Written by Margaret Wild
Illustrations by Julie Vivas
Omnibus Books (2008)
RRP $28.00 (hardback)

At the surface level this story describes the lifecycle of the Atlantic puffin, but it also stands as a powerful metaphor for parental love and care and supported independence. 'One night when the light is soft and night never truly falls, the egg hatched' and Puffling the puffin is born. The only time puffins stay on land is when they nest and each parent takes turns to travel long distances to acquire fish, while the other guards the nest. Gulls are the biggest predators of puffin eggs and chicks, and Puffling is warned: 'There are scary gulls out there, watching and waiting.'

Puffling stays safely in the burrow but, like all young creatures, he longs to be free and independent. His loving parents respond: 'When you are strong enough and tall enough and brave enough, you'll leave the burrow all by yourself.' And, of course, the day dawns when Puffling is ready. With great happiness and some sadness in the last beak-rubs, he ventures off 'to find friends and swim and sleep in the swell of the sea until it is summer again and time to come home.'

The gentle language in which the story is told and the warm, tender illustrations reflect the book's deeper meaning. The relationship between the vulnerable puffin baby and its caring parents is evocatively captured in Julie Vivas' use of lines to enclose and connect the little family and colour shifts to denote phases in Puffling's growth.

This beautiful work is another example of the unerring collaboration between these two masters of picture books for the very young – a symphony in words and pictures with never a jarring note. Strongly recommended for every centre and early school collection.

Jenni Connor
Writing and education consultant