How to Lose a Lemur

The first UK recipient of a Sendak Fellowship, makes Frann Preston-Gannon one to watch. And she proves it in this first of a three part series of picture books starring lemurs. The fact that her hero takes a long journey not unlike Max’s journey in Where the Wild Things Are shows that her muse had some influence on her writing. But Preston-Gannon’s illustration style is all her own. Bold, with a simple retro look, it is made contemporary by its innovative use of computer-generated textures and patterns. With a controlled palette of greens and the occasional red ochre the pictures are reminiscent of the spare use of colour Sendak employed in the days when printing was limited to few colours. They are not bright but powerful, making a strong graphic feel with white and light backgrounds – altogether a confident beginning.

Simple, while gutsy and full of drive, the tale of a boy pursued by lemurs has wit and pathos. The premise has a philosophical yet prosaic tone and it is this juxtaposition, which creates a gentle, knowing humour, ‘Everyone knows that once a lemur takes a fancy to you there is not much that can be done about it.’

The book charts a long journey the boy takes to off-load these persistent little creatures, until they rescue him from being lost and take him back home. There the boy ‘realizes’ that they could be friends, ending with the original premise quoted. Though a stronger, less abstract verb than ‘realise’ would have been better, the ending does work. Nevertheless, with an artist of this calibre the hero’s arc of understanding could have been shown even better through pictures alone.

For anyone who’s ever suffered at the hands of an unwanted admirer or adoring sibling, this book will have great resonance.