Mirror

Product Information

An amazing picture book that portrays the difference between two young boys and the life they each live. It’s at this point that I start work on the final artwork (the collages) for the book, though I’m still working at, refining and developing the ideas and images in the book right until the very last opportunity, before it is photographed for reproduction. Her collages are fascinating in their detail, and I found myself wondering at times, how she created this or that effect. I was rapidly losing my body heat through my legs (I only wore a thin pair of trousers) Mohammed put my feet into the mule bags and stuffed a blanket around them; I felt much better.

She has stayed up all night to finish weaving a carpet for her husband to take to the local souk (market) to sell. It's unique because the stories being shown, for example families eating together, are the same activity but the way in which it is done is different.I loved how the two stories ran parallel to each other - this offers an amazing opportunity for discussion around culture, difference, and the links between lives that seem so far apart. In this lesson, we will explore images of the families' journeys through the landscapes of Australia and Morocco. What I see, is the sheer richness of different nationalities and cultures, a richness that will no doubt diminish as our western culture spreads. This innovative picture book comprises two stories designed to be read simultaneously – one from the left, the other from the right. I ride until I reach a high point overlooking two Kasbahs like two islands in a sea of green beside the river.

I then worked on these drawings, over and over and over again, until I got to the point where I could see no way of taking the ideas further and its at this point that I send the layouts drawings, bound into book form, or in this case two parts of a book form, to my publisher.

I think I liked the idea and the set-up more than the actual artwork and story portrayed, but it is a great idea and a very cool set-up, so it's definitely worth checking out :-) Also, I'm not sure I've encountered any books told with Arabic and English (as I have seen with some Spanish-and-English side-by-side books) so that makes this a great addition to multilingual homes and schools. They learn that although there are many differences, they both enjoy similar things like pets, drawing, school, family and friendship. But it also makes me reflect on the similarities in the lives of people all over the world - we're all just family members at the end of the day. I was fascinated by the peaks of the hoods, which sometimes stand pointed straight upright, or they’ll permanently flop in various ways to one side or the other, backwards or forwards. But for the elderly, the superstitious and the traditional, they serve a vital purpose: they are protectors against the evil eye, bringers of good luck and bountiful harvests.

The book, Mirror, by Jeannie Baker is very unique, there are two sides to the book that mirror each other. It is a wordless picture book that speaks volumes about culture – both similarities and differences. Opening on both sides, Mirror chronicles the day in the life of two boys: one living in Sydney, Australia, the other in Morocco's Valley of the Roses. Jeannie Baker is the author and illustrator of a number of children's picture books, including the award-winning Where the Forest Meets the Sea.In terms of social and economic status, Baker made comparing the two very simple for the reader again. We pass the country trekked the previous day and on to a series of caves, the home of a family of nomads. This is such a clever wordless picture book that showcases a literal 'mirroring' of two very different cultures - Western and Moroccan. There are many reasons that Baker deserves this award and as soon as the book is open the reader will understand why she is so deserving. Ivy and Clara didn’t really pick up much of the different culture, same life aspect but their interest in the pictures more than made up for it.