Bravo!

Philip Waechter (illustrator)

Mimi Port (author)

Sally-Ann Spencer (translator)

Gecko Press, NZ: June 2011

ISBN: 9781877467721 

Genres: picture book

Issues: abuse, boundaries, independence

Helena likes most things about her life: 'Helena was talented, her little brother was patient and her mother was encouraging. Only one thing spoiled it. Helena's father couldn't speak normally. Everything he said came out in a roar.'

When Helena's mother explains that her father comes from a 'family of shouters' and that Helena cane be a shouter when she grows up, if she likes, Helena decides it's time for a change. She packs her bag and while her father is busy shouting at her that she's not to go anywhere, Helena heads off up the hill in search of a new home – a quieter one. Her parents search everywhere for her, as they miss her terribly. Finally they find Helena in a place where it might even be alright for her father to shout at her – if he shouts the right thing.

Translated from the German, Bravo! is a light-hearted examination of the negative impact that uncontrolled anger can have on a sensitive child. As Helena's mother points out, bad habits pass down from generation to generation and it often doesn't occur to a person that those traits can negatively affect those they love. Helena sets boundaries, rejects the noisy, abusive, controlling environment, and finds her own identity rather than taking on the characteristics she finds so distressing. Very much about the need for parents – and all humans – to be sensitive to the impact their behaviour has on those around them, Bravo! is both positive and encouraging to those trying to bring about change in their family environment.