THERE are plenty of characters in Welcome to Mamoko but there is no story; there are, in fact, no words. Instead, the reader becomes the storyteller in this imaginative picture book that comes from a new imprint from Templar. Children have the biggest and wildest imaginations and their stories can often be captivating (even if they do rely heavily on monsters and aliens at times).In Welcome to Mamoko, they are invited to use their eyes, their powers of concentration and let their imaginations run away with themselves. The scenario, created by Polish award-winning graphic designers and illustrators Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinska, is this: tonight is carnival time in the town but will everybody make it? An introductory page tells us who each of the characters is and then it is up to the storyteller to turn the brightly, packed pages of illustrations to decide what adventures each of them have. There are items to be found that look out of place and someone has lost their apples - who is it? And can you spot them as you develop your story? There must be a million or more stories - every child will take a different strand and develop it as they turn the colour themed pages to the final carnival page or stick to one page. The beauty of such a book is that there are no rules - your child is in control and calls the shots of the story. It would even be fun to tell the story as a group, each taking a turn and putting their personality into it. The possibilities are endless. -- Jayne Howarth * Daily Post *
