| Jen Bryant, ill. Melissa Sweet |
| Eerdmans |
| 978-0-8028-5302-8 |
| Autumn 2008 |
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William Carlos Williams - a poet who also worked as a family doctor - has long been a hero of mine so, while some people may question what audience a picture book biography of a twentieth century American poet is aimed at, I'm predisposed to look kindly on it. The illustrations, strong and modern with collage effects, together with the artfully simple condensing of Williams' life to its bare essentials, produce a strong evocation of the life of a working man scribbling lines for poems on yellow prescription pads when he can, corresponding by letter with other poets and writers in the evening, in those pre-internet days. |
Picture Books: November 2008 Archives
| Allan Ahlberg ill. Bruce Ingman |
| Walker |
| 9978-1406309621 |
| Autumn 2008 |
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This is a delightful tale from Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman that sees the return of 'Banjo', a charming pencil drawn boy. A super read for younger children, which encourages involvement, pokes fun at the reader-author relationship. I read this to a slightly older audience, a group of 8-9 year olds, and they also very much enjoyed anticipating what would happen to the pencil's artistic solutions. We loved the battle that occurred, in both the story and pictures, when pencil draws its arch rival - the rubber! This, as with so many of Ahlberg's stories, is such a treat, and one that is worth coming back to again and again. reviewed for ACHUKA by Danielle Alder. |
