Synopsis: The familiar biblical words from Ecclesiastes take on new life and meaning in the sun-baked rural setting of a South African homestead. Sowing, planting and reaping, going to market, day-to-day dealings with neighbours and acquaintances, love and hostility, the sadness of mourning and the joy of celebration with family and friends - this is a book about a family who live, work and grow against a backdrop of ever-changing seasons.

Review: Jude Daly creates a whimsical portal to family life, presenting us with domestic scenes children from all cultures will instantly recognise. This miniature world – perfect at first glance – leaves a trail of intricate clues which warrant closer inspection. A tiny pair of boots rest at the door of a boarded-up house, left behind by a woman, last seen tending her cow. This reference to death is indicative of Daly’s subtle handling of complex subject matter. Her delightful pseudo-naive treatment of tiny details – a sock; a dog; a grave; adds visual narrative to every page. Simple objects rendered in awkward perspective and painted in jewel-like colours lend immense charm, rather than sentimentality, to the text.

In terms of the storyline, there are no surprises – many adults are familiar with this passage from the King James Version of The Bible, (or perhaps the song, ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’) and the text remains unaltered. Each hand-lettered phrase is either written over one spread, or pages are divided into frames, helping readers make comparisons between each physical and metaphorical season.

Daly delivers big gestures through tiny characters in her interpretation of the text. It’s like being seated in the back row at a theatre; we can’t see detailed facial expressions, yet actions leave us in no doubt about what’s going on. It’s this visual narrative feast which will likely trigger inquisitive questions or discussion.

 When reading aloud, I might skip the last page… the insertion of a ‘text only’ page which repeats the whole of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, halts the visual flow entirely. I feel like the theatre houselights came up a moment too early! Thankfully, this is a singular, unsubtle moment in a beautifully illustrated, folk-art inspired work which will keep children of varying ages entertained – very young children might enjoy finding the dog which appears on almost every page. In the classroom, teachers may find this best suited to smaller groups as everyone will want to get up close to feast on this visual treat.

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2008-04-06