Vampyre

Margaret Wild (author)

Andrew Yeo (illustrator)

Walker Books, Australia: September 2011

ISBN: 9781921529221

Genres: picture book, paranormal fiction

Issues: change, identity

'I am Vampyre. Feared. Despised. I live in darkness. I long for light.' A young vampyre yearns for a normal life, the life he had as a child when he walked with his father amongst the verdant forest and fields, greeting the animals and watching the birds.

All living things now shun him and his presence evokes only fear. He craves a normal life, to be true to his heart, not the existence imposed on him. 'I repudiate my ancestry, my destiny. My brothers and sisters argue, my mother cries, my father threatens.'

Margaret Wild is a highly regarded Australian writer of children's fiction, especially picture books for younger readers. Vampyre is an exceptional creation and while it could be read by 8+ as Walker Books recommends, it is more appropriate for older readers. As with the best picture books for older readers, Vampyre is more about subtext than the text. Wild's sparse, concise lines have the painful intensity of great poetry, projecting the young vampyre's despair at his nature and his determination to become something greater. Walker has provided outstanding teacher's notes to guide text-related discussion, including tasks to help readers recognise the vampyre's internal conflict as synonymous with many of the painful struggles of adolescence, or any individual's journey towards their true selves. The unusual resolution can be interpreted in a number of ways, the possibilities being dependent on the reader. Vampyre is strongest when it is regarded as an allegorical tale about the value of being true to oneself.

This is Andrew Yeo's first picture book but there is no doubt he is an illustrator to watch. Expect to see his name on the shortlist for the CBCA Crichton Award because his work is astonishingly rich. Yeo worked in acrylic for Vampyre and the double-page spreads are mesmerising, drawing the reader into the dark, hidden world of the central character. Predominantly blue-grey tones project both the young vampyre's despair and the shadowy world in which he exists. By only occasionally hinting at the infamous vampiric fangs, Yeo underlines the subtext of Wild's story, which is much more about humanity than it is about supernatural beings. The gradual introduction of warm, earthy (even fiery) tones as the protagonist strives to reach past his own limitations casts the light of hope, resilience and determination across the page.

A truly remarkable, inspirational and thought-provoking picture book, Vampyre cannot be too highly recommended.