I was walking past the second-hand book stalls under the bridge on the South Bank again this weekend and I found this unusual picture book from 1979. It appears to have a message of racial equality, albeit told in quite a bizarre way. Black bears and Polar bears live side by side in these heaps. They exchange members of their communities with each other to make their worlds more diverse. A bunch of odd stuff happens and they end up making animals out of all the black and white geometric shapes they end up with after their worlds collapse. They make zebras, cows, and a MAGPIE!!! However, we all have a tragic end when the Tim Burton inspired Sesame Street monster – called Monstrel!? Decides to gobble us up.
The book climaxes in an explosion of black and white. creating the perfect balance.
Check out the odd way the sentences begin with bears in strange poses.