Prickles by Phil Cummings & Jennifer Goldsmith

Molly and her family have moved into a new home full of light. Each day Molly goes for a walk, and one morning she spies a cat, Prickles, who lives on the street and often sees Molly as she works.

Priceless has led a carefree life on the streets. His home in the alleyway is a warm place to come back to each night. During the day he has lots of adventures. He dances with the flying papers, purrs for the children waiting at the bus stop, and after rain looks at his reflection in the puddles.

He sees Molly but Molly is concentrating on her work and doesn’t see Prickles. One day when Prickles wakes, he doesn’t feel well; he feels pricklier. When it rains he looks into the puddle but it is all very blurry.

He finds the colour has melted from his world, and is in danger when lots of people pass him by. He spies Molly and someone reaches down, picks him up and calms him, offering soothing words. Prickles is taken back to the house full of light and stays, joining Molly on her walks.

This warm hearted story is one that will be read and reread, as children follow the story about Prickles and Molly, and how their paths meet as Prickles develops impaired sight.

The story overflows with the warmth that a home with a loving family can bring. Prickles’ life may seem idyllic, but once problems occur, she needs help and asks Molly. She moves from an alley way with the possibility of being attacked by a roaming dog, to a warm home where she is valued and safe.

Watercolour and pencil illustrations perfectly suit the mood of the tale. Goldsmith creates characters that readers will recognise as they read the story. Each character is individual, not only the family which is the focus of the tale, but also groups of other people we see through the book. Amongst many other pages, I love the group at the bus stop, all cluttered together waiting for their bus. And the double page where the illustration goes all round the two pages, or the beautiful Japanese style bridge. The pages contrasting Prickle looking at his reflection will intrigue readers as they ponder what life without reduced vision is like. And the pages where Prickles is tangled underfoot by passing people, the lack of colour reflecting Prickle’s deteriorating sight. I love the energetic endpapers, and the images of the cat as he jumps and frolics his way through the book.

This delightful tale will not only entertain, but will enable readers to think about the possibility of having impaired vision, a disability affecting nearly half million people in Australia.

Themes: Blindness, Vision impairment, Cats, Homelessness, Family.

Fran Knight