A Boy Like Me (Libby Hathorn, illus by Bruce Whatley, ABC Books)

Libby Hathorn and Bruce Whatley have teamed up to tackle very difficult subject matter in an inventive and evocative way in A Boy Like Me. We see the world through a young boy’s eyes in all its harshness and beauty, and the reader is shown the kernel from which hope springs as well as the barrenness of the world without it. A Boy Like Me is one of those picture books which speaks to the reader’s soul and illuminates, for a short time, the bigger picture—the role which peace plays in giving humanity hope. Beautiful poetry by Hathorn is accompanied by emotive illustrations by Whatley to convey the hope and salvation offered through peace. Retailers will find this a difficult book to promote as it doesn’t fit easily into the children’s picture book category and could quite comfortably sit in the gift book or motivational sections of a book store. However, difficulties in promotion will be surpassed by this book’s potential appeal to a wide cross-section of readers. A Boy Like Me is sure to feature on award lists in 2012 and will impress any adult reader who takes the time to be embraced by its warmth.

Natalie Crawford is a freelance reviewer and works at Dymocks Claremont, WA  

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

Category: Reviews