Chatterbox by Margaret Wild and Deborah Niland Analysis

Unfortunately for everyone, Chatterbox by Margaret Wild and Deborah Niland isn’t the only children’s book in existence called Chatterbox. This isn’t the creepiest children’s book image I’ve ever seen but it’s up there.

The Australian, contemporary picture book called Chatterbox is a very satisfying book to read aloud and my kid just loves it.

Deborah Niland has made a great job of illustrating the characters, and I especially like that she’s drawn a very modern Nana — not your stereotypical Nana with her blue rinse and pearls. In fact, she doesn’t even have wrinkles. The main difference between the Nana and the mother is that the Nana wears glasses.

chatterbox-characters

The story taps into that very common dynamic where you can’t wait for your baby to start talking. But when she does, it feels like she’ll never shut up.

STORY STRUCTURE OF CHATTERBOX

SHORTCOMING

Max, the big brother, is impatient…

DESIRE

…for his baby sister to talk.

OPPONENT

Daisy is the opponent as she just won’t talk.

PLAN

Max, along with the rest of his family, try to get her to repeat things. They say things slowly and take her to all sorts of interesting places but she just won’t copy anyone.

BIG STRUGGLE

The big struggle scene is when Daisy suddenly spews out all the nonsense that’s been repeated at her.

ANAGNORISIS

By the look on Max’s face, he regrets wanting Daisy to talk.

NEW SITUATION

Now she won’t be quiet.

CONTEMPORARY FICTION SET IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND (2023)

On paper, things look fine. Sam Dennon recently inherited significant wealth from his uncle. As a respected architect, Sam spends his days thinking about the family needs and rich lives of his clients. But privately? Even his enduring love of amateur astronomy is on the wane. Sam has built a sustainable-architecture display home for himself but hasn’t yet moved into it, preferring to sleep in his cocoon of a campervan. Although they never announced it publicly, Sam’s wife and business partner ended their marriage years ago due to lack of intimacy, leaving Sam with the sense he is irreparably broken.

Now his beloved uncle has died. An intensifying fear manifests as health anxiety, with night terrors from a half-remembered early childhood event. To assuage the loneliness, Sam embarks on a Personal Happiness Project:

1. Get a pet dog

2. Find a friend. Just one. Not too intense.

PAPERBACK

KINDLE EBOOK

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