Monday 29 March 2021

In a Jar

In a Jar
By Deborah Marcero

Deborah Marcero studied visual arts at university and creative writing in graduate school, and although she did not set out to write children’s books, she can now look back and clearly connect the dots that led her to such tour de forces as her latest, In a Jar.

Llewellyn is a collector. Into glass containers he stores regular collectables such as leaves and heart-shaped rocks until the day he walks down to the river and meets a new bunny friend, Evelyn, sharing with her a jar full of “the color of tart cherry syrup”. This “cherry light” is just one of the intangible things Llewellyn and Evelyn begin to gather together, as their world fills with friendship, the sound of the ocean, the wind just before the snow falls, snowball fights and rainbows.

On the fateful day Evelyn tells her friend their family is moving; the two bunnies’ friendship becomes even more resilient. When Llewellyn sends Evelyn a jar stuffed with a meteor shower and it explodes all around her in a burst of magical realism, we see the strength of friendship. Alluring language, sophisticated drawings, and a marvelously vivid experience for all!

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