Hide and Seek (Irini Savvides & Owen Swan, Scholastic, $27.99 hb, ISBN 9781865044231, March) ****

A beautifully balanced colour palette of red, mint green and sepia adds a wistful, slightly nostalgic flavour to this book, marrying nicely with the poignancy of the text as a little boy searches to rediscover his connection to his dead grandfather. He tries hiding in the places his grandfather used to find him, dressing up in his clothes and flying the kite they used to fly together. But it isn’t until he looks in the mirror while wearing his grandfather’s hat that he sees his grandfather is still there—in himself. This very gentle story sensitively explores the range of emotions felt by a child parted from loved ones: bewilderment and frustration, hope, sadness and hurt. The boy’s mother offers solace and understanding during his search, imparting a sense of confidence in his ability to find answers but allowing him to make his own journey. Words and pictures have a pleasing simplicity and the cover and interior design are very visually appealing. The delicate touch of both author and illustrator make this a reassuring book for three-to-six-year-old readers, particularly relevant for those whose lives have been touched by
bereavement or loss.

Jenny Gorman is the children’s bookseller at Megalong Books, Leura

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker