Between the covers of this book, in sparse but lyrical text and exquisite illustrations, is the story of a meeting between a cabbage moth and a cricket and the tentative steps they make towards friendship in the brief time they have between dusk and dawn.
Sparked in the creator's mind after she discovered the small bodies of both a moth and a cricket lying on her window sill, and wondering about how they might have interacted in those hours of darkness, Walker not only explores the physical connections but how small gestures of friendship between strangers can build strong and lasting bridges that break down barriers and impact our own lives.
This is a story for all ages, offering something for the very young as they think about being a good friend even if the other person is very different to you, while publisher Miriam Rosenbloom says that for her, as a cancer survivor, it "speaks to the two halves of my before and after self."
Usually when we think of the word "between" we think of a separating space of time or distance, both literal and metaphorical, and, indeed, that is how the book begins... "Between day and night, between near and far..." But when it is joined by the pronoun "us", indicating a coming together, as the cricket and moth eventually do, then it has a different connotation that implies a symbiosis that offers strength, unity and hope going forward. And that is the power of this book, IMO.
This review can also be found here.
32 pages 9781761381591 Ages 5-8
Keywords: cricket, moth, new friends, how things work, differences, understanding others, accepting others, Social Emotional Learning Curriculum, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old, finding connection, overcoming the space between us
Recommended by: Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, New South Wales AUSTRALIA
*******
Between by Anna Walker, CBCA Award–winning creator of Lottie and Walter and Florette, is a beautiful and meditative picture book that invites readers to pause, observe and imagine. Told with sparse poetic text, it follows the quiet connection between two unlikely friends – a cabbage moth and a cricket – who meet ‘between day and night’. Instead of a conventional narrative, Between explores the spaces ‘between near and far … over and under … sound and silence’ through sweeping spreads. It’s a story of gentle contrasts and subtle emotion, encouraging conversation and interpretation to fill in what is left unsaid. Ideal for readers of Jeannie Baker’s Window, Shaun Tan’s The Arrival and other visually driven titles, this book encourages children aged 3+ to slow down and reflect. Some may benefit from adult guidance to unpack the book’s themes of connection and attentiveness to the world and others around us. Walker’s hand-cut stencils and spray paint illustrations are the highlight, rendered in soft peach and blue spot colours that evoke the fleeting light between twilight and dawn. The limited palette creates a calm, distinctive visual style, used to stunning effect across each page. Between is a quiet, contemplative work that rewards curiosity and is an evocative invitation to find meaning from the liminal spaces. --- reviewed by Jess Lomas for Books + Publishing
