Once a teacher always a teacher, I
admit, even when enjoying new picture book titles.
Some
picture books immediately suggest use within an educational context, partly because
the story can be interpreted through interesting topic work, often with a
classroom “play-corner” alongside. These titles become popular within Early
Years, Foundation and Year One classrooms because they fit in with aspects of the curriculum and are not any the worse for that.
(For example, an Early Years
classroom I visited recently was working on THE BOG BABY, written by Jeanne
Willis and illustrated by Gwen Millard. The internet offered instructions on
how to make a Bog Baby collage, a gallery of blue-painted bog-babies created in
classrooms and a downloadable record sheet where children can record their
bog-baby observations. Well done, Puffin, for spotting that possibility!)
Occasionally,
however, a particular book brings the reader the sense of a close family moment or a
privately shared armchair story-time. This book is one of those. I imagined Alison Hubble being read by
grandparents or parents, each reading-aloud taking place within the bonds
of love and quiet fun. The plot feels as if it sprang from a family joke or teasing comment, and then developed into a delightful fantasy. The full
title explains the whole dilemma:
This is the story of ALISON HUBBLE
who went to bed
single and woke up double.
The writer
of this rhyming story is the much-beloved author Allan Ahlberg whilst the talented Bruce Ingman
– possibly the only artist who has brought a poignant conflict between
pencils and erasers so vividly to life – forms the illustrating hand in the
team.
The plot echoes a familiar complaint, gently sighed from adult to
child at the end of a long day: “Whatever
would I do if there was another one of you?” and this is exactly what the
Hubble parents discover, because Alison
herself does what the title says.
The Hubble's one little girl becomes two Alisons then four and eight
and more, doubling on and on and causing much consternation at home, at school and
beyond.
The troubles are pursued with gentle humour: when eight Alisons become sixteen:
“Oh no,” said her
mum
“What a tragedy!
It’ll take us four
hours
To cook her tea.”
“You’re right,” said
her dad.
“What rotten luck!
We’ll have to do the
shopping
In a three
ton-truck.”
As in
all cumulative plots, everyone tries to help. The local council does send an
enormous tent for the increasing family but the excitement of camping is spoiled when thirty-two little girls
now find themselves squashed into just sixteen sleeping bags.
You can have a peek at some of the spreads here.
Eventually, the many Alison Hubbles need a whole town of their own - but I won’t say which or
where - and the end-paper suggests that even further choices might be needed, raising a few more issues that might need discussion.
However, for now, ALISON HUBBLE (please add the full title yourself!) makes an enjoyably eccentric picture book. Promoted as
a tale of Mathematical Mayhem, the book is full of fun, wit and would be lovely to share.
ALISON HUBBLE will be in bookshops from today, 4th
May, and I'm sure the well-established writer-and-illustrator team means that libraries
will stock copies sometime soon. The picture book is recommended for children between 3 - 5years.
Penny Dolan
Ps. I’m just checking the
publicity sheet here, as this was a picture book I received for review, and spot that
the picture-book publisher is the ever-cunning Puffin! So I’m now wondering if I’ll find
Alison Hubble "Times-table" games on screens when I next visit early-years
classrooms? Or rows of identically Hubbley-paper-dolls on display? Perhaps you
should take my review as an early “Alison Alert”?
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