A Love Story

Huzzah! I have a new favourite book! I read it yesterday and it has got EVERYTHING: melancholy, love, food, discovery, adventure and a wonderful narrative structure that builds in perfect momentum. It has also got pictures. And flaps to lift and little holes so you can see through to a bit of the next page. See? It really does have everything you could possibly want in a book. It is called Jonathan and Martha and is the latest treasure from Petr Horacek. I believe the target audience is 5 years and under and I am just a bit older than that but I don't care; I love it! I may very well have to buy it for my stealthy collection of "Books That As-Yet-Unidentified Visiting Children May Want To Look At When In My Apartment For A So-Far-Non-Existent Event".

Honestly, the bit where I mentioned the momentum is what impressed me the most. It was pitch perfect which much be difficult when you are limited to only one sentence per page. It's the sort of book an adult can appreciate on a different level from the child they are reading it to. While told in an unbelievably simple way it is a beautiful story.