The Lighthouse by Bernard P Morgan and Rikin Parekh
| The Lighthouse by Bernard P Morgan and Rikin Parekh | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Keith Dudhnath
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| Summary: Despite some glimmers of potential, The Lighthouse is ultimately disappointing. The sentences run on too long, and the illustrations fail to draw you in. | |
| Buy? No | Borrow? Maybe |
| Pages: 48 | Date: October 2009 |
| Publisher: MX Publishing | |
| ISBN: 978-1904312765 | |
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Bob the lighthouse keeper tries to warn the village of Quark that there's a big storm on the way. They don't listen to him, so Bob just sets about making preparations anyway. When the storm comes, the villagers are in a lot of trouble, but thankfully Bob is on hand to save the day.
The core story of The Lighthouse is interesting enough, but the execution is disappointing. The text is crying out for some judicious editing. Sentences run on far too long for young readers. Almost every sentence needs a clause or two taken out of it - in trying to paint an evocative picture, it actually becomes hard to follow. At its heart, there's an enjoyable parable, but a lot of the background needs to be stripped away.
I'm afraid I was equally unimpressed by Rikin Parekh's illustrations. Bob seems to be a werewolf teddy bear, but inexplicably grows floppy dog ears in one scene. There's nothing really that makes him seem like a lighthouse keeper, nor can you ever really identify with him. The rest of the villagers are a little more approachable, but the illustrations never quite click with the story itself. Given that the audience never really clicks with the story either, that's a problem. They're fun and cartoony, and in the right context could work well, but they didn't work here.
It all just feels a bit rushed and incongruous. The Lighthouse has glimmers of potential, but it needed a much firmer hand from an editor to get the best from it. Ultimately, there are just better books out there to enjoy.
My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.
If you're looking for a range of animals having an adventure, Inspector Croc Investigates by Sam Lloyd is very jolly. Zebedee's Zoo by Giles Milton and Katharine McEwen is also great fun.
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