On a magical flight of fancy

Writer Paula Green says her partner Michael Hight's illustrations exactly captured what her story is all about. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Here at the edge of the world, lives are frequently lived with an eye on someplace else. Yet often the most novel ideas arise not from the exotic but from observing the everyday: the neighbours' washing on the line, an old man on a rickety bicycle, a worn rope stuck in the ground or making up a bedtime story in the hope the kids will go to sleep.

So it is for writer Paula Green and artist Michael Hight, who live in Bethells Valley on the outskirts of West Auckland, surrounded by bush and sea. Known for their individual accomplishments - she is an established poet and writer of children's books; he is a highly regarded artist - they draw inspiration from the strangeness in the familiar.

Partners for more than 20 years, their second collaboration is a true flight of fantasy which arose from their daughters' nightly bedtime routine. Green dreamt up Aunt Concertina, Evalina and the magic kite as bedtime stories for Georgia, 15, and Estelle, 13, when they were younger. The result of those stories, some years after their first telling, is a cleverly written and lavishly illustrated children's book called Aunt Concertina & Her Niece Evalina.

With words by Green and pictures by Hight, it takes readers on a global gallop from one end of the world to the other and back again. Without being didactic or moralising, it achieves a rare feat. It opens youthful eyes to a world packed with wonder, and the necessity to care for it, but simultaneously reminds us of the joys and comforts of home.

Aunt Concertina trawls second-hand shops to feed her addiction for collecting junk; her niece Evalina is her unwilling companion so fed up with the shopping expeditions that she'd rather rest in a bin. Then Evalina finds a battered and dusty magic kite that sweeps the odd couple up and away on a series of adventures around the world.

"It comes entirely from my imagination," Green says, shaking her head when asked if the characters are based on real people. "I would think to myself, 'That's a good adventure - I better write it down' but I never did. I was always tired." She might add: busy.

As well as raising two daughters, Green has written six poetry collections, received the 2005 University of Auckland Literary Fellowship, edited the 2007 Best New Zealand Poems, been a judge for the NZ Post Secondary School Poetry Competition, started a series of children's books called The Strange Days series, and visited schools through the NZ Book Council's Writers in Schools programme. She also reviews poetry and books for the Herald.

Her poetry collections include Flamingo Bendalingo, inspired by Auckland Zoo and written by Green and 50 children with water colour illustrations by Hight, and a book of nonsense poems for children called Macaroni Moon.

An avid collector and reader of children's books, Green still hankered to write a picture book about Aunt Concertina and Evalina.

Two years ago, she got serious about the project, sitting down to take the tales from her head to the page. She wanted to concoct a story using rich and evocative language and "superlative" places which would stretch children's imaginations and vocabulary. While it would bring in an "instructional element", she didn't want it to be preachy.

"I like children's stories that surprise me, that make me think about something differently. In fact, I want in children's literature the same thing I want from an adult novel. I want to be challenged, surprised, and entertained."

THE junk shops and the kite, features in the original stories, were a convenient means of setting up the tale and transporting the adventurers around the world. Other than that, Green has no idea why she chose them.

"It's just what came. I don't go out looking for things. I don't analyse them or think about why or how. Ideas just come and I go with them. I think that's like a lot of writers."

Before she started writing, it was apparent the illustrations had to have a visual richness and sophistication to match the words. Hight initially thought he would be too busy but as soon as he read the story, it painted in his mind pictures he wanted to draw.

As a child, Hight relished delving into encyclopaedias and finding unusual details. He rummaged through his collection of old encyclopaedias for inspiration and decided to incorporate a plethora of elements into each print - done in oil on board.

Hight's first illustration for the book was a desert-scape. He says it is sparser than the others because he was just warming up on the project but there is still plenty to notice. A goat up a tree, for example, is a nod towards a trip to Morocco where Hight saw entire trees with goats - not birds - perched on branches.

As he progressed, illustrations became pages readers would dwell on trying to spot the mysterious, the quirky and the just plain interesting. There is much to hunt for in each one.

The junk shop where Evalina discovers the old kite features, among other things, a royal blue wall with famous paintings hung across it including one by Hight; raindrops contain reflections of famous buildings.

The pages share certain characteristics. Reminiscent of the old encyclopaedias, each one has a type of border or motif; one about volcanoes features "volcanoes of the world" while an Arctic scene incorporates a Nordic symbol. Animals abound, including the family's three cats, reflecting a love of animals. As it is a travel book, there are maps complete with elaborate crests.

Hight says eventually the challenge became leaving room to fit Green's words in.

"I gave Michael an open brief, really, and he got exactly what I wanted," she says. "The pictures feature really strong, quirky details that will draw children in and encourage them to linger on a page."

Asked to pick her favourite page, Green hesitates. She is fond of a whimsical imagining of Loch Ness monsters tucked up in tartan bedclothes while fish and humans play out an elaborate hoax.

But the picture she may well keep is the final one, where Aunt Concertina and Evalina arrive home to reflect on their journey.

For if Green and Hight produce another travel tale about the twosome, she says it will start from there.

Aunt Concertina & Her Niece Evalina (Random House $34.99)