Allen and Unwin ISBN 978-1911631170 £11.99
This is another story about a child’s limitless imagination. Ivanhoe wants to see the world beyond the garden gate – he has clearly been cherished, read to and had songs sung to him by his parents, and now he wants to experience some of the things he has seen in books and heard in song for himself. He packs a suitcase with a map, a kite and some binoculars, as well as more practical items such as toothbrush and toothpaste, clean socks and pants and a jumper. Did his parents go along with this play and suggest items to pack? Or is this what Ivanhoe thinks he would take with him if he left home? The song resonating in his head as he leaves for the Tall Tree is one sung to him by his mother, and is full love and security and encouragement of imagination: Go well as you travel my little love, over the world as you roam….But if you grow weary and tire of your journey, then let the sea bring you home. As Ivanhoe’s world expands he will meet a range of friendly and less friendly children, as in this story. And in the end, yes, he decides he has seen enough and wants the safety and security of home and his parents. The illustrations deliver the range of emotions a young child experiences and are full of movement and action. Did he actually get further than the garden gate or was it an afternoon with a friend, playing imaginative games? Discuss. Publication date June 2019 Age range 3 – 7
Elizabeth Broad
