Way Home

As a Carnegie Medal winner on its original publication, this book attracted much acclaim back in 1994; ‘… powerful paintings’ (Evening Standard), ‘Streetwise and inventive’ (Guardian), ‘Purrfect’ (oh dear, Daily Telegraph). There is always something a little uneasy about grown-ups being ‘streetwise’, and it is an approach to writing and illustrating which can date things alarmingly quickly. Perhaps this book was ground-breaking, but things move on rapidly and the faux graphic novel, photographic ‘realism’, and jagged-edged paper effect of the design, have a curiously cheesy edge now.

This is the story of a boy and the kitten that he befriends and takes back to his shanty, ‘cardboard-city’, home. In between time, we travel through the lights, sounds and dangers of the urban jungle. Gangs of bullies, savage dogs, a street ‘girl’ are all encountered as the boy and his new found pet head home. ‘Yeah – you’re with me now, Cat. You’n me, Cat. And we’re going way away home …’ The images of urban decay, in a predominately sepia based colour range, flash by, avoiding too close an identification with any particular major Western city, through mix-and-match architecture.