Originally published in 1969, Obstreperous is Australian artist and author Ted Greenwood’s first book, released a year after the author left a career as an art teacher to pursue his creative work full-time. Named Picture Book of the Year by the Children’s Book Council, the heartfelt—if not altogether lovable—Obstreperous marks the beginning of Greenwood’s unique contribution to children’s literature.

“A kite was born one morning…” the book begins, “in the mind of its Maker.” And with that, we are off, following a disorderly kite’s journey from vision to creation, the formation of an identity (“Obstreperous,” as coined by Mr. Crinkle, a neighbor trying to garden his cabbages in peace), and eventual separation and release into blissful autonomy. Illustrated in saturated and see-through hues, the touchingly bittersweet Obstreperous makes plain the deceptively complex philosophical dimension underlying even the most unassuming children’s literature, and serves as a shining example of Greenwood’s warm and unique style.