The Mud Maid
written by Sandra Horn and illustrated by Karen Popham
(Clucket Press - www.tattybogle.com, 4.99)
'Urble Gloop!' is the way the Mud Maid expresses her happiness in the wonderful Lost Gardens of Heligan, forgotten and then restored after the First World War. If you haven't visited the gardens, the note at the beginning of the book explains that there is a representation of the Mud Maid who sleeps in the Woodland Walk there. I asked my young book reviewer why this book was appealing. 'I think it's a very nice bit when she smells the flowers and is going to pick one for her hair.' This is an important, repeated, motif - when war comes, the Mud Maid forgets to pick a flower.
I asked about favourite pictures. 'I love the way she is green - her body blends into the background.' There is a soporific impression created by the melded greens and blues and yellows of the illustrations. My reviewer pointed to Japanese-style angular branches framing a block of text that reads, 'Rain softened the paths, puddled flower beds... The Mud Maid was trapped inside a cruel cage of twisted roots and branches.'
And a final word from my reviewer: 'I like the ending because it's sad and happy; because she never gets to see Willy (the gardener who worked in the gardens before the war), but the war stops.'
