Katrina Nannestad (text) and Cheryl Orsini (illustrator), Mim and the Anxious Artist (The Travelling Bookshop #3), ABC Books, August 2022, 240 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780733342233
Step inside the travelling bookshop and you will find the right book that might just change your life …
Mim Cohen roams the world in a travelling bookshop, along with her dad and her bumbling little brother Nat. Their travelling bookshop is pulled along by a huge horse called Flossy that leads them to where they are needed most.
Mim and the Anxious Artist is the third book in the series and the one where readers get to delve deeply into the characters’ world. In this story, the family arrive in the bustling, beautiful city of Paris. Instantly, we are thrown deeply into the sights, sounds and tastes of the city – baguettes, patisseries, promenading poodles, the Louvre, and the tall Eiffel Tower (or as Nat calls it, the ‘Awful Tower’). We’re taken up the hill towards Montmartre through winding cobblestoned lanes where artists paint on easels overlooking the city. This is where we meet the very anxious artist, Pierre. As wonderful an artist he is, he has a habit of running away with the finished portraits. This leaves his customers confused and angry that they aren’t going home with a wonderful portrait of themselves or their family.
And here the story twists and turns with delightful sub plots of friendship, overcoming anxiety, eccentric friends, animal friends, croque monsieur and chocolate mousse. Nat’s letter fascination is with the letter ‘S’ in this instalment and is horrified to discover the French eat surprising slippery snails, Mim’s treasured word collection has an addition of an ‘Admit One’ ticket, which leads to her pondering, what do we admit to? Not believing in fairies perhaps or being afraid of the dark?
This is a lovely lead into asking artist Pierre to ‘admit one thing’? And his anxiety leads to him admitting he cannot bear to part with any of his paintings. Mim knows they could help Pierre if they could find the right book in their travelling bookshop. She needs to help him find the right book that will make him see how much happiness his art brings to his customers. But Dad appears to be giving out the wrong books to Pierre and everyone that visits. Why would a wealthy spinster want a book on French coffee pots? Or fascinating snails and being a home handyman? And why would Pierre want a beginner’s guide to gardening? He’s an artist! If only Dad would find him the right book. If only he would stop giving everyone else the wrong book!
The story lines and fun and games in every scene will make this an unputdownable book. I love the scene where Nat dresses up in Madame’s silk ball down, fur hat and high heels and trots down her sweeping spiral stairs. More ‘S’ words for him to love too! The language rolls off our tongues like honey, and fun words will stretch the imaginations of young readers. Orsini’s line drawings are endearing and full of emotion.
This series is perfect for children searching for child centric stories on friendships, snuggling hedgehogs, flying lambs, food of the world and wonder for ages 7+ years.
Reviewed by Stef Gemmill
