What do we
do when things get in a tangle?
Do we tussle and struggle? Or do we try something different?
We all have
a little bit of Tilly inside us - an adventurer who is happy, headstrong and
independent.
We all need
to push our own boundaries now and then, for interest’s sake if nothing else.
And we’ve all experienced being in a tangle, a tight spot or a pickle, because
we wouldn’t be human if we hadn’t.
Tilly In A Tangle reflects these experiences straight back to the reader, as they wander through her wondrous world.
Tilly is an
independent thinker and actioneer who is capable and steady – and who doesn’t
actually speak in words at all. She has her own boat which she maintains very
well, and sails around on the tides and slime as if they were her very own.
Which they are, in a way.
But Tilly has friends, Frog and Duck, who know better than she does, and who delight in conveying this to her.
Margrete Lamond’s playful, satisfying language rolls off the tongue in fun and simply
excellent ways when you read the words aloud, which I highly recommend doing.
The precision and cadence of consonants and vowels clacking together in
interesting places or rolling away into the poetry of the illustrations, are
just marvellous.
And oh,
those pictures. Compelling, intriguing, mysterious, hilarious, tender,
whimsical, uplifting and intricate. Illustrator Monty Lee is a master crafter
of line, texture and movement on the page to convey emotion with all the feels.
Tilly knows
her own mind. She is sure, strong and sees things through her own particular
lens of experience. And armed with these attributes, she sails through the
challenges of becoming terribly tangled up.
At a time
in history where one in five children thinks surveillance (such as on a mobile
phone app for their safety, for instance) is normal, to bear witness to Tilly
sailing by herself, solving problems and finding her way by being still and
listening to her inner voice, may just be something of a revelation. Or a
revolution!
Tilly In A
Tangle touches on
subject matter that every child – and every adult – will relate to. It rewards
re-reading, offering different perspectives and understanding each time.
Indeed,
this important book is one for all ages.
Highly recommended.
Author: Margrete Lamond
Illustrator: Monty Lee
Publisher: Dirt Lane, $26.95
Publication Date: 30 October 2024
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781923044289
For Ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book
