sounds of sadness seep
from her parents’ room. In this country though, sorrow is soon cast aside with
the rising of a new day. Sunday. The girl’s favourite day because of Papa’s
pancakes and the promise of a picnic with Brownie.
One Sunday, while driving through the countryside,
Papa points out the ships in the field. His mispronunciation causes amusement
and despair. Her parents’ way of talking saddens the girl because it isolates and
separates. She allays it with humour of her own as they pass by more woolly
ships and reach their picnic spot. It is there she and Brownie make a
joyful discovery allowing the reader and ideologically, new Australians, to
feel satisfied and welcome.
Brimming with pathos, mirth and ultimate elation, Ships In The Field explores the foundations of our Australian nation from an immigrant family’s perspective. It boldly compares a war-torn past and desperate future with the comparative safety and joys of a new land. Shedding cultural identity should never have to occur yet does and continues to do so when people fleeing uncertain pasts are forced to relinquish their former selves, occupations and language.
The weight of letting go is tremendous as is
stupendously portrayed through Gervay’s simple, child friendly text and Pignataro’s
grace-filled loose pencil and watercolour illustrations. Both narratives are
infused with layered meaning, a promise to those struggling to retain their own
identities whilst forging new ones that it will be okay.
We are gently introduced to the girl’s family’s
differences through the ways she addresses her parents and the warmth that
exudes from every expression whether spoken or shown. Horrors are elegantly juxtaposed
alongside benign beauty; fleecy innocent sheep, blue-sky rivers. There is much
to see and seek in every page which is good because you’ll want to read this
over and over again.
I did so, ten years ago, to my young daughter who
rejoiced in the play on words. Now, years on we, like she, can view this story
and its ‘whole world’ perspective just as the little girl sitting in a tree
with Brownie is able to. From a societal standpoint, Ships In The Field
is timeless, as relevant and important as it was a decade ago because cultural
territory is ever shifting and changing. And all children, whether refugee,
immigrant or otherwise deserve to understand their place in those shifts.
Highly recommended reading.
Title: Ships In The Field 10th Anniversary Edition
Author: Susanne Gervay
Illustrator: Anna Pignataro
Publisher: Flying Elephant Media
Publication Date: March 2024
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780648203575
For ages: 3 –100
Type: Picture Book