A Song for the King
By Katrina Nannestad & Freya Blackwood
Reviewed by Mia Macrossan
Both Katrina Nannestad and Freya Blackwood have been much awarded for their children’s books. Katrina’s books include the CBCA-shortlisted We Are Wolves, The Girl Who Brought Mischief, The Travelling Bookshop series, The Girl, the Dog and the Writer series, the Frances Bloom series, the Olive of Groves series, The Story Writer’s Handbook: Adventures in Creative Writing and more.
Freya won the UK’s most prestigious prize for illustrators, the Kate Greenaway Medal, for her book Harry and Hopper in 2010, and in 2015 she did what no other creator has ever done, taking out three CBCA Book of the Year awards in a single year. She has worked with writers such as Libby Gleeson, Margaret Wild, Jan Ormerod, Nick Bland and Danny Parker, so when these two titans of children’s literature work together the expectations are very high and A Song for the King does not disappoint.
This is a delightful retelling of the traditional nativity story, told from the viewpoint and ‘singing voices’ of the baby animals at the inn. It starts with the donkey Netta, born with a song in her heart. She is joined by Esther, the sheep, and Uzi the camel. They sing so loundly that the townsfolk complain, take them to market and sell them. Netta vows to keep silent from then on but her new owners, Joseph and Mary, have a special reason to celebrate. Netta joins in with all the others and to her delight discovers her former song mates and all is Joy! Love! Peace!
Katrina writes with heart and warmth about three unlikely creatures forming a bond through song. Her characterisation of Joseph and Mary is subtle and sensitive – Josephe kept Netta’s burdens light, her straw fresh and knew just where to scratch, and Mary also loved to sing just like Netta. Freya’s illustrations show the young animals’ ungainly energy and enthusiasm, their sadness when sold and their joy when reunited. She uses soft colours in an umber palette reflecting a dry and sparse landscape but animated by contrasting crowd and intimate scenes. Almost every page has a chicken and/or a cat looking on at the action. My favourite page is where Netta first sees the baby boy born to Mary and Joseph. She is large, in the centre of the double page spread with the couple and their child a cozy triangle with a cat and chicken there as well.
A book filled with love and joy to share at any time of the year.
ABC Books AU 2025
Katrina Nannestad
Freya Blackwood
