Hopscotch

Hopscotch, by Governor General’s Literary Award-winning author and illustrator Marie-Louise Gay, is a reassuring picture book about adapting to change.

Ophelia loves her neighbour’s dog and is heartbroken when one day he isn’t there: “Jackson has disappeared as if by magic. How did he escape? Where did he go?” The child vows, “I will wait for him forever.” The little girl and her family are also always on the move and once again must pack up and leave what is familiar.

Imagination is Ophelia’s magic power that she wields to cope with the challenges she faces. The new town feels strange, and she spies giant rabbits hopping in the moonlight and hears “crow-witches” cackling in the tress. On the first day at her new school, she meets a crossing guard who has “an enormous ogre laugh.” Happy to arrive “without getting devoured”, Ophelia enters a classroom “jungle” full of plants and birds and swimming goldfish. To shore up her courage, she rubs a “magic stone” she keeps in her pocket. When a “tall fairy princess” (aka her new teacher) speaks, it is in French, a language Ophelia doesn’t understand. As time goes by, Ophelia is able to express herself in many different ways through language and art.

Like in Gay’s beloved “Stella & Sam” series, there’s an irrepressible sense of wonder and an authentic lack of guile in the narrative. Ophelia has many questions: “Do giant rabbits have sharp teeth?” to which her mother reassures her, “Don’t worry. Rabbits only eat carrots or greens.” The poetic language and sticky situations will resonate with young readers. When Ophelia first enters her new school surroundings, all the other children stare at her, and she feels like a fish in a bowl: “I can hardly breathe.”

There’s lots of movement and transformation in both the text and in the detailed pencil, crayon, watercolour, and acrylic illustrations. Ophelia and her family move “From house to house. From town to town”; Jackson, the neighbor dog, runs “Right to left. Left to right” on his leash tethered to the clothesline; and Ophelia draws a giant hopscotch game on the pavement and hops forward on one leg and hops backward with eyes closed.

Ophelia’s wishes do come true: “Every day I learn new words in school, and I can almost read and write. After that, I will learn to fly!” Inspired by events from Marie-Louise Gay’s own childhood, Hopscotch is a thoughtful, creative and magical picture book.