Just So Stories

Distributed by Simon & Schuster

Riveted Press

August 2024

ISBN13: 9780645869354

LIST PRICE: AU$ 26.99 / NZ$ 29.99

Some people seem to have difficulty employing sophisticated picture books. This is a topic which I have touched on previously, and you will find a list I made for a group fairly recently with some suggestions for these on the Freebies page – along with my Educator’s Toolkit to accompany The Grown-up’s Guide to Picture Books . This is such a book. The language and underlying concepts demand more astute understanding than your Smalls will have, but it is, no doubt, a powerful reflection on powerful emotions, and could be a provocation for a deep discussion on the topic.

We might assume these to be connected to grief/loss. I also wonder if trauma, rejection, significant change or even isolation because of neuro-diversity or some impairment, might also result in this child’s extreme anguish – particularly, given the repeated motif of paper/pencil/notes/schoolwork. Whatever is the cause, Finn is struggling to come to terms with his feelings, and for a time cannot see any cause to smile or to once again hear the music of his heart.

The over-riding message of this one is that there is always hope. And, as we know, from hundreds – indeed, thousands – of stories over the span of human history, even in the darkest of times, there is always at least a glimmer of hope.

For me, the text did not flow as well as it might have and I had difficulty matching the idea of music to the rest of both the text and the illustrations. The recurring theme of water [yes, I do know clouds hold water], the music and the notes and pencils did not seem to add up for me. I assumed that the roving yellow circle might have reflected Finn’s changing moods – sometimes blank, sometimes patterned. But I was confused about his pants suddenly becoming striped at one point. The illustrations employ a lovely colour palette, which I found soothing. This one gets a 3☁️☁️☁️ rating from me for readers from at least middle primary, and I would certainly love to know what they make of it.