Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Beegu
Picture Book
For ages 3 to 6
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003 ISBN: 978-0374306670
Beegu's spaceship has crashed and she does not know where she is. She is lost and no one on this planet speaks her language. Sometimes she thinks she hears her mother calling her but it turns out not to be her mother at all. She tries to find some friends because she doesn't like being alone, but this turns out to be very hard. The big creatures that live on the planet don't seem to want her.
Then at last she comes to place where there are lots of little creatures. They, unlike the big creatures, do want her and they are happy to have her play with them. Even when one of the big creatures insists that she leave the little creatures are determined to say goodbye and they give her a gift to take with her, a big red hoola hoop.
Beegu is then alone once more. She thinks she hears her mother calling her and by the light of the moon she falls asleep.
In this poignant and beautifully simple picture book Alexis Deacon perfectly captures the loss that a little alien creature feels as she tries to find someone who will treat her with a little kindness. In the end it is the children on Earth who take Beegu into their hearts and who make her feel welcome and cared for. Unforgettable illustrations which were created using a variety of media perfectly capture the loneliness and vulnerability of the little three-eyed alien. In the end the reader is left with a message of hope - that there are always the children whose hearts are giving and warm and who are there to help those who are lost and in need of comfort.
