The gecko and the echo by Rachel Bright and Jim Field

On the island, the little gecko called Goldy dreams of being a star. She sings out of tune, loudly and at length, annoying the neighbours, who do not seem to be able to anything about it. The little gecko knows that to be a star, she needs to practise and practise so she does. It goes on incessantly, 24/7 and Goldy's noise  becomes very annoying to the other animals. The last straw comes along when in time with the crickets chirping, Goldy sings a song through burping. The animals beg Goldy to stop, as it is all me, me, me and they do not want to have to listen to the singing. Deflated, Goldy leaves and walks to the Red River Campus where she is convinced she will find an audience that appreciates her singing.

Here she calls out and is surprised when she is answered. She calls out lots of sounds and they all are returned. She sings and is even more surprised when the song comes back. But it is out of tune, so Goldy wants to find the other singer to help. A passing butterfly whispers in Goldy’s ear that the voice she is hearing is an echo. It is her voice she is hearing.

Shocked. Goldy determines that she will return to her family a different gecko. She hums for the babies when they go to sleep, waltzes to the back of the queue at breakfast time, and gives space to others to dance, being mindful of the needs of those around her and kind in her dealings with the family. All the animals now have the opportunity to shine and together they will all be stars.

This is a lovely story of stepping back, of not hugging the limelight, of encouraging others to try things out for themselves and of course for those with big personalities to make sure everyone else has a go.

Vibrant illustrations cover each page with the lush flora on the island, supporting all the animals that live there. Readers will love picking out all the animals shown and identifying them in their environment. More about this English illustrator can be found here.

And readers will love drawing along with him on his website as he demonstrated how to draw one of his characters, Monsieur Roscoe.

Themes: Humour, Echoes, Singing, Performance, Kindness.

Fran Knight