I admire people who can convey an important message in the simplest and briefest of ways. I cannot do that easily.
When it comes to children's books, it is essential not to go too deeply into convoluted terrain and complicated metaphors. Come to think of it, it sometimes helps in grown-up's books as well!!
Five Little Fiends is a very simple, short book, with just such a message.
**************************************
The book was written and illustrated by Sarah Dyer, a young author / illustrator born in Brighton in 1978. It was her very first book, started as part of a project in her second year at Kingston University, where she studied for a BA in Illustration. Sarah now lives in Surbiton and has written a second book entitled: Clementine and Mungo.
Five Little Fiends was the winner of the Nestlé Book Prize 2001, not that his means much to me, but I thought I'd mention it…
We acquired the book as part of a special 10 books package, but it can be bought from amazon.co.uk for £4.79 (soft back) new or as little as £1.45 for a used copy.
*************************************** The book begins on a "far away" plain, where five little fiends live inside 5 lonely statues.
"Every day they would come outside and marvel at their surroundings."
But one day, they each decide to take the thing they like best from the nature that surrounds them. Thus, one takes the moon, one the sky, the land, the sea and the sun!
Taking their preferred thing into their respective statues, they soon realise that something is very wrong. Whilst they "possess" what they like best, it soon becomes clear that the beauty of what they so admired vanishes when all these elements are not gathered together…
".. The sun could not stay up without the sky, The sky was nowhere to be found without the land, The land started to die without water from the sea…."
So the Five Little Fiends have a little meeting and take a vital decision in order to restore the beauty they have by their own hands destroyed…
I will leave it to you to find out how they do that… if you haven't already!
************************************* Sometimes, thinking we are acting out of love, we destroy the things we like best (or even the people we love dearly).
This very simple little book is truly enchanting in its simplicity. The frail and all important message that the balance of things is vital and should be respected is portrayed in a cute and witty manner.
The illustrations are very simple and the use of colour is quite limited to red, white and black, with a few splashes of other colours where appropriate.
What I like best is the fact that the Little Fiends act with wisdom, as opposed to them being angels. I do like this little detail very much!
My son loves this book and he can also read it by himself (with a little help from Maman).
I recommend it whole-heartedly; it is a little poem full of freshness!
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
