Review of The Carousel

Ursula Dubosarsky’s track record for representing the interior world of the child is well established, and can be evidenced in the wake of her extensive collection of fiction and non –fiction. Her capacity for delving into the machinations of a child’s imagination is demonstrated exquisitely in The Carousel.

When a small girl rides on a carousel, she becomes so entranced by the experience that the edges of reality blur into a delicious world of fantasy. Her wooden horse is infused with life as the carousel whirls into motion; the girl’s focus shifts to her relationship with the horse in a magical world that allows them to be free as wind and hurtle through the wild sky.

The Carousel is a stirring story, enchanting and passionate. It is a celebration of wild abandon, of being transported to a state of being where everything else is forgotten and anything is possible. The book is suffused with a richness of symbolism and imagery. There is poignancy in the anticipation of the ride – the girl, ticket in hand at the gate – and in her disappointment when the carousel begins to slow, but more so, at the end of the3 ride, in her desperate wish for the wooden horses to be set free. Walter di Qual is a newcomer to book illustration. His distinctive depictions of the story in mixed media on Fabriano paper take the text to another level, and infuse the characters with depth and vibrancy. His evocative portrayal of the horse and the girl range from tender, to baleful, to feisty.

Written in rhyme and meter in constrained quatrains of iambic tetrameter, an almost restless contrast is established between the free-spiritedness of the story-line and illustrations and the verse.

This read-aloud picture-story book invites readers to search for the imagination within themselves. It is engaging and enlivening and will appeal to young readers and their teachers and parents alike. Older children will enjoy the story and its themes for freedom and enchantment at a different level.

Highly recommended.