The Brave Little Grork

Grorks are naturally shy nervous creatures, so our little grork has to be brave when his friend, the greep, wants them both to go to the dark wood. He sets out, well prepared for hazards in his life jacket, safety helmet and with his umbrella. But in spite of careful preparation for his physical journey it is the mental journey which he makes to overcome his fears which matters. With the help of greep he crosses the bridge leading to the wood wherein lie many of his anxieties. There he confronts a big fear, the turple, but emerges unscathed, and, we hope, with newfound confidence.

This is a book focused on helping young children to overcome fears, and would be best read with an adult who can explain that turple, crow and other grorkly worries climbing over the hedge in the penultimate opening are grork’s dreads which he has successfully confronted. Cave’s text is steady and calming, and Maland’s use of crosshatched line and moody colour build tension nicely.