Small Town (Phillip Gwynne, illus by Tony Flowers, Puffin)

Milly, the narrator of this picture book, lives in a small country town called Gong Gong—‘So nice, they named it twice!’ The town is getting smaller by the day and Milly’s basketball team, which comprises many girls named Chloe, is losing players rapidly. Very soon it’s not a team anymore. At school they are learning about refugees, so the children get together and write them an invitation in the hope they like playing basketball. There is something very appealing about the simplicity of this premise and the wonderfully believable way that Philip Gwynne has written this story. The basketball team, the surfeit of Chloes, Milly’s family and the whole town come to life through the words and pictures. Tony Flowers’ illustrations extend the text with their many changes in perspective, and the warm and reassuring watercolours welcome the reader into both the pages of the book and into the town itself. The bird’s-eye views of Gong Gong depicted in the endpapers begin and end the narrative perfectly. This is a story about inclusivity, but it doesn’t browbeat the reader with its moral. Small Town would be an excellent springboard for much discussion for primary-aged children.

Louise Pfanner is an author, illustrator and bookseller.

Category: Reviews