This is the second collaboration between Christopher Cheng and Lucia Masciullo, the first being The Imagineer. There is an obvious understanding between author and illustrator: the text and pictures have a beautiful symbiotic relationship.

Mr Singer lives alone in his home named Dragon Hall, which is a ‘fractured old house with a wiggly sign’. He is grumpy and crotchety and never smiles; his home is grey, and so is he. ‘But it wasn’t always this way.’ When Mrs Singer was alive, the house was always full of laughter and the smell of freshly baked cake.

This is a lovely picture book that gently explores the impact of grief, and how it can remove the colour from someone’s world. Lucia uses this metaphor by creating the early illustrations in shades of grey. As the young boy Evan makes his way back into Mr Singer’s life, he brings the colour back into his world, both metaphorically and literally, and the pages become brighter and full of colour. Lucia’s hand drawn illustrations, with gentle pastel colours, sympathetically reflect Christopher’s poetic words.

Dragon Folding celebrates friendship, intergenerational relationships and the importance of a supportive community to the wellbeing of all its members.

Thank you to The Children’s Book Council for the opportunity to review this book. My original review was published on https://readingtime.com.au/bear-and-rat/

‘Bear,’ said Rat. ‘I’ve been wondering. Will we always hold hands like this, even when we are old and wrinkly…’

So begins this warm and comforting picture book which reveals a friendship so strong, it will overcome all the obstacles life throws in its way, and even beyond. It celebrates the timeless nature of love.

The tender relationship between these two friends brought to mind another children’s classic about friendship: Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet. And just as we cannot imagine them without E. H. Shephard’s illustrations, so too do Stephen Michael King’s whimsical drawings perfectly reflect the heart of this book.

On my first reading, I thought it would make a lovely wedding present, as it represents a relationship that nurtures and supports each party. I then discovered that Christopher Cheng wrote this book for his wife Bini while she was receiving cancer treatment. The characters are based on their favourite animals. Christopher had not intended to publish the book, but after his wife sadly passed away, he realised the book could be helpful for children who are facing loss. It reminds us that we always carry our loved ones in our hearts.

Bear and Rat is a CBCA Notable Book for 2022 and was shortlisted for the 2022 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, Patricia Wrightson Prize.

Bear and Rat deserves to become a classic. Highly recommended.