posted on 21 May 2023

Molly, Olive and Dexter by Catherine Rayner

A picture book cover is so important in concisely conveying the atmosphere of the story that follows. In this case, we are immediately charmed by the trio of animal friends who are standing together framed by a border of pastel coloured flowers and grasses. This promises to be a story about friendship and working together as a team. For young readers it also poses some questions. For instance, which animal has which name and why are the two larger animals looking so intently at the owl who is perched on the tail of the fox? Does this suggest that he/she is the leader or are they just concerned that he/she might fall off?

The delicately drawn front end paper pulls the reader into a sunny pastoral world dominated by a huge oak tree where I could almost smell the flowers and hear insects quietly buzzing. On the title page we learn that this is where Molly the hare, Olive the owl and Dexter the fox make their home.

Other than a game of hide and seek where the three creatures take turns, nothing much happens. When my husband first looked at it, he found this frustrating and asked ‘what is the point?’ For me, this is precisely why it is so captivating because it shows a quiet, calm episode where a familiar traditional game can be enjoyed. Those us who have played the game with very young children will remember that the rules need to be explained and that they take quite a bit of practice. At first, Olive and Dexter think that Molly can’t see them because they can’t see her! She patiently explains how to play but they still don’t quite get it. Slightly older children will enjoy sharing her frustration, but hopefully understand that it takes time to learn new things.

Eventually they manage to find a clever hiding place and Molly is genuinely puzzled as she searches through the foxgloves, over the big garden wall and into the pile of logs to no avail. There is then a moment where she is genuinely concerned for their safety and we see an image that dominates a double page spread. You will be glad to know that she does find them and that Olive provide friendly reassurance:

“ You don’t have to worry, Molly,” she says

“We’ll NEVER go far, far away.”

The text is appropriately simple and very repetitive which will encourage joining in. This award winning illustrator with a distinctive style has created her own range of baby wear which inspired these characters. I would imagine that this beautiful picture book will be a big favourite, particularly with parents of newly arrived babies.

 

Karen Argent

May 2023