I Am Henry Finch

‘Cogito ergo sum ‘, ‘I think therefore I am’ is a philosophical dictum of René Descartes. Henry Finch, member of a large finch flock, utters likewise and goes on to demonstrate how he, by listening to his thoughts, can bring about a change that affects not just himself but the whole flock.

Henry lives among fellow finches that seem to spend their whole day in a series of cacophonous greetings, only interrupted on occasions by the arrival of the Beast. On such occasions the whole flock would send up a loud ‘THE BEAST’ warning and take flight to the top of the nearest tree to wait until the Beast had gone.

On the morning following Henry’s monumental thoughts, along comes the Beast. It is then that Henry has ‘greatness thrust upon him’ for, in order to demonstrate his greatness to his fellows, he dives to attack the creature and is eaten alive. Once within, his thoughts are at first negative but then positivity comes through and in the silence, Henry is able to tune into the Beast’s thoughts and an exchange occurs whereafter Henry makes his escape from an open-mouthed Beast. The now hero returns to the other finches, silences them, relates his adventure and thus triggers a dawning of enlightenment that spreads through the whole flock …

A brilliantly thought-provoking book illustrated with great vigour and panache by Viviane Schwarz. Her finches comprise reddish-orange finger/thumb prints given form through black lines; the beast a blobby blue/green watercolour creature whose insides are jet black once poor Henry is a prisoner within whereupon both Henry and his thoughts, and the text become white.

This superb amalgam of words and pictures is both clever and witty and definitely not for the very young. Rather it’s a picture book for older readers in a junior classroom or for solo reading and thinking …