Beegu

Product Information

They remind me of Allie Brosh’s dog illustrations that manage to pack so much expression into a line drawing. The second picture-book I have read from Alexis Deacon (the first being Slow Loris) - an English author/artist whose work has been strongly recommended to me by a friend and fellow children's literature enthusiast - Beegu is a deceptively simple story, one that flawlessly blends word and image to create a poignant tale of being adrift in a strange new world.

The story is about her trying to find her way back home travelling through a city coming across what life on Earth is like.This story was requested again and again and again at bedtime and I never grew tired of this baby alien’s adventure. Beegu and Jitterbug Jam, both of which he illustrated, were named as New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year. Feeling bewildered and alone as she awaits a rescue signal from her mother Beegu sets off to find friends with the strange creatures she comes across. This book is charming and an excellent read for KS1 children, particularly Foundation stage and for classrooms with UAL and SEN children. It can lead to discussions about confusion, loneliness, abandonment, getting lost and the way people treat each other.

Having only a sentence or two on each page really draws the reader into the pictures which are a good talking point for how Beegu is feeling at different points in the book. I love the scene where she is reunited with her parents and she retells her experiences in her special language, the pictographs are great in her speech bubble. Her mother finds her and, again, another wonderful illustrations shows little Beegu reunited with her parents.But the only friendly people she comes across are the children, while the big Earth creatures just don’t seem to understand.

I am likely to remember Beegu and sad that I’m one of the oldsters Beegu will not make a point of fondly remembering. Alexis Deacon is one of Book Trust's ten Best New Illustrators, and Beegu was a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.An important book which could be used for so many different ages and abilities especially as mentioned bellow with SEN and EAL children. She tries to comunicate and form friendships although she is often pushed away, due to her being misunderstood and different.