They say a picture tells a thousand words, and in the case of Jeannie Baker, it is so true.
Mirror is Jeannie Baker's latest amazing collage picture book. The images in it are painstakingly prepared, with figures replicated many many times and diverse landscapes created using both natural and synthetic materials.
Two stories are told in the book of two journeys - one of a young Sydney boy and his father going to buy supplies to decorate their newly-renovated house, and one of a young Morrocan boy and his father going to market to tell handmade rugs. Both stories are different, but the amazing thing about the book is that it is really two books in one. When you open the cover, one story opens out conventionall from the back cover, to be read from left to right. This is the story of the young Australian boy. The other opens from the front cover, and reads from right to left, just like the language spoken in Morroco.
The stories are commonplace in their societies, but vibrantly different when compared. The book is designed so that both stories are read at once. I went to the exhibition of the artworks when they were displayed, but did not get to see both stories at once. It is not until you read them side by side that you realise how clever they are, and all the little motifs and similarities between the two stories.
I found myself amazed at the detail in the images and the beauty in the story. I particularly loved the places in Sydney I could recognise - driving through Balmain and Drummoyne near the Tiger's club, crossing the ANZAC bridge and many more. The Morrocan landscapes created were beautiful as well.
So although this was not a book with words, it was a story (really two stories!) that I really enjoyed. I love Jeannie Baker's work and this book was no exception. However, I do find that I enjoy the books that take place over a longer timeframe more, so that is why I am not giving it 9 or 10.
Butterflies: 8 out of 10
Recommended for: anyone! Can be read on many levels.
Warnings: nothing at all!
I can't wait to read it! I love Jeanie Baker! Her work is so clever, so precise, so meaning filled, has no age barrier and is timeless.... AND no words to stumble over!
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