Dear Diary

You could believe this book really was the diary of an 8 or 9 year old girl. It is seven short diaries ostensibly - Lucy's and those of a number of other objects and creatures that take part in the day's events: among them, a chair, a spider, Bubu the Dog, and a Knife and Fork, But we know it is all Lucy's work really, because, although she disguises her handwriting in each of the diaries, the art is consistent. Sara Fanelli carries off this conceit well. The book is presented as a bound scrap-book, with scribbles and doodles on the end papers, and a variety of backgrounds to each spread (ruled, graph paper or account book pages). The illustration is a mixture of collage and drawing, cleverly suggesting the techniques and materials that might be attractive and to hand for a girl Lucy's age. My misgiving is that, unlike, say, Jon Scieszka's books, the content may appear too childish to a readership of 8-11 year-olds that is old enough to understand and appreciate the sophistication of the presentation.