|
The resulting story has a wonderfully old-fashioned feel to it that will, I'm sure, appeal to many adults. The subject matter - a secret valley in Cornwall primarily populated by a strange (fictitious) species of creature from the rainforest - is handled in a comforting, cosy and middle-class manner. Christopher Crump's truly stunning pen and ink illustrations add to the old-fashioned air (the book is beautifully produced). It actually jars when measurements are given in metric. You're half expecting good old feet and inches. The novel is also old-fashioned in the way that it chooses to inform the reader, in much the same way that, say, Jules Verne does in Journey to the Centre of the Earth . Hussey has an agenda: the fate of the Amazonian rainforest and, in particular, the plight of its Indians. In the back of the book there is even a list of species, a bibliography and contact details for various "relevant organisations".
http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/childrenandteens/0,6121,1344549,00.html |
