Two interconnected stories comprise this innovative picture book about two boys in different parts of the world. One lives in Australia and one lives in Morocco. An introduction in both English and Arabic precedes each wordless visual narrative. The story set in Australia unfolds in pages that turn from right to left, and the story set in Morocco unfolds in pages that turn from left to right in this ingeniously designed work in which the two stories are meant to be read side-by side (they are separately bound on the far right and left edges of the two covers). In each story, the boys are seen starting the day at home with their families and then accompanying their fathers on errands. For the boy in Morocco, this involves a trip by donkey to a market to sell the rug his mother has woven. For the boy in Australia, it’s running around the city by car picking up various home improvement items, including a beautiful new carpet—the same one the Moroccan mother wove. Jeannie Baker’s intricate collage illustrations capture the crowded cityscape in Australia, the openness of the Morroccan landscape, and the abundance of choices found in both “Hardware Planet” and a Moroccan bazaar with equal skill and delight. They also convey the love and warmth in each of the boy’s families in this singular picture book that includes a brief essay by Baker explaining her inspiration for the story and offering insight into how she created the art. (Ages 6–10)

An innovative, two-in-one picture book follows a parallel day in the life of two families: one in a Western city and one in a North African village. 

Somewhere in Sydney, Australia, a boy and his family wake up, eat breakfast, and head out for a busy day of shopping. Meanwhile, in a small village in Morocco, a boy and his family go through their own morning routines and set out to a bustling market. In this ingenious, wordless picture book, readers are invited to compare, page by page, the activities and surroundings of children in two different cultures. Their lives may at first seem quite unalike, but a closer look reveals that there are many things, some unexpected, that connect them as well. Designed to be read side by side — one from the left and the other from the right — these intriguing stories are told entirely through richly detailed collage illustrations.