Lunchtime

A little girl is so absorbed in drawing animals she doesn’t want lunch, but Mum makes her sit at the table. Arms crossed, she stubbornly contemplates her soup, sandwich and apple; then, magically, the animals she has drawn all appear around her, hungrily eying her food. Crocodile, bear and wolf soon polish it off – it’s much nicer than eating small children – and back to playing she goes. But hunger soon sets in and later every scrap of dinner is eaten, despite the hungry faces of the threesome who reappear, hoping for another snack. Cobb’s line is sketchy and scratchy and her colours match those found in a child’s paint box. Plenty of white space also contributes to the sense that the child’s own art and that of the picturebook maker coincide and allows for the imaginative intrusion of the helpful animals. All we see of Mum is a pointing hand, her absence reinforcing the sense that this is the nameless girl’s own story. A nice conclusion on the back endpaper and back cover show her bearing a tray with milk and goodies for her waiting helpers. Just shows, picturebooks don’t always end inside the covers!