Handstand by Lisa Stickley
Pavilion, 2016. ISBN 9781843653127
Picture book. Little girls love to do handstands and Edith is no
exception. She is teaching herself and each day she gets a little
better increasing her upside-downness by a second each day. But each
day something interrupts her concentration like the worm who popped
up by her hand, the bird who used her hand for target practice and
the spider that crawled down her shorts when she rested her legs
against a tree. But nevertheless she keeps on practising...
This is an interesting book - its tagline is 'a kind of counting
book' which it is as Edith manages an extra handstand and an extra
second each day and the words and numbers are included in the
illustrations. But it is also intriguing because as she encounters
each little creature the creature gives its perspective on how Edith
has interrupted it, offering an introduction to getting young
readers to see things from another point of view. The worm pops his
head above ground and sees 'a giant hand next to my preferred
popping up place'. It could spark some discussion and drawing about
how little girls and little boys appear to the creatures in their
environment. Resilience is also a theme - how we must practise and
practise to get better and not be deterred by trivial things like a
spider in your knickers.
The appearance of the book is also interesting - harking back to a
time when handstand competitions were features of recess and lunch
break entertainment for girls of my era, the colours and style give
it a definite retro feel. Even the name 'Edith' suggests a bygone
time. The illustrations are also what a child the age of the
narrator might draw adding to the impression that this is, indeed, a
young girl telling her story, but the font, presented in the style
of a child of this age might prove tricky for young readers to start
with.
Even though this appears to be a counting book at first
flick through, there is much more in it that can provide lots of
chat between child and adult and even tempt them to try a new skill.
I'm sure Miss 10 and Miss Nearly-6's eyes will boggle at the thought
of Grandma being the school handstand champion a lifetime ago!!!
Barbara Braxton