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Anthony Browne |
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Walker Books |
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9781406351613 |
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September 2014 |
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hardback |
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Published to celebrate 30 years of Willy The Wimp. The book is straightforward in format. Words on the left, pictures on the right, each one in full-page full-colour glory. As we move through the book, Willy passes through a set of doors to a fresh adventure, based on ten classic children’s tales and stories, so that not only is this book a celebration of Browne’s own creativity, but a general celebration of story and imagination. Simply wonderful.
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Sam & Dave Dig A Hole by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen
 
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Mac Barnett, ill. Jon Klassen |
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Walker Books |
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978140635776 |
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October 2014 |
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hardback |
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What children don’t just love to dig holes. Just for the fun of digging holes – and the the deeper the better. This book picks up on that fascination. Particularly clever is the way the depth of the page is used. So that when they start out Sam and Dave and their dog (never mentioned in the words) take up a small space at the bottom of the first two pages. Not until we are about eight pages in, and the hole is beginning to get deep, is the full depth of book filled by Klassen’s artwork. Will the two boys find treasure? Will they find something spectacular?
Klassen and Barnett have teamed up once before, on the book Extra Yarn.
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Something About A Bear
 
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Jackie Morriss |
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Frances Lincoln |
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9781847805164 |
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October 2014 |
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hardback |
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Jackie Morris’s gorgeous, double-page-spread artwork is accompanied by suitably grand, noble and lyrical prose about each kind of bear featured. And at the back, for the information hungry, there is a more prosaic paragraph of description. Another lovely book from this picture book artist. Information about the book on Jackie Morris’s own webiste.
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The Rabbit And The Shadow
 
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Melanie Rutten tr. Sarah Ardizzone |
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Book Island |
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9780994109804 |
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October 2014 |
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hardback |
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Finished |
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Let us hope that this is just the first of Melanie Rutten’s books to be translated into English, because I want to be able to appreciate absolutely everything she creates. This book – broadly about growing in confidence and becoming independent, but about much else along the way – has that surreal, quirky individuality which I thrill at discovering in a picture book. The book’s cast – a rabbit, a stag, a soldier, a cat, a book and a shadow – are each given their own ‘chapters’ as the story unfolds whilst Rutten’s watercolour illustrations complement the narrative seamlessly. She uses lots of smaller illustrations as well as pagespreads and the book has been sumptuously designed and printed on thick paper by the New Zealand publisher, Book Island.
One to make a point of asking to look at whenever you are in a bookshop – and if the shop isn’t stocking it you should tell them that they absolutely must!
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Jim’s Lion
 
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Russell Hoban, illustrated by Alexis Deacon |
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Walker Books |
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9781847805850 |
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June 2014 |
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hardback |
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Finished |
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Russell Hoban’s story, Jim’s Lon, was first published in 2001 – it has now been given new illustrations by Alexis Deacon who also illustrated Hoban’s final book, Soonchild) with one long section presented in word-free graphic novel style. This lovely hardback will become a treasured possession of any chld lucky to be given a copy this Christmas. 
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Atlas Of Adventures
 
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written by Rachel Williams, illustrated by Lucy Letherland |
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Wide Eyed |
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9781847805850 |
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October 2014 |
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hardback |
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Finished |
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Last year the big oversized book success was Maps by Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinski. This year the big book title being stacked high on display tables in children’s departments is Atlas of Adventures, a really well-produced highly-illustrated compendium of geography and general knowledge. Interestingly, it was Rachel Williams who was the publisher of Maps while at Templar. She is listed as this book’s author, and is now publisher at Frances Lincoln, part of the Qaurto group responsible for Wide Eyed editions.
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Over The Hills And Far Away – a treasury of nursery rhymes
 
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collected by Eliuzabeth Hammill |
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Frances Lincoln |
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9781847804068 |
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October 2014 |
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hardback |
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Finished |
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Simply wonderful new collection of 150 nursery rhymes, with each double-spread illustrated by 77 different international artists. Lovers of children’s book illustration will find it hard to resist buying two copies – one to keep for their own pleasure and a another to give as a gift to a friend or family member with a young child. Highly recommended.
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The Flute
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Rachna Gilmore ill,. Pulak Biswas |
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Tradewind |
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9781896580579 |
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June 2011 |
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32 pp |
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Whole book read |
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Read On? n/a |
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Movingly told, simply but effectively illustrated by one of India’s best-known illustrators, this is a lovely short story by Governor General Award-winning author, Rachna Gilmore.
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Again!
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Emily Gravett |
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Macmillan |
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9780230745360 |
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October 2011 |
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24 pp |
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Whole book read |
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Read On? n/a |
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Emily Gravett is already a two-times winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal. Her new picture book is another class act. The book-within-a-book tells the tale – in splendidly executed, easy to read aloud rhyme – of Cedric the Dragon, whose end of day refrain is “Tomorrow I’ll do it all over again.” The young dragon who is being read to by parent dragon also shouts “Again” on every alternate double spread. But in his case it is the storybook he wants to hear again.
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Me And You
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Anthony Browne |
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Doubleday |
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9780385614894 |
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April 2010 |
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Anthony Browne’s wonderful riff on Goldilocks and the Three Bears has the dedication “For all underdogs”. Goldilocks is no fairytale character in this version, but a modern little girl in hoodie living in a dull grey terrace. She goes out shopping with her mum. Their gloomy expressions speak of a desolate home atmosphere. Whilst her mother browses longingly in a butcher shop window – you get the impression she is too poor to buy the fresh meat on display – the girl goes chasing a stray balloon. All this takes place on the left-hand page of each spread. Meanwhile, on page right the bear family wake up and go for a stroll. They look like bears but dress and talk like ordinary people. “Daddy talked about his work and Mummy talked about her work. I just messed about,” baby bear tells us.
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