The Icelandic Canadian - 01.03.2003, Side 48

184
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 57 #4
The story line is based on a true experience
of a friend of Gillian’s. The owner, believ-
ing that her pet is lonely while she is away
at work, goes to the pound to adopt a
“brother”. The original dog is male: the
newly acquired one is female. Rivalry
springs up, as is often the case with siblings.
Gracie, the new dog is fat and ugly, while
Fabio, the original dog, is sleek and small.
Fabio takes Gracie to the park to meet his
friends (other dogs). When “his friends”
begin to taunt and tease Gracie, Fabio
becomes the protective brother. The story
line follows the experience of having to
come to terms with a new sibling—some-
thing many children have to work through.
The age range for the book would be three
years to six or seven. As a bedtime story, I
am sure it would be memorized very
quickly and the child would ask for it to be
read repeatedly.
Bun Bun’s Birthday and Princess Bun
Bun are stories written by Richard
Scrimger which also deal with relevant
issues for children. Bun Bun is only one
year old or in the second book just slightly
older. In Bun Bun’s Birthday, where she is
about to turn one, her older sister cannot
deal with all the attention the baby is
receiving. The party preparations are the
theme of the book. It takes an understand-
ing mother to detect what the problem is
and offer a solution. In the follow up book,
Bun Bun toddles alone into an open eleva-
tor at a high rise, a modern day castle, the
panic of losing the toddler can be felt by
GIMLI
AUTO LTD.
Your Ford, Mercury,
Lincoln Dealer
Covering the Interlake
642-5137
the reader. However, it is just a wonderful
adventure for Bun Bun, who has just
learned to walk. Parents can relate to the
gut wrenching feelings of having a lost
child. Sister Winifred finds her sister and
all is well.
Bun Bun is a very sweet baby with her
kiss curl and fancy dress. Winifred, the
very jealous sister wears striped leggings
and a tiara, giving you the impression of
her status. There is also a little brother,
Eugene, who wears glasses and has a bowl
haircut. Gillian uses pen and ink drawings
that she then colours beautifully with
watercolours. Her artwork exhibits won-
derful detail. One example that I particu-
larly like was of Winifred and Eugene
jumping on the bed. The view is from high
above the bed, with a full picture window
in the background, showing yet another
complete scenario behind the jumping chil-
dren.
The Cat and the Wizard is a rhyming
delight that Gillian has brought to life with
her whimsical artwork. The story is of an
elderly wizard who is lonely and no longer
respected. In Casa Loma lives a very fancy
cat who too is lonely.
You can guess the story line. Again
Gillian has succeeded in bringing to us all
the colour and feelings of the day for these
two characters. Her imagination is a
delight.
Have the themes from these books
been drawn from Gillian’s own experi-
ence? It could well be. She is the youngest
child of the late Dr. George and Doris
Johnson. She is now the proud mother of
two beautiful sons.
They may be giving her creative ideas
on the activities and actions of youngsters.
Gillian lives abroad in England and
Tasmania. Her work is well recognized in
the Canadian publishing industry. It is a
very competitive market, where she fares
well.