No one is Home

By Mikolaj Pa and Gosia Herba, with Scotia Gilroy (translator)

Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray

Mikolaj Pa is a Polish author and artist who has collaborated several times with illustrator Gosia Herba in a style that some liken to a ‘modern Richard Scarry’. Wide eyed animals occupy busy streetscapes and crowd scenes, with much to enjoy in terms of quirky vehicles, background subplots and vivid colours. In No one is Home, we follow best friends Leo (the lion) and Kimbo (a butterfly) on a journey through the city to meet up for Kimbo’s birthday.

The two friends live on opposite sides of the city. Leo knows it’s a long trip, but he is determined to surprise his friend. He also needs to pick up a present. His trip does not run smoothly thanks to a series of peculiar interruptions – frogs playing hide and seek, a traffic jam caused by the 25th annual Bug Parade, and a lengthy debate about cream puffs vs jam at the bakery. At last he arrives, only to find that no one is home!

Oh no! Leo calls Kimbo to check his location. Kimbo, it turns out, is at Leo’s house, having traversed the city in the opposite direction. The story pivots to covering Kimbo’s day, with similarly weird and wonderful interactions, such as a robo-dog going for repairs at a mouse garage. The dual narratives show the ways in which the two must have just missed each other as they passed. Finally, the friends arrange a central meeting place and enjoy the afternoon together.

Reading books in translation is an excellent way to explore the nuances of international publishing trends. For example, this book is a lengthy 48 pages, and quite dialogue heavy, interspersed with long text blocks that are unusual in an Australian picture book. This makes it a great candidate for bedtime reads, where turns could be taken in the dialogue or acting out the characters.

Most importantly, the illustrations in this book are bright, busy and joyful! Humans and animals live side by side, with diverse and inclusive representations of the population. At the end, the reader is prompted to go back and count all the frogs, who are hiding and seeking throughout, encouraging repeat reads. Whilst there may be a ‘message’ here about planning or friendship, this is also quite bizarre, in all the best ways. It is pitched at readers 4+, and would be an excellent tool for guiding readers in maintaining focus for a longer than average picture book reading experience.

 Greystone Kids, 2025

 Mikołaj Pasiński

Gosia Herba

Lara Cain Gray is the author of The Grown-Ups Guide to Picture Books