Review by Ian Keogh
On her summer holidays Katya befriended a bear, Kodi. Originally lacking self-belief the friendship bolstered her confidence in a heartwarming tale told, naturally enough, in Kodi. What happens, though, when Katya returns home to the city? Well, Jared Cullum’s energetic sample art shows how that works!
Except it’s not working, really. Kodi is happy when with Katya, but distressed by elements of city life, especially being with strangers, while behind Katya’s back forces are conspiring to separate her from Kodi. Cullum carries the threat of separation through most of A Place to Call Home.
It’s been six years since the previous Kodi book, and Cullum has taken this into account when creating a story for readers who’re now six years older. Rather than rely predominantly on illustration to tell the story there are now both more words and characters, and a greater set of problems for Katya. She wants to draw, but neglects both her classes and homework to do so, while in school and the wider city Kodi attracts a lot of attention, some of it from the owner of a shabbily maintained zoo who sees Kodi as his new star attraction.
Cullum’s art is if anything better than the previous book. Watercolours are naturally suited to the landscapes Kodi presented, and not so much so to an urban environment, yet Cullum’s vibrant and expressive pages are packed with personality and detail around many locations. Kodi lives on Joshua’s boat, and the assorted harbour scenes supply both beauty and comedy. Later on more rural surroundings feature, but not quite the wilderness of Kodi.
While Katya and Kodi dominated the previous book, here there’s space to explore other people and their backgrounds, and there’s also greater emotional depth as Katya’s Aunt has to make an upsetting decision. That’s balanced by some well staged comedy moments, with the unfortunate Joshua often the victim, as he and nature don’t really get along unless he’s at sea. Kodi is the only animal presented in a cuddly cartoon version, while all others are as they would be in reality.
A Place to Call Home builds toward a fantastic and unpredictable final third providing a story for youngsters to cherish and a hearbreaker for adults also.
