I adore these books, the sense of adventure, the eccentric characters and the sublime illustrations.
Cornelia has moved into an old house full of interesting artefacts, books and rooms but she has no one to explore with. Frustrated, her parents send her outside to have a look around.
A forest of tall trees beckons her in and as she sits against one, a ladder appears. What will she find at the top? In fact, she meets Fredrik…a boy who lives at the top in a truly fantastic treehouse.
His inventions keep him company and he introduces Cornelia to The Jungle Machine. A jungle grows out of the machine and becomes the world around them, including fruit to eat, colourful birds and long winding rivers.
A proper adventure binds the two as friends and I can imagine them exploring the depths of the jungle together as well as the fascinating house Cornelia has just moved into.
I appreciate a book that can convey a story with few words, allowing the reader to add their own interpretations as they read. It makes for some interesting dialogue between readers.
Another wonderfully illustrated book about an adventuring duo. This book features another Frederick, however this one is forced to stay inside the house, not live with inventions in a treehouse.
Frederick speaks poetically and politely, and yet there is a true sense of honesty. I found his responses to Emily’s play requests funny. He couldn’t go as he might be sick in his music box, might break his collarbones, or graze the skin on his bottom. Emily continues to invite him out to play via paper plane and finally Frederick accepts.
Picture books are so wonderful and I have loved the two titles in today’s post!
My Shelves Are Full 