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You are here: Home / Archives for diary

I Saw a Beautiful Woodpecker by Michal Skibinski ill. Ala Bankroft tr. Eliza Marciniak

October 28, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 28 Oct 2021
Recognised in the OPERA PRIMA category in the BolognaRagazzi Award 2020

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“Beautifully illustrated.” KIRKUS
“The simplicity of Michal’s text will strike a chord with readers everywhere, and Stiasny’s stunning illustrations add depth and impact.” BfK 5 Star review

It is the summer of 1939 in Warsaw, Poland and Michal is an eight-year-old boy just finishing his school year. In order to improve his handwriting, Michal’s teacher gives him a simple assignment: keep a journal, writing one sentence a day.

Eighty years later, Michal’s diary has been gorgeously illustrated with beautifully atmospheric paintings. Eloquent in its simplicity, the journal is a remarkable artefact that captures the innocence of childhood and the trauma of war. The journal starts out with a typical boy’s observations:
“July 15: I went to a stream with my brother and teacher.”
“July 23: I found a caterpillar.”
However over the course of weeks, menacing details emerge.
“July 27: A plane was circling over Anin.”
“September 1: The war has begun.”
“September 3: I hid from planes.”
“September 14: Warsaw is bravely defending itself.”
These haunting entries are interspersed with visits from relatives, a soccer game, a trip to a park, an ice cream cone.

Photographs of pages from Michal’s diary enhance the poignancy of this simple record of an ordinary holiday interrupted by war—a life changed forever by an extraordinary moment in history.

Follow the illustrator, AKA as Helena Stiasny (painter and photographer), on Instagram:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Helena Stiasny (@helenastia)

Filed Under: BookOfTheDay, Illustrated Tagged With: diary, paintings, Polish, war, WWII

The Month Ahead

January 7, 2019 By achuka Leave a Comment

Check out this page for children’s book events taking palace in January, including this evening’s announcement of the Costa Book Awards children’s category winner…

 

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/events/january/

 

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: calendar, diary, events

Worth A Look: Seven Second Delay + Boys Don’t Knit

December 18, 2014 By achuka Leave a Comment

easton

Two very different books from the same author, both published this year, one by Andersen Press, the other by Hot Key.

Seven Second Delay – described as “a blood pumping thrill ride” by one Amazon reviewer – and as a “Tense dystopian thriller” by School Librarian – has a striking, predominantly matt black cover design.

Boys Don’t Knit, as the very different cover evokes, is a diary format comedy. (There is already a sequel)

Filed Under: Blog, Books, Worth A Look Tagged With: comedy, diary, dystopian, thriller

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