March 2006 Archives
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Loek Koopmans |
Floris Books |
0863155596 |
Apr 2006 |
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A disconcerting sense of insularity and introspection accompanies the statistic that only three percent of books published in the UK are translations. It is heartening therefore that publishers such as WingedChariot Press www.wingedchariot.com and Floris Books www.florisbooks.co.uk are making available in the English language a range of European picture books. Dutch author and illustrator Loek Koopmans� book �Frog, Bee and Snail Look for Snow� is the latest addition to the list of translations from Floris Books.
Just as Kenneth Grahame�s opening to the �The Wind in the Willows� with mole scraping, scratching, scrabbling and scrooging, �muttering to himself, �Up we go! Up we go!� till at last, pop! his snout came out into the sunlight�� marvellously evokes the long awaited onset of spring, Koopman�s use of intensely bright light in the forest, the vivid fresh greens of the foliage and the irreverent chattering of little bird brilliantly capture that first sense that spring has sprung. Amongst his chatterings, bird mentions to snail the snows that fell in winter, their depth, their whiteness and cold. Entranced by this description, snail asks his friend bee about snow, but bee has spent the winter in her hive so snow is unfamiliar to her also. Through a series of exchanges, snail, bee and frog � traversing at once between them dominions of land, sky and earth are unable to find out about snow. So begins an adventure, an epic animal voyage in a quest for knowledge� Moving through the seasons from spring to summer, to autumn, the trio remain still unable to find out about snow, exhausted by their efforts they fall asleep only to awake to an unknown world in white� Koopmans illustrations of nature are wonderfully rendered and are brilliantly accurate. His use of lighting brings each spread to life helping to create a beautiful book with an unexpected, yet a holistic ending.
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The Colossus of Rhodes by Caroline Lawrence |
Dolphin Paperbacks |
1842551388 |
Oct 2005 |
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Having read about a forthcoming television series to be made of Caroline Lawrence's popular Roman Mysteries series by the BBC, I was compelled to catch up with the antics of Flavia and friends. The most recent paperback, The Colossus of Rhodes, takes to the sea, with the usual appealing mix of mystery, history, humour, myth and adventure. Each of the Roman Mysteries tends to focus on one of the four main characters - and this is Lupus's story. Setting sail from Ostia in Lupus's ship, with Flavia's father as Captain, the friends embark on their latest mission - to find and free the children kidnapped into slavery by the evil Venalicius the slave-dealer. Lupus also has his own agenda - to fulfil a sacred oath to himself to find his long-lost mother.
Lawrence's skill at mixing humour and tragedy is once again demonstrated as Lupus's dream is dangled in front of him in an emotive, frantic but ultimately abortive quest. There is some resolution as far as the kidnapping strand to the story goes - but only after Flavia and co have run the gauntlet of obstacles and red-herrings, as always ducking out of mortal danger just in the nick of time. The journey from Ostia to Rhodes entails some wonderful descriptions of the Mediterranean and Greek Islands, conjuring an atmospheric backdrop and a vivid sense of time and place. Perfect entertainment for any families heading to the Greek Islands this holiday season, The Colossus of Rhodes keeps up the momentum of this excellent series, making you eager to read the next one. Visit RomanMysteries.com for more information about the BBC adaptation and details of forthcoming books in the series.
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