Sam & Dave Dig A Hole by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen
Something About A Bear
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Jackie Morriss |
Frances Lincoln |
9781847805164 |
October 2014 |
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 |
Book Island |
9780994109804 |
October 2014 |
hardback |
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! |
Jim’s Lion
Atlas Of Adventures
Over The Hills And Far Away – a treasury of nursery rhymes
The Flute
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Rachna Gilmore ill,. Pulak Biswas |
Tradewind |
9781896580579 |
June 2011 |
32 pp |
Whole book read |
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 |
Macmillan |
9780230745360 |
October 2011 |
24 pp |
Whole book read |
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 |
Doubleday |
9780385614894 |
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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