Jack Tame: The underestimated art form of children's books

In the Mangle-Munching Forest there’s a Nickle-Nackle tree, growing Nickle-Nackle berries that are red as red can be.

I’ll be very careful so as not to give up the end, but would you believe it’s been fifty years since first those words were penned? 

That first sentence I read you is from Lynley Dodd’s Nickle-Nackle Tree. It’s a kid’s counting book that’s a bit of a Dr Seuss-ian take on New Zealand birds. And it was first published in 1976, five decades ago next year.  

Truthfully, I don’t think I’ve opened The Nickle-Nackle Tree since it was read to me as a kid. But after our newborn son was gifted a copy, it didn’t take long to commit most of the Nickle-Nackle Tree to memory. My son can’t crawl or speak or catch himself when he topples over, but he can put out his fat little hand and turn the pages as we read.  

Lynley Dodd enjoys a bit of market dominance at our place. We’ve got heaps of kid’s books, but there’s just something about the language of her stories that gives them that extra degree… that extra edge. Whether it’s Slinky Malinky or Zachary Quack or a Dragon in a Wagon, her rhyming is technically flawless. The cadence has a perfect, musical quality. If you’ve ever written a poem and tried to perform it aloud, you might appreciate it – that flow is much harder to achieve than you might think.  

Lynley Dodd’s books use such rich language: jumbly! Rapscallion! Skedaddled! And I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t know this until my son was born, but she illustrates her books herself, and she does a beautiful job. 

Of all her work, of course, Hairy Maclary is top of the pops. It’s amazing to me how those stories connect with different children. When my friends in New York had a kid a few years ago, I sent them the complete Hairy Maclary, expecting that it’d be discarded soon enough for plastic monster trucks and iPads and big city things. Truthfully, I thought it might be a bit quaint for them or perhaps lost in translation. After all, America doesn’t have dairies! But my friends and their son loved it. And I mean really loved it. Today, their book has that wonderful, taped up, slightly tatty quality of having been read hundreds of times. 

And that’s the thing about children’s books. They’re designed to be read aloud, and they’re designed to be re-read and re-read and re-read again. It takes a special kind of genius to write a re-readable story that’s still fun for its reader to say aloud. That doesn’t drive its reader mad! 

And think about the impact someone like Lynley Dodd has had. The countless moments of joy she’s sparked. Is there anyone in New Zealand who couldn’t finish this sentence: Hercules Morse, as big as a …? 

Of course not. 

I reckon children’s storybooks are an art form for which a lot of people grossly underestimate just how talented you need to be in order to absolutely nail it. You know what I mean? It’s the sort of thing that seems easy enough but is far more complex than most of us imagine. And I say art form, because finding a blissful blend of story, language, and images, something that delights children and adults, really is an art form. It’s taken becoming a parent for me to properly appreciate just how talented the best of the best really are. 

And if the current reading habits in our household are anything to go by… I’d put Dame Lynley Dodd right up there. Five decades since she started publishing, her books haven’t lost any of their magic. They delight my son today as much as they delighted me when I was a kid. They haven’t lost a scintilla of relevance or appeal.  

Funny eh… how quality stands the test of time. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
At b in the mangle Munching forest, there's a nickel
nackle tree growing nickel nackleberries that are read as red
can be. I'll be very careful so as not to
give up the end. But would you believe it's been
fifty years since first those words were penned? That first
sentence I read you is from Linley Dodd's Nickel Nackletree.

(00:32):
So it's a kid's counting book that I reckon. It's
kind of like a it's like a bit of a
Doctor Zusian take on New Zealand birds, right, So it's
a counting book, all these different birds sitting in a tree.
In the end they all fall out, and the birds
are illustrated to look very much like some rather familiar
New Zealand birds, but with a bit of a sort

(00:53):
of Doctor Zusian twist. Anyway, The nickel Nackle Tree was
first published in nineteen seventy six, So what's that five
decades ago? Next year? Truthfully, I don't think I've opened
then nikel Nackletree since it was read to me as
a kid. But after our newborn son was gifted a copy.
It didn't take long to commit most of the nickel

(01:15):
nackletree to memory. My son can't crawl or speak, or
catch himself when he topples over, but he can put
out his fat little hand and turn the pages as
we read. Linley Dodd enjoys a bit of market dominance.
At our place. We've got heaps of kids books, but

(01:36):
there's just something about the language of her stories that
gives them, you know, that extra degree, like that extra edge.
Whether it's Slinky Malinky or Zachary Quack or a dragon
in a wagon. Her rhyming is technically flawless. The cadence
has this kind of this kind of perfect musical quality.

(01:57):
If you've ever written a poem and tried to perform
it aloud, you might appreciate it. But that flow is
much harder to achieve than at first you might think.
And Linley Dodd's books use such rich language jumbly raps, scallion, scadaddled,
and I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know this until
my son was born. But she illustrates her books herself,

(02:19):
and she does a beautiful job of all her work.
Of course, Harry McClary is top of the pops. It's
actually just amazing to me how those stories connect with
different children from different backgrounds. So when my friends in
New York had a kid five or six years ago,
I sent them the complete Harry McCleary, expecting that it

(02:43):
would be discarded soon enough for plastic monster trucks and
iPads and big city things. Truthfully, I thought Harry McClary
might be a bit quaint for them, or perhaps it
might be lost in translation. After all, America doesn't have dairies.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
But my friends and.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Their son loved it, and I mean, like I really
loved it. Today. Their book has that wonderful, taped up,
slightly tatty quality of having been read hundreds and hundreds
of times. And that's the thing about children's books. Ah.
They are designed to be, first of all, read aloud,

(03:24):
but they're also designed to be reread and reread and
reread again. And it takes a special kind of genius
to write a rereadable book that is still fun for
its reader to say aloud, that doesn't drive its reader mad.
And then think about the impact that someone like Linley

(03:45):
Doughters had, like the Countless moments of joy that she sparked.
Is there anyone in New Zealand who couldn't finish this sentence?
Hercules moss as Berg As, of course not, I reckon.
Children's story books are an art form for which a

(04:09):
lot of people grossly underestimate just how talented you need
to be in order to absolutely nail it to write
a classic, You know what I mean. It's the sort
of thing that, ah, yeah, seems easy enough, but it's
just far more complex than most of us imagine. And
I say art form quite deliberately, because finding a blissful

(04:31):
blend of story, language, and images something that delights children
and adults really is an art form. And it's taken
becoming a parent for me to properly appreciate just how
talented the best of the best really are. If the
current reading habits in our household are anything to go by,

(04:52):
I would put Dame Linley Dodd right up there. Five
decades since she started publishing her books haven't lost any
of their magic. They delight my son today as much
as they delighted me when I was a kid. They
haven't lost a sin tilla of relevance or appeal. It's
funny Ah, how quality stands the test of time.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks at B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.