Rosie and Rasumus is an old soul, book that 4 and up will love

Normally I’m not a fan of any children’s illustrated book that has lots of white space on its pages. I feel that it’s a cop out and that they’re leaving me out of some of the show. For the record, I’m also not a fan of the sound of crinkling potato chip bags and drinking orange juice after I brush my teeth. Every once in a while a children’s book will come around and utterly demolish my silly pet peeve. Rosie and Rasmus is the latest Trojan Horse to charm me, and other kids, who discover this lovely illustrated book for ages 4-8.

From the first four pages it’s obvious what the Achilles Heel is and that is its artwork. We meet Rosie, who’s a shy young girl who lives in a picturesque, coastal town. She sees all of the kids playing, laughing or having fun and simply wants someone to see her. The next page starts out just like the first two pages, except this time we see Rasmus, a dinosaur who lives in a big tree that overlooks the town where Rosie lives.

One day Rosie goes for a walk, where she’s given a flower by Rasmus. The two become friends, despite their obvious differences, but what Rasmus really wants to do is fly.   Rosie plants and schemes, like only a 6 year-old can, in order to help her much larger friend with thagomizers* down his back and tail.

Soul is a characteristic that few children’s illustrated books have. Most of them are entertaining and enjoyed by children, but very few of them have soul. I don’t mean the get-up-and-dance James Brown kind of soul. I mean, at some instance in reading the book, or looking at the art, the book pierces your soul, stays there for a moment and asks you to remember when you felt how the characters in the book feel. Rosie and Rasmus has that kind of soul.

Ironically, it’s the combination of the pages that are not fully colored, the economy of words and the illustrations that make the book remind parents of childhood. Rosie and Rasmus will resonate as much with children. Sometimes kids want to play by themselves. However, some kids are shy and want other kids to say hello first. This book is great for either camp of kids.  It’s written and illustrated by Serena Geddes and it’s the illustrations that will make you feel like this book is written just for you. Moreover, Rosie and Rasmus deals with the difficult subject of good-byes, but it does it with a smile and the promise that even though things change, they can also get better.