posted on 20 Jun 2024

Beti and the Little Round House by Atinuke, illustrated by Emily Hughes

This is an author who writes engagingly about a range of different environments, putting a spirited young girl as the central character. As I very much enjoyed reading the illustrated series about Tola who lives in Nigeria, I was intrigued to see how the four seasonal stories about Beti who lives in the Welsh mountains would play out. 

Beit lives with her Mam, Tad and Baby Jac in a cosy little round house which is similar to one where the author once lived ‘It was a life of magic, and of mud.’ She enjoys playing with and looking after the animals in what sounds like an idyllic setting. Her world feels safe and familiar, but that doesn’t mean that it is boring. I enjoyed reading each of the four stories which are jam packed with eventful detail but I will comment on just two of them in this review.

Spring: Who’s Naughty?

This is always a special time for Beti because it is her birthday season.  We get a strong flavour of the flower laden countryside where she lives as she goes out alone to find decorations for her birthday cake. When I read this aloud with a group of six -year- olds, one suggested that it was a bit like the story of Red Riding Hood. The woodland landscape is well described, but there is no sense of menace. As they prepare for the birthday picnic celebration, Beti wishes that she had a mobile phone to check that her friends were all on their way, but she lives in a phone free family: 

‘Mam and Tad say it’s better to enjoy who you are with rather than be distracted by calls and messages from everyone who knows you.’   

The party is a big success with a star present that just keeps on giving - a goat that can be miked and her tiny baby as new pets. But the mischievous little creature causes havoc, ripping open some parcels, nibbing the sandwiches, biting the baby’s bottom and ruining the cake! Beti is not impressed and decides that she doesn’t like these unusual presents at all. But when the naughty goat goes missing later, she soon changes her mind. We waited with bated breath to see whether she would find him safe and sound.

Autumn: Beti and the Storm Dragon

We particularly liked this story with its vivid description of the house in colder weather:

‘The yellow-orange fire is always doing a bright and cheerful dance. And in the dark evenings it looks like fire fairies are dancing across the walls.’

This time the focus is on berry picking with Mam, Jac and Naughty the little goat. The children soon get fed up and wander off to play in the woods. Naughty gets up to mischief yet again and they go with Tad to the hay barn where they shelter from a big storm. There is a moment of calm and tenderness as Tad tells her stories about when he was a boy in Nigeria. Eventually they have to brave the heavy rain which is when Beti imagines that the storm is like a dragon:

‘The wind is its roaring breath, and it spits cold hard stinging rain instead of fire.’ 

This episode is fraught with tension described in beautiful language which will be an inspiration for imaginative readers. Being afraid in a storm may be a familiar experience for many children but they will be reassured by another happy ending. 

This charming collection of stories is brought alive by detailed illustrations in black and white and colour throughout the text. The use of gentle colours reinforces the feeling of calmness and security.  I particularly loved looking at the generous double page spreads at the end of each story. 

I recommend this beautiful picture book published by Walker Books which should be available from your local independent bookshop – who will be happy to order it for you if they don’t have it on their shelves.

Karen Argent

June 2024