Belonging

Australian artist Baker’s familiar ‘relief sculpture’ approach to book illustration is here employed to relate another wordless narrative with socially conscious overtones. The pictorial text is delivered once again through a window that sits in the same position on each double-page spread. Through it we see the effect of time on the neighbourhood outside and, via various visual clues, on the girl whose room we are in. A rather brutal and run down urban environment is seen beyond the little garden in the foreground. An abundance of mini stories unfold before us, telling of the gradual ‘greening’ of the neighbourhood over the period of time it takes for the girl to reach maturity, marriage and motherhood. This is an extremely positive book, apparently inspired by the true-life story of a street in Baker’s home town of Sydney. It is always good to see wordless books published. The activity of reading pictures is only now beginning to be seen as an important and intellectually demanding activity for children. These particular pictures, with their somewhat primitive or naïve approach, may not be to everyone’s taste, but the book flows beautifully and delivers a sensitive and relevant message.