Jessica Love, Julian at the Wedding, Walker Books, October 2020, 40 pp., RRP $27.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781406397482
We were first introduced to Julian and his nan in Julian is a Mermaid, and in this follow up story they attend a wedding in the park with his cousin Marisol. They greet the brides and their dog Gloria, participate in the ceremony then are seated at a table with their grandmothers and family. Eventually they get bored and sneak away. Julian wants to play fairy house under the willow tree, but Marisol prefers to wrestle on the ground with Gloria the dog. Unfortunately, this messes up Marisol’s special dress, but luckily Julian has a solution. Their grandmothers come to find them and they are brought back into the reception to dance with the family.
This is a beautifully produced book in hardback, with gorgeous endpapers and thick pages. The artwork is just beautiful and done on what looks like recycled paper, so there are no white backgrounds, but just soft brown ones. The illustrations feature a soft palette but the colours seem to glow on the pages. They tell most of the story as the text is absolutely minimal, but young readers will no doubt be fully engaged with the illustrations.
Recommended for preschool and lower primary ages.
Reviewed by Rebecca Kemble
