‘Water Vole’s Diary‘ is an especially beautiful children’s book in the Goldcrest Gallery collection. It has a lovely cover illustration showing Water Vole outside his shop, “Riverside Stores”. He waves to his friends as they row past him in their boats on the river. Attractive reeds and water plants frame Water Vole’s delightful landing stage, and the doorway to his shop. Outside the store, we can see his wares displayed in baskets and sacks. Some “pots and pans, brooms and brushes” hang from nails or stand up against the walls.
A Beautifully Illustrated Children’s Book
Many interesting details in the illustrations help us to build up a clear idea of Water Vole’s shop by the river. Children enjoy noticing blackberries, corn, quince, firewood and jars of sweets! The first full page illustration in this children’s book shows another view of “Riverside Stores”. There is a picturesque thatched roof. The windows have leaded lights and there are quaint weatherboards over the walls. Inside the shop, we can see a beamed ceiling and shelves with bottles.
Water Vole’s Customers
In this painting, some of Water Vole’s customers are waving goodbye as they cast off their boat from the jetty. The two little mice in the boat wear vintage-style dresses, and their shopping is in a basket between them. One of them rows the boat skilfully, the other coils up the mooring rope in the stern. The true scale of these mice, and of Water Vole himself, is shown by the single football-sized blackberry in their basket.
Inside the Shop
A third full page illustration in the book invites the reader further into Water Vole’s enticing shop. Baskets of little dog roses are left over from making “Rose Petal Syrup”. Water Vole writes in his diary that “it tastes scrumptious!”. And he holds rolls of his “new wallpaper” with a handful of paintbrushes. Water Vole looks up proudly at the pretty green and pink patterned wallpapers which are now hanging attractively in his shop. Behind him, we notice a display of stacked paint pots and fabrics on the shelves. Everything is ready for Water Vole’s customers to refurbish their little riverbank homes.
There are also two line-and-wash sepia drawings in this richly-illustrated children’s book, which show Water Vole selling his goods to his customers. In the first of these monochromes, Mrs Newt comes “to buy polish” at Water Vole’s shop. The drawing shows jars and bottles on the shelves, screws and nails and a sign that advertises “best paint”. In the second monochrome drawing, Water Vole hands out striped candy sticks from behind the counter to the Grey Mouse twins. There is a higgledy-piggledy display of boxes, vases, bottles, rope, rugs, pencils and basins in the background.
Water Vole’s shop is the place to buy everything the river folk could possibly need. What fun we would have if we could visit “Riverside Stores”!
Published by LRM Books and printed in the UK. Available from Goldcrest Gallery.