Lena Landstrom (text) Olaf Landstrom (illustrations) Where is Pim? Gecko Press February 2015 unpaged $NZ 19.99 pbk ISBN 978-1-927271-74-2; $NZ 34.99 hbk ISBN 978-1-927271-73-5
When Pom throws his teddy Pim into the air which is then caught by a frolicsome dog, Pim disappears. The dog has taken it away and seemingly lost it. Pom searches all over the place, seemingly helped by his dog… Poor Pom. The mystery is solved when Pim is returned by the “other” dog!
What is portrayed delightfully here is raw emotions of a child who has lost his teddy-bear. The images are highly emotive: delight, loss, confusion, intensity, horror, sadness and joy. Early childhood listeners will bring their own recollections of visceral feelings; older viewers could begin to explore the elements of drawing emotion through cartoon imagery. Teaching notes are available on the Random House NZ website. Recommended.
reviewed by John McKenzie
