Jeannie Baker’s extraordinarily detailed collage work in her sophisticated picture books is legendary. In ‘Mirror’, she makes not only the visual content but also the format of this wordless book reflect her concerns. Issues of human conscience are always themes in Baker’s multilayered constructions, whether it be with regards to the environment, or as in this book, where she is interested in cultural difference and connection. The form is used here to reflect her theme for, when opened flat the book reveals two front covers, and two parts which are cunningly to be read from both left to right and right to left, simultaneously, titled in English and Arabic, revealing different and yet remarkably similar lives.
Two boys; two families; two homes; two routines – united by love and comfort and language and story. One boy lives in the Valley of Roses in Morocco, the other in an Australian city. One boy’s family wakes to prayer and spends much of the ensuing day preparing meals; the other is a secular family enjoying a takeaway. But as other reviewers have noted, the overwhelming impression is that these two boys are equally curious about the world, and equally loved by their families.
Cultures may differ but in our hearts, we are people who share remarkably similar desires for home, family, food, shelter, friendship and stimulation. The carpet which features in the story is symbolic of all the threads in these two stories. As usual, Jeannie Baker has made every mark on the page denote something related to the tale she is telling and the message she is conveying. Her collages meticulously use found materials collected in her journey to Morocco to research this text.
The book was Joint Winner CBCA Picture Book of the Year 2011, Australian Indie Award Best Children’s Book 2011, The English Association and the UK Literary Association 4–11 Award Best Children's Illustrated Book (non-fiction) 2011 and an International Youth Library White Ravens Award 2011. ‘Mirror’ is an astounding work which demonstrates the power of the visual text and the stunning mastery of Jeannie Baker’s craft.
Picture Books for Older Readers
