Between (Anna Walker, Scribble)

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. 

Books+Publishing reviewer: Jess Lomas is reviews editor for Books+Publishing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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