Title: I Am Henry Finch
Author: Alexis Deacon
Illustrator: Viviane Schwarz
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: 2014
Format: Hardback
Source: My own copy
I Am
Henry Finch is the third collaboration between Alexis Deacon and
Viviane Schwarz, following the books A Place To Call Home and
Cheese Belongs To You!
The
story follows the plights of a flock of finches who always do the
same things and say the same greetings until the titular Henry
suddenly gains the power of thought and decides to take on the beast
that threatens them on a regular basis. This is a very funny story
that also happens to have a philosophical message behind it about the
power of individual thinking and spreading that power around. Both
the story and the dialogue are very simplistic at first and become
more complex as Henry gains more thoughts and passes them on,
therefore matching the progression of the finches perfectly. The
illustrations are also very cute, with red fingerprints used to
create the bodies of the finches and black pen used to create the
rest of their features such as their beaks, feet, wings and eyes,
which will appeal to young children immensely.
In
general, the blend between humour and philosophy makes I Am Henry
Finch both a funny and interesting book to read which can be
enjoyed by everyone, both young and old. Children and art fans alike
will also love the fingerprint illustrations.
