The Wonderful Stranges by Melanie and Monica Koster is a sweet story about a quirky family who arrive unexpectedly in an extraordinarily ordinary sort of town and upset their new neighbours with their unconventional ways. The people of the town are used to their houses in neat rows like boxes of ticky-tacky that all look just the same (though these houses are all uniformly dull and grey, not colourful like the ones in the song!). They are perturbed by the Stranges with their unusual clothes and ways, and their colourful treehouse-- complete with composting loo and bath with a view.
But when a storm causes a flood, the Stranges are more than happy to help every last one of their judgemental neighbours!
The story is told in playful rhyme. I enjoyed the wide vocabulary and bouncy rhythm which I'm sure will make it a fun story to read aloud! (Unfortunately, now that the Young Lad is a great strapping Young Man--taller than his mum--he is no longer a good test audience for new picture books, so I have not tried it out on anyone!)
The message of tolerance and kindness is handled well and enhanced by the illustrations which nicely juxtapose the wild and colourful Strange family with the drab, orderly villagers.
Bad weather has featured heavily in the picture books I've been reading lately! Personally, I've had enough of storms recently, after getting stuck in Wellington when all the flights were cancelled the other week! But I guess the bad weather will be sure to be something kids will be able to associate with!
The Wonderful Stranges is out now from Bateman Books.
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