Review: There’s a King in the Cupboard
Reviewed by Dionne Christian
Author:
Margaret Mahy
Illustrator:
Minrui Yang
Publisher:
Hachette Aotearoa NZ
ISBN:
9781869714857
Date Published:
09 August 2022
Pages:
32
Format:
Hardback
RRP:
$24.99
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This story first appeared, unillustrated, in 1988 when it was called The Kings of the Broom Cupboard and part of a compilation in The Boy Who Bounced and Other Magic Tales.
It is classic Margaret Mahy with its emphasis on the power of imagination – and a little bit of magic – to brighten up situations that might be scary, like moving into a “different house” which makes even the inside furniture look nervous.
A family, ‘It was a small family – a mum, a dad and a little girl called Sarah,’ move into a big, old house which is full of space and echoes and, possibly, secrets. Sarah, a lively girl, goes exploring and when she finds a king locked in a cupboard, she decides to mount a rescue mission.
It's whimsical, magical and packed full of delicious observations about the behaviour of grown-ups – ‘…Mum, who did not believe in the king for one whispering, rustling moments’ – as well as the simple things that kids back in ’88 may have enjoyed like drawing and the smell of tomato sandwiches.
That it has this year been re-released as a picture book is thanks to the Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize. The prize was set up by Hachette Aotearoa NZ and the Margaret Mahy Estate in 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of A Lion in the Meadow.
Unpublished artists were invited to illustrate Margaret Mahy's The Boy with Two Shadows, which duly appeared as a new picture book in 2020 with artwork by winner Sarah Greig. The competition attracted a staggering 140 entries and has since continued.
In 2020, Lily Emo won and illustrated The Boy Who Made Things Up which was released in August 2021. As Emo’s book was released, Minrui Yang was announed as the winner of the Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize 2021 and now we have her take on Mahy’s There’s a King in the Cupboard.
Yang’s illustrations really do help to propel the story, partly because she has used shapes and curves to imbue each drawing with movement. It’s a point noted by Bridget Mahy, from the Margaret Mahy Estate, who admired the framing and the way the illustrations created momentum and movement in the story.
Fellow judge Vaughan Smith, ZM host, loved how the illustrations hinted at the next step of the story: “The pictures in the hallway, the female character leading the charge, the illustrations are all full of beautiful detail.”
They also noted the “curious colour palate” which is quite unlike anything I’ve seen in a recent picture book. It’s muted, almost tinged with a sepia tone which, perhaps, references the fact that this is an older story. The wallpaper and shape of Yang’s animals have a William Morris feel to them but there are subtle nods to Kiwiana.
This year, Jessica Twohill won the prize and will illustrate The Witch in the Cherry Tree which will appear in August 2023. Bridget Mahy was joined on the judging panel with Suzy Cato and both agreed that Twohill’s winning drawings were “thoughtful, full of humour and packed with detail.”
Twohill was the runner up last year and has long been a fan of Margaret Mahy. Aged nine, she even wrote a letter to the world-renowned author and was delighted to get a reply.
The Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize 2021 includes a $1000 cash prize, books valued at $500, a handcrafted totara trophy and an invitation to discuss with Hachette NZ the possibility of developing the submission into a publication.
Reviewed by Dionne Christian
