The Watertower

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Crew and Woolman have created something intensely eerie and mysterious in 'The Watertower'. As soon as I saw the cover of the book I knew that what I was about to read would be very different and complex as a picture book. However, the written word provides only half of the story. You definitely need to immerse yourself with the story itself as well as the brilliantly clever illustrations to uncover more. This being said, there are definitely more questions raised than answered- the more you discover, the more you want to know! Gary Crew has been awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the year four times: twice for Book of the Year for Young Adult Older Readers (Strange Objects in 1991 and Angel’s Gate in 1993) and twice for Picture Book of the Year with First Light in 1993 (illustrated by Peter Gouldthorpe) and The Watertower (illustrated by Steven Woolman) in 1994. Gary’s illustrated book, Memorial (with Shaun Tan) was awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book in 2000 and short listed for the Queensland Premier’s Awards. He has also won the Wilderness Society Award, the Whitley Award and the Aurealis Award for Speculative Fiction. This book drew me in by the eery cover. I was also anxious to see how anyone could make a water tower interesting. The story is set in the small town of Preston, with the Water Tower sitting atop Shooter’s Hill. The two main characters, Spike Trotter and Bubba D’Angelo got together one day and headed to the water tower to swim. The illustrations did a great job of continuing to depict the eery feel that the author wanted his readers to feel; one picture would show the outside bright and cheery while the next picture showed the dark and gloomy inside as the boys descended down the ladder into the water. Unfortunately when they went to leave, Bubba’s clothes had blown away or had been taken so, Spike ran to the house to get Bubba some clothes so he wouldn’t return home and get in trouble with his mom. Spike and Bubba could sense something weird going on around them but just couldn’t figure out what was going on, even the people in the town all stared strangely at Bubba has he ran through to the house.

A great Halloween read-aloud, good for grades 3+, with large, bright illustrations and tons to discuss... The characters are illustrated in a lifelike manner, and some are positioned as if they are looking right at us. How does that make us feel and how does that change the story? Why would the author and illustrator want to change the direction of the layout throughout the book? What do you think Bubba saw when he was by himself in the water tower and why didn’t the author let us know?The book follows the codes and conventions of a subgenre of science fiction, known as gothic science fiction. It involves a "pleasing hobo sort of terror" related to gothic tradition but also has references to technology corrupting life. This is represented through the use of satellites. The Watertower turned heads from the moment it was published--literally as well as figuratively. That's because, to begin with, the reader must actually turn the book on its side to read it and then continue to turn it as the story progresses (or doesn't, depending on your interpretation). According to one advocate, a high school English teacher, the actual turning/handling along with the tantalizing clues to the story--is what hooks her student readers, particularly the less enthusiastic ones. In the book two young boys named Bubba and Scott decide to go swimming in the water tower on Shooters Hill. The water tower is eerie and the pictures show green water and creepy images. These pictures give you the feeling that something bad may happen to the boys. After splashing around a little in the water Bubba decides to get out of the water, but finds that his pants are gone off the top of the water tower. Scott offers to go get him another pair from home, so Bubba’s mom won’t get mad. While Scott is gone Bubba has to make a few decisions that may change his life forever… It's refreshing to see challenging and complex stories being told in unique ways. It would be excellent to discuss with children and very interesting to see their opinions of the book after a first reading. Much like myself, I can imagine that children might be slightly disappointed in the ending of the book. Once you delve deeper into the vocabulary and illustrations you end up discovering something full of intrigue and mystery.

Currently using this book as part of a Year 5 'suspense and mystery' unit, with a boy-heavy class with many behavioural challenges. I can honestly say I have never seen these children respond to any lesson as enthusiastically as they did when I showed them this story. A haunting story that follows two friends who go and visit the watertower, a mysterious building that has sat upon a hill above the local town for as long as anyone can remember. Without ruining the plot, this is a narrative that becomes increasingly unsettling (and obscure) as Spike and Bubba's exploration progresses, and as the reader delves deeper into the tale.

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Whilst I was reading, I was confronted with a strong haunting feeling that something wasn't quite right. The way the book is set out is a massive contributor to this- the way you have to rotate the book and the layout of the text/illustrations signify much more than just an interesting form of presentation. The Corruption: Bubba's fate at the end. It's implied the adults in Preston have gone through this as well.

Primal Fear: Everything about the water tower is meant to tap into something scary. It's secluded, the inside is dark, the entrance is very high up etc. Bubba gets a sense of paranoia and tries to get away from it, not understanding why he's so afraid.The illustrations are at least as important as the text; indeed in some respects it’s more important. A good example of the is the town’s people, where the narrative itself says nothing but the images make it clear that, for the inhabitants, the boys exploring the water tower has a far greater significance than an antidote to a scorching hot day. Night Swim Equals Death: Subverted. The sotry takes place during the day and nobody dies...we think. Crop Circles: The circular design on the water tower as well as the book's aesthetic all allude to this. Whole Class Reading resources and planning for Year 6 in a zip file based on Gary Crew’s book ‘The Water Tower’. They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: Alluded to at first and expanded upon in Beneath the Surface. The water turns everyone who drinks it into something sinister, despite little change in their appearance.