Paradise Sands

Washed clean in his pool, we fall under his rule
Away from what is, for we are now his.

A young girl and her brothers set off on a car journey through a desolate desert to visit their mother. On the way, they stop to pick flowers for her and, spotting a mysterious building, head towards it in search of a drink. Deaf to their sister’s words of caution, the brothers fall under the spell of the place, leaving their sister to rescue them.

I almost don’t know where to start with this one! I have long had deep admiration for the genius of Levi Pinfold as both storyteller and artist, but ‘Paradise Sands’ is just incredible. It is a mesmerising tale which leaves the reader full of questions and returning to each spread again and again to dwell on the stunning illustrations, searching for clues, finding answers- and promptly questioning them and pondering again.

The book begins with a rhyme about Teller’s Hollow before the reader is shown three boys in a car, waiting for a girl to close the door of a house and join them. During the car journey, the siblings decide to take their mother flowers and Bill, who is driving, recalls the rhyme. This is the start of their adventure as the brothers drink deeply from a spring outside the strange house they find, enter the building and are tempted to eat what they discover and find themselves trapped. Their sister must save them and she does- but at what future cost?

At every step of the story, there is much to absorb and spark discussion, making it a perfect text for exploring with a class. In the hands of the right teacher, top quality responses in drama, reading and writing would be guaranteed in response to exploring this book which is sure to spark imagination and wonder. The artwork is stunning - again, there is much to learn from and talk about here.

I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

Paradise Sands Levi Pinfold

Walker Studio ISBN: 978-1406383942