This innovative, two-in-one picture book follows a parallel day in the life of two families: one in a Western city and one in a North African village. Designed to be read side by side, these intriguing stories are told entirely through richly detailed collage illustrations. Full color.

Reviews

In a time when the portrayal of Muslim people by Western media often provokes fear, this book attempts to break the xenophobia by showing children that they don't need to be afraid of people who are different to them, and that, actually, we are all very much the same. Mirror is a picture book about two boys from different families on different sides of the world-one in Australia and one in Morocco. The design of the book is unique, with two storylines that open from the inside out, the pages bound to the edges of the front and back covers rather than the spine. Both stories depict a loving, caring family, set within a wider community that is both globally distant and culturally different. But even across this vast distance there are connections between the two families and it may take several readings for the little ones to spot them all. A striking feature of this book is Baker's beautiful illustrations-they are amazing works of art. Her finely crafted collages use real textures to create each scene, adding an extra dimension to the book. Anyone who has ever been to Sydney will instantly recognise the cityscape of Baker's creation. Once this book is on the shelves, I'm sure booksellers will notice little readers silently mesmerised by the stunning images within. Mirror is a must-have picture book for younger readers. Andrew Wrathall is publishing assistant at Bookseller+Publisher