Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley Book

Australian television actor Aaron Blabey made his children's book debut with this 2007 title - an endearing story of two dissimilar friends, that he both wrote and illustrated. As the simple narrative unfolds, the reader learns that Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley couldn't be less alike, in terms of both personality and interests. Where Pearl was loud and confident, and given to solving mysteries and "running amok," Charlie was quiet and shy, and preferred to sit and think. Fortunately, they each had something important to offer the other, something that made them very good friends indeed...

I liked the message here, that very different kinds of people can get along (even be best friends!), and help one another, because their personalities complement one another. What Pearl needs is a steadying influence, and a comforter, when she comes crashing off her high-energy peak. And Charlie needs someone to boost him up, inject a little excitement into his life, and give him some much-needed confidence. In the end, as the text makes plain, Pearl and Charlie aren't such good friends in spite of their differences, but because of them. If that message feels a little heavy-handed at times, the reader can overlook it (at least this reader could), especially since the artwork is so very interesting! The mixed media paintings here aren't exactly my "cup of tea," aesthetically speaking, but work well with the story, and hold the reader's attention. Like another reviewer, I was struck by the way Blabey played around with the amount of color he used, in order to communicate the emotional undercurrents of each scene.

All in all, a solid picture-book from Mr. Blabey! I don't think that it will ever be a personal favorite - I appreciated it, more than liked it - but I am glad to have picked it up.