Debra Tidball, (text) and Arielle Li (illustrator), Anchored, EK Books, April 2023, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922539496
The two characters in this book are anthropomorphised ships – one a small tugboat and the other a large container ship. When Tug and Ship are separated by Ship’s long voyages, they miss each other but their love for each other remains constant. When Ship comes back It tells Tug all about where it’s been, the things its seen and how thoughts of Tug made it feel less alone and less afraid in rough seas. While Ship is away, Tug (who is always referred to as she although Ship is not gendered) goes on with her daily tasks of helping ships leave the docks and start on their journeys.
The illustrations are simple but effective with Tug and Ship having facial expressions showing emotion and with the difference in size being clearly shown. The joy at reunion is clear in a double-page spread where we see Tug hurrying across the sea to meet the returning Ship.
This is a book that seems to celebrate friendship – how two very different ‘people’ can have a sustained and loving relationship despite being separated by time and distance. The publisher’s publicity material suggests that the book reminds children ‘that the love they share with their parents/caregivers can sustain time apart: they are firmly anchored in each other’s hearts’. I am not sure that the book will do that for a child without further discussion.
Reviewed by Margot Hillel
