Author: Emlyn Chand
Publisher: Evolved Publishing
Rating: WORTHY!
Illustrated brilliantly Sarah Shaw.
I reviewed Vicky Finds a Valentine by this author (a little late, I'm afraid!) and liked it, and so it was fun to find another of her that I also liked. Sarah Shaw's artwork in this is truly outstanding, way beyond what you'd normally find in a children's book, which begs the question why? I know children are somewhat less demanding (or perhaps more accurately, more understanding) than adults, but that's no reason to short the short guys!
So what's going on here then? Well, Poppy is someone you have doubtlessly run across in your life - although hopefully not while maneuvering farm machinery. It's someone who struts around thinking they own the place, looking proud and loud, disdainful of everyone. Pea-birds aren't actually like this of course, especially the females. They're charming and very personable, and any one of them will tell you how affronted they feel by our attitude towards them, but just as people have variations in their behaviors, so too do pea-birds, both cocks and hens, and I'm sure there are one or two who fit the bill, and for whom we foot the bill.
One of these is Poppy, who is so focused on his own appearance that he can't see anything but himself - until, that is, a white pea-bird shows up and begins drawing all the attention away from Poppy. Poppy's response is rather like the tango between the USA and the USSR during the cold war - each side trying to one-up the other until things are completely out of control. In this case, however, it's only Poppy who is behaving badly, trying to pimp himself out in ever more ridiculous get-ups in order to revive his get-up and go, and to try and draw attention away from his supposed rival.
That kind of thing is doomed to failure as I'm sure you know, and Poppy has to go through some serious embarrassment before he starts to realize he's no longer a peacock but an ass - and in a one horse race, too; however, he's not a bird brain after all. Poppy learns from his mistakes and ends up with something much better than a fine suit of clothes - something to be really and truly proud of: a new friend! I recommend this book. And do visit the author's and the illustrator's web sites for a look around. Both of them are charming. Emlyn Chand writes more than children's books, and Sarah Shaw's versatility and skill in art is quite remarkable.
