Pigs Can't Fly

Written and illustrated by Wallace Edwards

North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

978-1-0397-0194-6

32 pp.

Ages 3-8

October 2023

 

Out of the creative heart and hands of Governor General Award-winning author-illustrator Wallace Edwards comes the message to look beyond the seemingly impossible and to imagine.

 

From Pigs Can't Fly, written and illustrated by Wallace Edwards

Many of us have heard the phrase "when pigs fly" and accept the logic of this statement. And the nature of adynatons like "when pigs fly" is the impossibility of them. But Wallace Edwards makes us see beyond the logical and real and imagine otherwise. In rhyming verse and brilliant artwork, Wallace Edwards asks us to consider the impossible as possible. From that flying pig to a turtle chewing gum and a chameleon that smiles, it may all be feasible. In fact, Wallace Edwards provides us with graphic evidence.

Fish never sing, I have been told,

They think it's too much trouble.

But this fish sings an old, sweet song,

Then saves it in a bubble.

From Pigs Can't Fly, written and illustrated by Wallace Edwards

Depicting some of his favourite characters–alligators, mice, pigs, rhinos, and elephants–Wallace Edwards offers hope for the impossible. And that hope, to think beyond what we've all been told, leads to his final proposition about love, contrary to the notion that nothing lasts forever.

From Pigs Can't Fly, written and illustrated by Wallace Edwards

I know that when we're told "when pigs fly" that it's often to indicate something will never happen. It's a statement that puts the kibosh on any expectation of something coming to pass. But Wallace Edwards restores that expectation of possibility, through his words and his art, and reminds us ultimately that love can endure all. (His dedication suggests that his does, giving him "the happily-ever-after part" of his life.) His words are clear and still playful, just like his sophisticated art. The worm in a pointe shoe dances for his party of a frog, mouse, miniature lion, robot, mallard, elephant with red-painted toenails, warblers (maybe?) and a glorious orchid. The frog plays his bagpipes wearing his blue-green tartan and sporran in the highlands. And the mouse juggles a candy cane, key, apple core and teacup for his fellow mice all from atop a playing card. Wallace Edwards always gives readers a feast for the eyes and a message from the heart. His theme here is to look beyond the seemingly impossible for it might just be plausible.

This is the third book in Wallace Edwards's series of books–the first books were Can You Imagine? and Do You Wonder?–that implore us to wonder and imagine. With  Pigs Can't Fly, he reminds us that no matter how often we may be told or hear that something cannot be done, whether it's to protect us or to stifle us, it's within us to try.

• • • • • • •

Can You Imagine? (2021)

 Do You Wonder? (2022)

Pigs Can't Fly (2023)

The Not-So-Perfect Plan (A Holly-Mei Book)

Written by Christina Matula

Inkyard Press

978-1-335-42917-9

240 pp.

Ages 8-12

April 2023

 

Holly-Mei thinks she has it all worked out. When she sees how exceptional her field hockey teammate Saskia is, and how much time her best friend Rosie is spending with her crush Henry, and the accolades her younger sister Millie gets for her baking, Holly-Mei is determined to shine too. She plans on organizing her friends into a team for the Grade 7 Inter-School Tri-Tournament that includes an open water swim, a race and a Dragon Dash around Hong Kong. And she plans on them winning it.

But life cannot be sweet all the time (pg. 26)

When Christina Matula introduced Holly-Mei in The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly Mei last year, the twelve-year-old was trying to find a foothold in her new home of Hong Kong and make friends. She made great friends in cousins Rosie and Rhys, in Henry and his cousin Theo, girlfriends Rainbow, Snowy and Gemma, and even field hockey player Dev who gives her great advice. But we all know that making friends is just the beginning. It's keeping the friends that can be the hardest part. And when all her friends have different plans for the Christmas break, Holly-Mei feels abandoned. Even when everyone returns from their fabulous holidays around the world, Holly-Mei feels left out as they continue with their rugby, ballet, eco-art club and more. So, when the posters go up for the Inter-School Tri-Tournament, Holly-Mei's plan is to bring her friends–or at least Theo, Dev, Gemma, Rhys, Rosie, Rainbow and Snowy–together, to excel and to win. For her, it's all about the win.

But Holly-Mei is so determined to win that she forgets about the fun. She wants to practise swimming and quiz her teammates on Hong Kong trivia to ensure a win. Unlike Saskia whose parents drive her to succeed, Holly-Mei's friends are looking for activities that bring them joy and that doesn't always work with Holly-Mei's plan. Worse yet, Holly-Mei keeps putting her foot in her mouth every time a friend chooses to do something other than practice or drill. Will she hold onto the very friends she is desperate to keep, or will Holly-Mei end up losing those friends in her efforts to win at all costs?

I try so hard, but I feel like no one sees me and I get left behind. (pg. 108)

Though Holly-Mei is living a very privileged life with a loving family, private school, wealthy friends and family, and many, many opportunities, she is still struggling to appreciate herself, both strengths and weaknesses, and accept that others may be different from her. Her "knowledge of self" (pg. 108), as her Ah-ma calls it, is negligible and it drives her to envy and, worse, jealousy and selfishness. But, as with every coming-of-age story, there's the beginnings of self-awareness that will lead to greater maturity and understanding of self and others. Christina Matula lets us follow along with Holly-Mei as she learns about herself and how she interacts with others, becoming a more positive version of herself as a friend, a sister, and a daughter. And she, Christina Matula, makes that journey of self for Holly-Mei and her friends more than lesson-learning. That would be a win in itself, but that accomplishment of self-discovery is achieved through a series of fun ventures that take young readers along the Eight Immortals Trail, to Repulse Bay and Man Mo Temple and enjoying xiao long bao, egg waffles, and bubble tea. (Two recipes, one for Candy Cane-White Rabbit Chip Cookies and the other for Millie's award-winning Chocolate Avocado Cake, are included.)

I think middle-grade readers will enjoy exploring Hong Kong further with Holly-Mei in The Not-So-Perfect Plan but they'll also grab a lesson or two about being a friend and becoming self-aware and that's a gold-medal achievement.

• • • • • • •

 

The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei (2022)

The Not-So-Perfect Plan (2023)

🤫 n.b. I just learned there will a third book, titled The Not-So-Simple Question, in the Holly-Mei series.

Mission Mumbai: A Novel of Sacred Cows, Snakes, and Stolen Toilets

by Mahtab Narsimhan

Scholastic Press

978-0-545-74651-9

272 pp.

Ages 9-12

March 2016

Reviewed from advance reading copy

Dylan Moore, 12, has gone a long way to get away from the worries of his parents’ impending breakup in New York City after finagling an invitation to go to India for three weeks with best friend, Rohit Lal.  For Dylan, it’s all about the adventure, the new experiences, especially the food, and taking photographs, determined to win a National Geographic contest and show his dad that his hobby is a worthwhile endeavour.  Problem is that Rohit isn’t that keen on going back to India, having accustomed himself to the amenities of life in New York City, and his displeasure is evident in every interaction he has, most notably with his mother and his Bua (father’s sister) whom Dylan dubs Boa for her venomous attitude.  Sadly Rohit’s rudeness has Boa deciding that, since she has financed the family’s stay in the U.S. including Rohit’s schooling, Rohit needs some discipline and will remain to go to school in Mumbai.

Even with the boys’ worries, everything is thrilling, flavourful and photogenic for Dylan.

My life in New York was so predictable, and this was so exciting! It was almost like starring in my own Bollywood adventure. (pg. 28)

But Dylan is trying to balance being a good guest and being a supportive friend, while navigating a culture with which he is totally unfamiliar.   Not surprising, Dylan gets himself into quite a few scraps, not including a scandalous shooing of a sacred cow, a swim in sewage-polluted water, a bladder-stressed train ride, and getting them banned from a restaurant.  And Rohit, desperate for his mother to take him back to NYC asap, resents Dylan’s wanting to stay on and takes advantage of Dylan’s ignorance time and time again.

It’s adventure after adventure for the two boys, as they bicker their way through their holiday in India, each resenting their own family dynamics and envious of the other’s, not realizing how much they both have.  Their friendship is so honest and complex and simple and real that every reader will understand the ups and downs of it, all against the unique backdrop that is India.  Mahtab Narsimhan has demonstrated her ability to capture the essence of other cultures in multi-layered plots in her previous books which include the 2009 Silver Birch Fiction award-winning The Third Eye (Dundurn, 2007) and The Tiffin (Dancing Cat Books, 2011), reviewed here, but Mission Mumbai takes her writing into more humourous realms.  Think of the lightness of Gordon Korman’s books with the flavours of Rohinton Mistry for middle-grade readers.  It’s a dazzling combination of characters, atmosphere, plot and humour.

Kerosene lamps smoked, a temple bell at a roadside shrine tinkled, and the air was thick with smells–some good, some gross.  Rohit swore softly under his breath as the cab inched forward.  After being in the air-conditioned flat, the heat was borderline torture.  It was like being in a malfunctioning steam room with the temperature stuck on “cook”.  My face was burning witht the heat and probably beet red. (pg. 48)

Whether a young reader is like Dylan, new to Indian culture, or Rohit, for whom the culture is familiar, Mission Mumbai will engage, enthrall and entertain.  And I haven’t even mentioned the monsoon, the wedding, the fire at the theatre, the wise old woman who gives them shelter, the heat, the scooties, and the glorious food!  So much to delve into and it’s all sweet and savoury and spicy and wholesome.