Review: Always Never Always

Always follow secret tracks –

The paths that wind and wend through cracks.

Never worry where they go,

When you get there, then you’ll know.

Always Never Always is an almost-meditation on the
adventures and meander-ings of a little girl and her wind-up toy duck.

Following
her heart’s lead, the little girl cycles into all sorts of landscapes and all
manner of situations, with the gentle wisdom of this charming narrative at her
back.

Always take
time to breathe, to stop and look, to hug tightly and to follow a dream. Never
worry too much because your heart and your head will guide you, and storms
always pass.

The rhyming
narrative lilts and dances on the page. And the gentle pencil illustrations
with their pastel colour palette, provide a lovely anchor from which to leap
into the ideas in the book.

From an
award-winning author/illustrator duo, this book is sure to bring a sense of
possibility into the minds of small readers. Title: Always Never Always Author: Meg McKinlay Illustrator: Leila Rudge Publisher: Walker Books, $25.99 Publication Date: 4 October 2023 Format: Hardcover ISBN: 9781760655204 For ages: 2+ Type: Picture Book