Tag Flying Eye Books

The Lines on Nana’s Face

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The Lines on Nana’s Face
Simona Ciraolo
Flying Eye Books
Utterly divine was my instant reaction when I saw the cover of this: and so it continued with glorious endpapers and an, oh so beautiful narration by a small girl, of a conversation that takes place between herself and her Nana on the latter’s birthday. All the relations have come to celebrate the day but our narrator is slightly bemused: in addition to looking happy, why does her Nana appear as though ‘she might also be a bit sad, and a little surprised and slightly worried, all at the same time.’ she wonders. Nana suggests it might be due to her wrinkles, “ … it is in these lines that I keep all my memories!”
What follows is a glorious exploration of those lines with the little girl leading the way.

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There’s a springtime mystery-solving memory line, a best seaside picnic ever line (or two) – definitely laughter lines those …

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and these are the result of a truly hair-raising first date encounter with Grandpa …

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Memories of a glorious wedding dress made by Nana for her sister are also present – right below Nana’s eyes and there’s a sadness place too – that’s for Nana’s first goodbye …

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Then comes our adorable narrator’s final question: “Nana! Do you remember the first time you saw me?” and Nana’s beatific smile says it all …

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Stunning illustrations grace each and every page of this treasure of a book. I particularly love the alternate ‘real’ (lines) and imaginative (memory) spreads pattern Ciraolo uses as she celebrates both youth with all its promise of times to come, and gradual aging with its memories of times past: essentially, life and living. I for one will never look upon my facial lines in quite the same way again. What a truly tender tale to share with young children, no matter whether you are or aren’t a grandparent though of course, it would be a wonderful present from one grandchild to grandma or vice-versa. And (I keep on saying this), yet another out of this world production from Flying Eye Books: oh that paper – I can almost feel those lines,  oh that spine, oh, oh … hmmm!

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The Wolves of Currumpaw

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The Wolves of Currumpaw
William Grill
Flying Eye Books
William Grill’s award winning Shackleton’s Journey was an amazing book; but he’s now done something even more sublime with this story which is in part a retelling of a tale from New Mexico – Ernest Thompson Seton’s Lobo, King of Currumpaw – and part research about Ernest Seton.
I’ve long been a huge fan of Michelle Paver’s Chronicles of Ancient Darkness and in particular Wolf Brother, a fantasy story of a boy and a wolf. Now I’m a fan of another wolf tale too. Here though we have a story of a real wolf, but this is no ordinary wolf; and William Grill welds together fiction and fact, dividing his narrative into six parts starting in 1862 with the impact of the arrival of European settlers in the Old West, and bringing us right up to present time with a mention of David Attenborough and Douglas W.Smith.
Essentially, we learn the story of one particular wolf pack and Lobo its leader and of Seton, their hunter who, after his destructive encounters with the wolves, especially Blanca, Lobo’s mate and Lobo himself, undergoes a redemptive metamorphosis from killer to wild-life protector and conservationist. I have to admit, I shed a tear or two as I read of the placing of Lobo’s dead body beside Blanca’s: “There, you would come to her, now you are together again.”
Sometimes tinged with humour, sometimes with sadness, there is a dreamlike quality about Grill’s drawings, executed in colour pencils. His skill in producing deceptively simple impressionistic interpretations of the wide-open landscapes …

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and big skies of New Mexico …

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is awe-inspiring, whether employed over a double page spread or in his miniature story-telling frames.

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The chilling cruelty of the vast array of vicious iron-tooth traps and other trapping paraphernalia is somehow heightened by his minimalist technique.

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Gripping too is Grill’s narrative voice; here’s an example of his succinct text: ‘Laloche, a French Canadian, believed Lobo was not simply a wolf but a genuine “loup-garou” (werewolf), and therefore could not be caught by ordinary means. He cleverly created his own devious poisons, and used a whole array of spells, charms and incantations, each more elaborate than the last. Day in, day out, he tried and tried, but for all his tricks, Lobo eluded him.’
Seemingly, every time I write a review of a title from this particular publisher, I wax lyrical about the outstanding quality of their books; here’s another example of  production extraordinaire from Flying Eye Books.

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Wild Animals of the North

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Wild Animals of the North
Dieter Braun
Flying Eye Books
Magnificent art takes the forefront in an awe-inspiring introduction to an array of creatures great and small, all of which are native to the northern hemisphere. The book is divided into three regions: North America, Europe and Asia and, starting with North America, Dieter Braun takes readers on an exploration of animals of the land, sea and air: his stunning illustrations are a wonder to behold and seem to encapsulate the very essence, spirit and being of the animals portrayed. I was reminded of elements of primitive cave paintings in his rendering of the Bison …

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of Dürer in his American Lobster …

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and Cubism in for instance, his Polar Bear…

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Moving on to Europe that glorious Grey Heron …

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brought American ornithologist and painter Audubon’s work to mind and Braun’s beautiful Roe Deer illustration seems inspired by Art Deco.

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Some pictures are left to speak for themselves with just the animal’s common and scientific names given, others have a paragraph of factual information. I found myself ‘googling’ some of the less familiar creatures – the Asian, Manul for instance -where I found the photographs of the particular animal somehow less alive than Braun’s image on the page.

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Several of my favourite portraits are among those from Asia. There’s the Red Panda …

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now an endangered species;
Black Bear, which in this gorgeous scene …

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closely resembles the large soft toy replica I once bought from the Norbulingka Institute near Dharamsala in northern India and the beautiful crested Mandarin Duck …

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familiar to me from frequent visits to Bushy Park – a favourite haunt on mine.
Children and adults alike will get great pleasure turning the pages of this large, sumptuous volume and it will surely be the inspiration to find out more about some of the eighty odd animals presented herein. However, it is not a book for those interested in things zoological only; there is much to interest art lovers as well.
Top quality is something one now almost takes for granted from Flying Eye Books: here is yet another example of how attention to detail in design ensures that their high standard is once more maintained: I cannot wait to see the companion volume Wild Animals of the South soon to be published.

Those who have an interest in birds (no matter from where) and in creating art will likely enjoy:

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Kerry Lemon’s Birds of Paradise
Kerry Lemon
Pictura
This concertina-style book takes us on a trip to the rainforests of New Guinea wherein live the stunningly coloured birds of the title. In addition to the colouring in possibilities, the author includes some basic information on the birds featured and lots of helpful tips on art in general, and how this particular book might be used.

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The Journey

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The Journey
Francesca Sanna
Flying Eye Books
Having worked in several London schools where asylum seekers and refugee families are part and parcel of the school community, I was privileged to hear some of their moving stories first hand. The author of this book has also heard and indeed collected such stories from people who have, for one reason or another, been forced to flee their homes and undertake long and dangerous journeys in search of safety. Her book is the result of that collection of personal stories and its author/illustrator has done the tellers proud. It focuses on one particular family of four that very quickly becomes three as the narrator’s father is killed in the war, leaving a frightened mother and her two children. It is their story  we share as they prepare to leave their home and undertake a perilous journey – the mother calls it a ‘great adventure’ – towards a ‘safe place’ where they can live free from fear and from constant danger.
Leaving at night so as not to draw attention to themselves, the family is on the move for days, gradually shedding material things as they go …

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and eventually reach the border. Here though, surrounded by forest and blocked by an enormous wall, they are stopped and told they cannot proceed.

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Sleep overtakes them and next morning having eluded the guards, they are approached by a man whom they pay to get them across and on to the next stage of the journey.
After a perilous boat voyage during which stories of monsters give way to stories of magic and kindness …

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finally land is reached once more and the three board a train, a train that crosses borders, heading they hope for a new place – a safe haven – where, like the birds that they watch from the train, they can start afresh  where a new story can begin.
It’s impossible to read this without having tears in your eyes, it’s so beautifully told; part of its power being in the simplicity of the telling; but it is the outstanding illustrations that hold such potence. There is that border guard towering menacingly over them and the trafficker shown as only an enormous silhouette …

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both in stark contrast to the loving mother enfolding her children within her protective arms in the border forest –

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such eloquence.
This truly is a story of our time and one that deserves a place on the shelves of every family, every educational establishment, every library, every place where people come together to talk and to share stories, Beautifully produced though one has now come to expect that from Flying Eye Books; however this one doesn’t shout quality, it embodies quality.

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Patterns, Colours & Cars

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Pattern-Tastic Treasure Hunt
Technicolour Treasure Hunt
illustrated by Nan Na Hvass and Sophie Hannibal
Wide Eyed Editions
If you want to get young children observing, talking and thinking, then these two large format board books are superb. Cleverly designed with tabs down the side and chock-full of exciting things from the natural world, they’re certain to generate discussion and excitement. Pattern-Tastic focuses on flora and fauna that are spotty…

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stripy, spiky, speckled, have a spiral design or are wavy in some way …

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All superb examples of Mother Nature, designer.
Strikingly illustrated and full of counting opportunities too, there’s an invitation on every spread to find the odd one out –whose design breaks the theme.
Technicolour Treasure Hunt gives a spread to each of the primary colours plus pink, green, orange and purple. Each asks youngsters to find the ten named items of the particular colour,

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listing them opposite the question, ‘Can you find all of these eg. red things

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All Kinds of Cars
Carl Johanson
Flying Eye Books
Swedish artist Johanson take an every day item, the car, and puts a whole new spin on it in what is essentially a visual vehicular catalogue. Letting his imagination run riot, Johanson’ s opening spreads are entirely crazy offerings ranging from a ‘marmalade’ car to a blubbery looking ‘obese’ car on the first; then turn the page and we have these beauties:

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I’m not sure what the raison d’être for including the ‘English bus’ here was but assuredly there are some odd passengers aboard.
Next is a spread of fire-related rescue vehicles – real not imagined this time and they’re put into an action setting as are those on the next spread – a building site in this instance.

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This pattern is repeated through the book: two spreads of imagined cars – anyone for a ‘bed’ car?

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I just love the ‘toy’ car …

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but suggest steering clear of that ‘poo’ car – imagine sitting in that PHOAW! …

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I think my very favourite has to be the ‘book’ car but that ‘Mondrian’ car rather appealed to my sense of the ridiculous.

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And so we go on: there’s a farming vehicle spread, a building site, an airport page and a city street scene complete with dog poo collecting bike! As well as further flights of fancy of the car kind. There’s also an alphabetic index and end papers that positively cry out to be coloured in.
I had to use strong persuasive tactics to get this one out of the clutches of a group of 4s to 8s (mainly boys) who got their hands on my copy. I’m sure it will generate a whole lot of creative endeavours from readers. Think of the, dare I say it, FUN you could have with this one in a primary classroom.

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Professor Astro Cat’s Atomic Adventure

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Professor Astro Cat’s Atomic Adventure
Dr Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman
Flying Eye Books
Professor Astro Cat is one cool guy; if only he’d been around when I was learning physics. His “join me” invitation is one not to be ignored as he takes his readers on an amazing journey of discovery.
First stop, Gravity. Very important – if it weren’t for that invisible force, we wouldn’t be on planet earth at all, we’d all be floating around in space.

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It’s also the reason the Earth and the Sun – this exerts a massive gravitational force keeping the planets in orbit – were created. Awesome!
Next is an explanation of the Scientific Method; key here is making a hypothesis. Plug for the imagination for without it, no hypothesis; and as we know, the biggest fueller of the imagination is literature. Of course one needs to test that hypothesis (scientific guess), observe, record results and compare hypothesis and results. A vital element of experimentation is Measurement be it of length/distance, time, temperature, weight and mass. Our Prof. sums it all up here …

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Next tricky question: What is everything made of? Atoms – yes but those break down into …

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Moreover, they exist in three forms (at room temperature that is) solid, liquid and gas and the different kinds of atoms are called elements; they’re what are organised on that chart you’re likely to find in a school science lab. the Periodic Table. Professor Astro Cat explains the significance of this nifty piece of documentation and much more in A World of Atoms before going on to discuss Metals, which is what most elements in that periodic table are, the others being mostly gases. Don’t you just love the playful juxtapositioning here:

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But then playfulness is the essence of this whole mind-boggling book. It would be impossible in a short review to mention all the exciting areas the Prof. explores but crucially he makes the world of physics so accessible and understandable. Of course, the explanations themselves are only one half of the equation. Ben Newman’s busy, retro style illustrations are bounties of graphic genius and it’s the amalgam of words and pictures that really makes this one such a cracker.
(One small mistake I noticed is that we’re told ‘A clover has 3 petals … ‘ It has 5; 3 is the number of leaves, strictly speaking, leaflets.) All in all though, a real blast, you might say.
But let’s give the Prof. himself the final say:

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Line, Shape, Form & Colour

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Do You See What I See?
Helen Borten
Flying Eye Books
Not so much a question, more an invitation to readers from Helen Borten, to look carefully at the world around them, to look at everything in terms of line, shape and form, and colour.
She also shows, through her poetic verbal imagery the way in which what and how we see influences how we feel: ‘Lines that bend in a zigzag way seem to crackle with excitement. They make me think of thunderstorms and jagged mountain peaks. I see huge jaws of a crocodile, wide open and bristling with jagged teeth, ready to snap shut.’

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There are also curves – swirls and twirls full of grace and beauty; and often adding texture …

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Lines are everywhere, in abundance – skinny or fat, timid or bold, wiggly or straight, hard or soft, shaggy or smooth, fast or slow – ‘Wherever I look I see lines making patterns of beauty. Can you see them too?’

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Moreover, lines can become shapes – circles, squares, rectangles, triangles and more; these too are all around us.

 

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Moving on to colours: are they hot like a fire, cold as a mountain stream, warm like the rays of the sun, or cool as a crispy lettuce leaf?

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What about this for wonderful visual/verbal evocation: ‘Colours can be pale and timid as a mouse – or dark and mysterious as the night.’

 

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Seeing and feeling are inextricably bound when it comes to art appreciation and understanding, and this book is an excellent starting point for discussion and then doing as the author urges, ‘… see the world as a great big painting, full of lines and shapes and colours to look at and enjoy.’
A modern classic in the 1960s, it’s great to see it back in print with Flying Eye: a real little treasure.

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Apples and Robins
Lucie Félix
Chronicle Books
Here, every turn of the page changes one thing to another: circles to apples at summer’s end, out of reach apples that require a ladder for picking. For this rectangles are needed –short and long,
Triangles, ovals, parallelograms, squares both as blocks of colour or die-cuts are used to conjure up the robin,

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bird-house,

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the elements, and much more as we move through this cleverly conceived book from autumn through winter to the coming of spring to a garden in which stands the apple tree.
With something to surprise and delight readers on every new spread encountered,

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this is definitely one to revisit time and again, to listen to the author’s commentary as she takes us through the changing seasons and shows us how the scenes are constructed.

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One Day On Our Blue Planet … In the Antarctic

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One Day On Our Blue Planet … In the Antarctic
Ella Bailey
Flying Eye Books
Ella Bailey’s second day-stop on her tour of Our Blue Planet is a decidedly chilly one, the Antarctic. Here, as day breaks we join a recently hatched Adélie penguin chick as she waddles along the frozen coastline, weaving across the nesting grounds in answer to her parents’ call.

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Her mother feeds her one last meal and then that little penguin must set out alone into the enormous Antarctic Ocean to fend for herself.
When she reaches the water’s edge there is nothing for it but to launch herself seawards and once in the water, the little creature moves through it with grace and speed, travelling huge distances every day as she seeks food. In her search, the little penguin encounters all manner of marine giants …

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And diving down under the ice she discovers a hidden world rich in food such as krill, squid and fish; but there are also dangerous creatures intent on eating her.

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Further north fur seals are to be discovered as well as different kinds of penguins; but no matter how long it is before that chick returns to solid ground, she has a thick protective layer of fat to keep her warm be she in the sea or, as the cold, cold day turns to bitter night, resting on the floating ice …

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As with her first Savannah destination, Ella Bailey presents an amazing amount of information in such a way that it will be easily absorbed by children who, like this adult reviewer, will delight in making the journey through those chilly southern waters along with little penguin. Her aptly crisp, clear illustrations are superb and the end papers (one above the ice, the other below) are chock-full of visual information.

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Of Men and Mice (and the odd elephant)

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Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too)
Keith Negley
Flying Eye Books
The dozen tough guys boldly depicted in bold blocks of colour in this book represent a wide range of roles from wrestler to racing driver and each one is shown in a moment of strong emotion be it sadness, frustration, loneliness, disappointment or fear. …
‘… tough guys have feeling too.’ says the text and Negley’s powerful illustrations speak volumes and certainly show the guys in all their vulnerability. There’s a huge tattooed biker weeping over a tiny squirrel lying dead in the road …

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a pirate digging on a beach already covered with holes as he tries in vain to locate the treasure marked on his map,

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an astronaut floating around in space clutching a photo of his wife and child.

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In fact an adult and child together are the raison ‘d’être for the whole thing as we see them on the final spread – a father and son – snuggled together sharing a book and surrounded by scattered action figures and other relevant items pertaining to the already shown tough guys.

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And the endpapers are about the same pair: the front ones showing just the boy in all the roles and those at the back including Dad participating in the role-playing.
A wonderful and important demonstration that it’s fine, indeed cool, to show your feelings no matter who you happen to be: this book is a great starting point for discussion both in educational settings and families.

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As Quiet as a Mouse
Karen Owen and Evgenia Golubeva
Maverick Arts Publishing
Edgar has fond feelings for his new baby sister but he does find it extremely challenging not to keep waking her up – no matter how much he tries.

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“You need to be as quiet as a mouse!” his Mum tells him so off goes Edgar to consult his friend Ruby. She takes him along to Mouse School and hands him over to Head Mouse, Mr Cheddar who insists he should pass the “Quiet Mouse Test” and lessons commence forthwith.

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Eventually Edgar manages to pass the test, becoming the first ever elephant to do so and then it’s time for a celebratory party …

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Well, it wasn’t Edgar this time! …
An extended joke of a story, winningly illustrated, that will resonate with youngsters in a similar, new sibling situation to Edgar.

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Don’t miss the Children’s Book Illustration Autumn Exhibition at Waterstones, Piccadilly 23rd-29th October

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Pablo & Jane and the Hot Air Contraption

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Pablo & Jane and the Hot Air Contraption
José Domingo
Flying Eye Books
Right from the amazing cover and those endpapers you suspect you’re in for a treat with this one and truly you are. The whole thing is pretty mind-boggling and no review can really do justice to it – you’ll just need to get hold of your own copy and see for yourself.
It all begins one dull Sunday afternoon with adventure loving Jane and her rather killjoy sibling Pablo having run out of things to do and places to go; well maybe not quite the latter: there’s still that ‘old house on the hill’ reputedly radio-active and monster-filled. Jane’s keen to go of course, Pablo not quite so …

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Once inside they discover – or rather, are led to – an amazing hot air-power machine.

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Having ventured within, they’re suddenly zapped into the Monster Dimension. And thanks to the dastardly saboteur Felinibus, the contraption cannot move without its missing pieces. So it’s a case of find those parts and fix the machine or be forever trapped in another reality and it’s here in Lopsided London that the help of readers is called for to track down the first of the missing parts.

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Here too, the tricky feline gives her pursuers the slip so the search for her and further vital parts moves to Nocturnal Norway with its bone-crunching trolls, thence to Terrifying Transylvania with its villainous vampires, Monstrous Moscow, Ageless Athens, Macabre Marrakesh, Muerto Mexico populated by skeletons, Bone-Chilling Bayou where voodoo rules, Horrid Hawaii with those drumming tiki men, the ‘Orrible Outback (those drooling koalas look pretty scary), Treacherous Thailand – eleven missing parts to find in a temple there, and finally, Immortal India where a war is raging between the monkey king and the demon army.

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Each of these dazzling locations has its own amazing double spread crammed to overflowing with brilliantly conceived images to feast your eyes on.
The shift between full-page spreads and comic strip works wonderfully well in this fast-moving adventure cum game of hide-and-seek cum quest (ending with the children’s safe return home). It’s chock full of delicious alliteration, mind-stretching vocabulary and has intertextual links aplenty in those action packed scenes.
And, with its slight hint of more adventures to come, who could ask for more?

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Certainly not this reviewer (who is still searching for some of the missing parts) nor those excited eight to ten year olds from whose enthusiastic clutches I had to prise my copy.
In a word, awesome.

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Fabulous Children’s Book Illustration Autumn exhibition at Waterstones, Piccadilly 23rd-29th October
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Imelda & the Goblin King

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Imelda & the Goblin King
Briony May Smith
Flying Eye Books
Imelda lives next to a wood, but this wood is a magical one populated by fairy folk and their fairy queen. It’s a place of peace and harmony and Imelda loves to spend her days frolicking with, and learning from, the fairy folk.

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Then one day into this life of tranquility bursts a foul-tempered Goblin King and his green goblin horde. His manners are appalling, despite the fairy queen’s best efforts …

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and he has the effrontery, after gobbling up the whole solstice feast, to seize his host and imprison her in a cage.
The other fairies call upon Imelda’s help and together they cook up a clever plan that offers the greedy goblin king one final chance …

 

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The happily ever after finale isn’t quite the one you might expect, or perhaps it is, given that pretty much everything about this cracking book is delightfully idiosyncratic, not least the manner in which the anti-hero becomes the agent of his own downfall,

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an outcome which had my young audiences cheering in appreciation.
What a dazzling cast of characters: Imelda, the heroine, is an unflappable young miss, the epitome of all that’s good but still not afraid to turn her hand to a spot of subtle trickery to further a worthy cause; the Fairy Queen with her rosy cheeks and flowing golden hair certainly isn’t always as soft and sweet as she looks …

 

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and as for that Goblin King, he’s a pretty terrifying-looking bullying beast unlikely to worm his way into anyone’s affections.
And every single fairy has its own distinctive appearance – there’s even a blue one that looks like a mini Martian and the goblins, they pretty much resemble their king though they look a lot less threatening at least some of the time. Add to all those, a scattering of dragonflies, butterflies, birds, and other creatures and you have a veritable visual fest.
With a compelling narrative that doesn’t pander to whimsy and has just a tiny frisson of fear, this enchanting book is like nothing else I’ve encountered in the fairy tale genre of late.
Cracking stuff.

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Toby and the Ice Giants

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Toby and the Ice Giants
Joe Lillington
Flying Eye Books
In the company of Ice Age tundra dweller, Toby the bison, readers are taken way back some 20,000 years in time to the last glacial period when earth was home to some gigantic animals. With an assurance to other family members, “I’m big now. I’m not scared!” young Toby ventures out to explore. So begins a series of encounters with a host of amazing megafauna, the first being via a head-on collision with a bad-tempered woolly rhinoceros spoiling for a fight.

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Thankfully the massive-clawed magatherium he meets next is more interested in using its claws for procuring food from a tree so Toby moves on seawards.
“I’m Toby, I can run really fast!” he informs a Glypton. This thick-shelled beast is friendly enough unlike the ferocious long-toothed predatory Smilodon

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from which Toby rushes,  past the short-faced bear, the flying Teratorn before coming upon some ice age humans

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whereupon he decides it’s time to head home.
This book successfully interweaves narrative and factual information making this one that can be enjoyed on more than one level. Into Joe Lillington’s dramatic watercolour illustrations are inserted the storyline and speech bubbles and the factual details appear alongside (or below). In addition there is a comparative size spread, a basic explanation about the ending of the ice-age, some additional animals from the time that Toby didn’t come upon together with an author’s note stating that Toby’s adventure has been telescoped into a single day, and a glossary.
All in all, another quality production from Flying Eye, a hugely appealing introduction to the period and a likely starting point for further Ice Age forays.

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Whatever Happened To My Sister?

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Whatever Happened to My Sister?
Simona Ciraolo
Flying Eye Books
It’s unusual to have a picture book about how the on-set of puberty can have such a profound effect, being presented from a younger sister’s point of view. There are lots of books about the arrival of a new baby and how this impacts on the family and in particular, the older child or children. The growing up of an elder sibling can also have an unsettling impact upon the one being left behind, particularly where it’s two girls involved.
Here, we have a tender-hearted, somewhat whimsical look, presented through the eyes of a small girl, at the realization that her big sis. has joined the ranks of that breed of ‘just teenagers’ who seemingly spend most of their time behind a closed bedroom door or plugged into various mobile devices.
“I’d had my suspicions for a while that someone had replaced my sister with a girl who looked a lot like her. It had to be!” says the narrator as she remembers the good times they had together while perusing a photo album.
Then, turning detective, she then goes on ponder the tell-tale signs in retrospect …

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some more obvious than others –

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… and to relate how she even turns to her sister’s friends for answers to the thorny problem.

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Simona Ciraolo’s mixed media illustrations executed with a limited colour palette, predominantly in shades first of blue, grey, and latterly, red and orange, speak volumes about the dynamics of the loving relationship between the two siblings.

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Toddler Bookshelf

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Where’s Bear?
Emily Gravett
Macmillan Children’s Books
Bear and Hare are back in their third amusing adventure, or game actually. The adorable duo engage in a game of Hide and Seek with Bear hiding first. Unsurprisingly to readers his chosen hiding places – in front of a lamp, or a pile of books, and behind a fish tank (albeit a large one) – are a dismal failure and the roles are reversed. Bear is now the finder: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 … but where, oh where is Hare? Here perhaps?

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But now Hare cannot find Bear and oh dear, he’s getting in a bit of a tizzy

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until finally …

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Nobody can turn a small episode into high drama with quite the consummate skill of Emily Gravett.
I do hope the publishers decide to offer it other formats: it’s perfect for beginning readers but the board book edition may well put them off.

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How Many Legs?
Katja Spitzer
Flying Eye Books
Off beat illustrations of all manner of items from ice-creams to bugs and ‘mischievous monkeys’ to ‘stylish shoes’ to count, are presented in the small pages of this quirky little counting and number book. It’s divided into two distinct parts: the first introduces numerals and counting to 10 (the number being displayed on both sides of the spread);

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the second provides practice in getting one to one correspondence between the number names spoken and the items being counted without the visual number symbols.

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There’s plenty of potential for talking with the very young ones as well as the mathematical opportunities offered here in this mini volume, which is one of a new series from this artist and Flying Eye. I love the bold retro images and the feel of the whole thing.

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SNAP! SNAP!
Cocoretto
Child’s Play
There are five animals hiding beneath the flaps of this ‘Guess the Animal’ board book, each introduced by a noisy clue and the repeated question What’s that noise?’

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the answer being revealed by lifting the flap on the opposite page.

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Those from just a few months can enjoy the sounds and bold, bright images, slightly older toddlers will delight in the playful scenarios and the chance to be noisy along with the various animals large and small each spread provides; and those just beginning to match the spoken word to the print on the page might try doing just that. The experience will be hugely more enjoyable than that provided by the first books of a dreary reading scheme and in addition there’s the opportunity to begin to develop prediction skills.
In similar vein is

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CHOO! CHOO!
The format is the same but herein the animals are the drivers or operators of wonderfully noisy vehicles. There’s a train, a tractor, a digger, a motorbike and a fire engine. Playful, cacophonous fun aplenty.

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Mad About Monkeys

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Mad About Monkeys
Owen Davey
Flying Eye Books
I’ve loved Owen Davey’s work since receiving a copy of the wordless Foxly’s Feast to review. Here he offers another feast – a visual and factual one about the group of haplorine or dry-nosed primates we call monkeys.
In fifteen double spreads he presents answers to the questions, ‘What Are Monkeys?’ – which provides some basic facts, and ‘Is a Monkey My Uncle?’ In the latter he repudiates the idea that humans come from monkeys showing how primates have evolved over some 45 million years and charting the two groups (Old World and New World) into which monkeys fall. This is further explored in the next spread that explains how to differentiate between the two. I discovered quite a bit here.

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Readers are then invited to become detectives and decide whether the six shown are from the Old World or the New.
Did you know the smallest monkey species, the Pygmy Marmoset has a body of around 12cm and a tail measuring 17cm? I certainly didn’t, although I did know the male Mandrill is the largest monkey and that they have brightly coloured noses and bottoms.
Social life and hierarchy are the next topics discussed and Geladas, a very special kind of monkey are given their own spread. I certainly would not want to encounter one of those close up.

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All manner of weird and wonderful monkeys are presented in the next two spreads including the noisiest, the fastest mover, the one with the longest tail, the hairiest faced monkey and the first in space, as well as eight of the strangest-looking species.
I was fascinated to read in Smarter than Average that white-faced capuchin monkeys have even learned to self medicate by rubbing their fur with Giant African Millipedes and leaves to repel insects. And those Japanese macaques are truly amazing.
Anyone who has ever visited India will most likely have encountered monkeys that steal sandwiches, fruit and anything else such as cameras and bags that takes their fancy;I have certainly fallen victim to their unwanted thieving on several occasions. Such marauding practices are explored in the next pages

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and then we take a brief look at Monkey Mythology and, the impact of deforestation on monkey habitats.
Owen Davey’s illustrations are simply superb and truly works of art. They somehow convey so much more than a photograph and help the reader to home in on the essential characteristics of each of the animals featured as well as to appreciate their beauty. The text is highly informative, scientific and totally accessible without being in any way condescending; and there’s a useful index. One very small quibble: perhaps his editors could have been consistent over the use of metric and imperial measurements.
Awesome from cover to cover.

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Animals – Wild and Tame

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Wild and Tame Animals
Dahlov Ipcar
Flying Eye Books
‘Long ago all the animals in the world were wild. Some were timid and hid in the woods, and some were ferocious and dangerous … But long ago men learned to tame some of the wild animals.’ So begins this Ipcar presentation wherein wild animals and their tame varieties are introduced in captioned spreads. Thus we encounter feral cats, and household tame ones, wild dogs and trained ones, wild horses and the working variety. Many more of the world’s fauna are depicted working for humans in places such as Asia,

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India, Saudi Arabia and the Arctic;

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and donkeys have a special international spread of their own.
Thank goodness then that animals still live wild in the world’s jungles, plains and woodlands for us to see: long may it be so.
There is a real vintage feel to this one for which the artist has used a restricted colour palette of tan, mustard, olive, grey, white and black. As always with Wide Eyed publications, the production is top quality. For the primary school library I’d suggest: It would make a good starting point to the whole issue of the way humans use/abuse animals.

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One Day on Our Blue Planet … In the Savannah
Ella Bailey
Flying Eye Books
All the animals are free to roam their African savannah homeland in this, Ella Bailey’s second picture book; and how different in nature from her previous one, No Such Thing, it is.
We trail a lion cub as he pursues his mother from their den, through the tall grass and eventually, to the river for some midday refreshment;

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then while she rests, the little cub plays at hunting, stalking and chasing.

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At sunset however, it’s the turn of the lionesses to hunt for real. With their cubs in a safe place, they are off on the trail of their favourite meal – meat. (Little cub still needs only his mother’s milk at this stage though.) And he does need lots of sleep – unlike his parents that may well stay awake through the night.

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During the course of the twenty-four hours we also meet the little cub’s relations and a whole host of other animals that share their Savanna homeland; and in so doing readers/listeners can discover further details about the indigenous fauna and flora. Gorgeous endpapers present the diurnal and nocturnal creatures and the playful spreads in between offer opportunities to find out more. The straightforward narrative text conveys additional bite-size chunks of ecological information.
I look forward to spending delightful days in other habitats on Our Blue Planet.

Four year olds’ versions of the little lion cub:

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The Little Gardener

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The Little Gardener
Emily Hughes
Flying Eye Books
‘A garden is a lovesome thing’; it certainly is so for the little gardener of the title, a diminutive boy whose garden is his world –his pride and joy that he shares with his pet worm.

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Therein he toils long hours and is rewarded by a single bloom ‘alive and wonderful.’

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Despite the gardener’s labours however, the rest of the garden does not flourish: all around things are dying and he is near to despair.
“I wish I had a little help” is the message he sends out from his bed one night; a message that goes unheard; but all is not lost for that glorious lone zinnia acts as a beacon of light attracting the attention of a little girl.

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While he slumbers – for a whole month so tired is the little gardener – that girl and a boy work away at the garden and when he wakes, there before him is a wonderful, thriving, almost magical garden.

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This truly is a book to treasure. The story unfolds in a gentle, straightforward manner and her spare, unobtrusive way of telling allows for Emily’s lush, richly detailed illustrations to do most of the talking. Many of the spreads bring to mind William Morris designs and palette as they draw the reader in to a very special earthy world infused with vibrancy and populated by winning worms and wondrous flora.
‘In my beginning is my end’ came to mind as I read this a second time: there is a satisfying shaping of the whole thing from the opening ‘This was the garden. It didn’t look much, but it meant everything to its gardener.’ through to the final, ‘This is the garden now. And this is its gardener. He doesn’t look like much but he means everything to his garden.’ Such verbal artistry.
If anything deserves to achieve classic status it’s this one; and on top of everything else it’s ideal for those in the early stages of reading to try for themselves –

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Rosa shares the story with a snake.

once they’ve had the pleasure of an adult sharing it, of course.

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Some 6 to 9 year olds inspired by the story, created their own garden collages.

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Hungry Roscoe

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DSCN4095 (800x600)Hungry Roscoe
David J. Plant
Flying Eye Books
Roscoe the raccoon has a very empty tum; he’s pretty desperate for something tasty to eat so, he does as his pal Benjy suggests and tries his luck at the zoo, where the animals, so he is told, get their daily share of fresh food. Hmm!
What’s that bucket brim full of bananas and other delectable fruits doing? If Roscoe had any doubts, then the zookeeper clears them up in double quick time …

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Clearly a disguise is needed if Roscoe is to look like a deserving zoo inmate so with the help of few props, he is transformed into …

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Blending in however, doesn’t go too well, so another disguise is donned and he tries his luck as …

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Those squawks are fooling nobody however: time to beat a hasty retreat thinks our hungry hero. Then his luck turns, a deal is struck with some wily monkeys and after some deft key snatching and unlocking

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of various doors, pandemonium strikes the zoo. And then, after a hard day’s labour rounding up all the escapees, it’s definitely NOT Roscoe in need of a feed.DSCN4100 (800x600)

This tale of mischief and mayhem elicited a cheer from those I shared it with, some of whom were eager to suggest other disguises for Roscoe so amused were they by David Plant’s droll visual humour – “sort-of slapstick”, one boy commented.

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Animals – Shape and Form

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Wild About Shapes
Jérémie Fischer
Flying Eye Books
Clever design is at the heart of this intriguing book by an illustrator who is also a screen-printer and as such, is used to layering colour; and layering colour is the essence herein.
A running narrative leads and sometimes urges, readers through the playful book as they turn the alternating acetate and card pages to discover the nature of the animals whose shapes are artfully hidden thereon. ‘Quick! Look over there … ‘we are told and having turned the page, see a large butterfly resting on a flower.
On occasions it’s the animal on the receiving end of the exhortation as in …

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and …

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Sometimes we are given information snippets – ‘Some animals are afraid of nothing, ‘ or ‘Certain animals carry their homes on their backs’ for instance.
For sure, the final clever statement,

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holds true and even more so after reading and re-reading this one. It’s as well the book is sturdily constructed as I envisage it will get a great deal of handling and is likely to prompt children into experimenting with shapes and acetate overlays.

Shape is an important consideration in this book by The Very Hungry Caterpillar creator and other artists:

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What’s Your Favourite Animal?
Eric Carle and Friends
Walker Books pbk
We are introduced to a veritable menagerie in response to the title question of this anthology. Carle and thirteen other renowned picture book artists have contributed a double page spread rendition of his or her chosen member of the animal kingdom. Each person has added a short piece of prose or a poem about said animal and the variety of pictures and words adds up to a fascinating book and an excellent introduction perhaps, to the work of some of these illustrators of children’s books.
Each spread, in its unique way is both visually striking and verbally entertaining. I particularly like Chris Raschka’s snail, just because;

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Mo Willems’ droll humour shines through loud and clear in …

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Peter Sis’ Blue Carp for the dreamlike quality of his depiction and his seasonal piece about hope,

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and Nick Bruel really made the most of the space with his very amusing celebration of the Octopus.

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(What IS Bad Kitty doing intruding there and causing a fuss?)
The last few pages are devoted to thumbnail sketches of the contributors (those not previously mentioned are Tom Lichenheld, Peter McCarty, Rosemary Wells, Lane Smith, Jon Klassen, Susan Jeffers, Steven Kellog, Erin Stead and Lucy Cousins – only four women among them I notice, a spread about The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (the worthy recipient of the royalties from this book) and a final invitation to readers to respond to that title question: what are you waiting for?
Here are some children’s favourites …

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Daniel, 5 chose an elephant – ‘My Granny loves those best too.’

 

 

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Gracie 6, chose rabbits ‘Because they are cute and fluffier than any other animal.’

 

and

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James 7 says, ‘I’ve always liked giraffes since I was a baby and stroked one at the zoo when I was three.’

 

Me, I’m going to find out about the one or two illustrators whose work I am not familiar with.

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This Is My Rock

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This Is My Rock
David Lucas
Flying Eye Books
There’s a David McCord poem I’m fond of with the same title as this book; that and the goat on the cover proudly proclaiming ownership of the tall structure instantly predisposed me to think positively about David Lucas’ latest offering. I most certainly was not disappointed. In fact I love everything about it.
In short, the young goat already mentioned, standing atop that rock announces to all that dare approach, that it is his and not theirs. (Those of us who work with children will be familiar with that one. You need to share, we tell our charges.)
It’s not only goats who challenge him: a large eagle, a woeful-looking bear, several wolves,

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even a tiny bird (watch that one) are all sent packing. Goat stands firm atop that rock of his – all alone and unsure of his next move.
Time passes; he calls, dances

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and starts to feel hungry. Hmm maybe it’s not quite such fun being all by himself, thinks that strong- willed character. Perhaps it’s time to start reaching out …

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Everything about this book is a delight: the unusual colour palette, the borders, every page layout and design, the story of course – it’s told entirely through dialogue with the minimum words,

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though they surely pack a punch; and the fact that it’s not the stroppy goat who has the final word, or should it be ‘tweet’?

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Having read the dedication inside the front cover, one could read all sorts of things into Lucas’ short story but that’s the thing about a good book – it leaves plenty of space for readers to make their own interpretations. Readers who could well be in the early stages of their reading journey are just one of the possible audiences: everything about it makes the book perfect for beginners (reading scheme books just don’t stand up against the likes of this), but it’s much too good to be confined to beginners alone.

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Beautiful Birds

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Beautiful Birds
Jean Roussen and Emmanuelle Walker
Flying Eye Books
Arresting artwork in dazzling colours abounds in this large volume. All manner of plumages, some exotic, some comparatively ordinary (if one can actually call any feathers ordinary), from the wild and wonderful bird kingdom are included. Jean Roussen’s accompanying  poetic, rhyming alphabet text takes readers from the albatross (admiral of the skies) to the zosteropidae (also known as white-eyes)– a new bird for me.

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Emmanuelle Walker demonstrates meticulous attention to shape and form in her elegant images of each bird so that one truly wants to pause and wonder over every single page or spread. It’s absolutely impossible to choose one favourite from this enchanting assortment but some I particularly love are egret,

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the woeful looking kakapo,

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woodpecker

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(a notable absence of that eye-watering fluorescent orange/pink on those last two) and the binocular view of the zosteropidae. Ask me again on another day and my choice might be altogether different, such is the artistry contained within the covers of this one. In any event I wouldn’t choose the cocky peacock that has the final word.
Share the book with children of all ages. It will set their imaginations and creativity soaring along with those avian beauties. Adults too will be drawn in and want to linger over this one. Indeed, many pages would make gorgeous posters . Great endpapers too.
A book for all educational settings and the family bookshelf.

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Her Idea

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Her Idea
Rilla Alexander
Flying Eye Books
Sozi is quite evidently a creative character; ideas simply burst forth from her head so that she feels overwhelmed much of the time. Time however is her problem – or rather procrastination, if we apply the Edward Young adage, ‘Procrastination is the thief of time.’ Consequently, not acted upon, Sozi’s ideas slip away one by one, leaving her an empty-headed, weeping heap. That is until a kindly passer by – fortuitously fleet of foot – chases an idea, eventually entrapping it securely.

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Spurred on by his example, Sozi joins the chase and the two not only discover and catch ideas everywhere but other useful stuff as well.
Then, with a clear mind and happy heart young Sozi sets off on a project, a book project no less. The beginning and middle are dealt with comparatively easily but what about that elusive ending? Well, that’s left to her ideas book friend.

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And a pretty satisfying one it is too.

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As someone who is always going on about giving children opportunities to unleash their creativity, this really made me smile. And as one who has also tried to write stories, it rings uncomfortably true. It’s such a clever idea and so forcefully conveyed through Rilla’s rhythmic narrative and striking illustrations. Her use of a limited colour palette heightens the drama

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and helps make the book more memorable. I like the die-cut covers too. All in all, this allegorical tale within a tale is another demonstration of the fact that when you have a Flying Eye book in your clutches, you know you’re handling quality. I’d suggest over 6s at least for this one.

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Manners & Friendship in Black and White

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panda 5 Please Mr Panda
Steve Antony
Hodder Children’s Books
“Would you like a doughnut?” the chunky panda asks a penguin on the opening spread of Steve Antony’s third picture book. Less than impressed by the penguin’s impolite  response, panda4 he changes his mind and moves on, offering his tray of delicious-looking, colourful treats to several other animals including one who has the enormous cheek – (but then it is a whale) to retort, “I want them all! Then bring me some more.” Unsurprisingly none of the answers meet with his approval and the offer is hastily withdrawn. panda 3 It’s not until the resolute panda encounters lemur that he receives a polite answer with that all -important p-word included. So pleased is Mr Panda on hearing the elusive word being uttered (he even gets a “Thank you very much!”) that he gives the charming creature the whole box panda2 with the throwaway remark, “You’re welcome. I don’t like doughnuts.” A wonderfully stylish and witty lesson in basic manners: The sight of that solemn-faced panda sporting a tiny paper hat bearing the single word Doughnuts and remaining  impassive in the face of rudeness, is enormously endearing. With such artistry I’m sure Mr P. will quickly become a firm favourite with all who have dealings with young children as well as the book’s intended audience themselves. The latter will, I suspect feel a sense of anticipatory delight at every turn of the page, until that all-important, topsy-turvy panda/lemur encounter. With its deliciously droll illustrations, cleverly patterned text, inviting layout and memorable words young readers will want to try reading it for themselves after sharing it with an adult a couple of times. panda 1 Mr P. will undoubtedly provide a third winner for Mr A.

 

bl&w 7 Black and White
Dahlov Ipcar
Flying Eye Books
Said to have been inspired by the US civil rights movement, this stylish book was originally published in the early 60s and is now reissued by a British publisher whose hallmarks are design and production of the highest quality. The story itself, tells of two dogs, one black, the other white that play together by day and part at night to return to separate homes to sleep and dream. It is their dreams that Ipcar explores in gentle rhythmic rhyme and glorious visuals, as the black dog’s dream takes him off to a dark African jungle. A place populated by elephants, monkeys and fierce panthers, bl&w 2 where zebras and antelopes graze and ‘Black-and-white butterflies everywhere/Fill the flower-scented air.’ bl&w 3 The little white dog meanwhile is transported to the snowy, icy arctic. There ‘On the shore stand polar bears, / While arctic foxes chase arctic hares.’ bl&w 4 and seals and great whales swim in the chilly waters below which black-and-white fishes glide, walruses rest on the ice-floes and sea birds nest on the rocks. Come morning, the canine pals reunite to play together side-by-side once again and to recount to one another the details of their dream-world travels. bl&w 6 Stylish retro, yet timeless illustrations, grace every page demonstrating just how perfectly Ipcar balances form and colour. Use your local bookshop: localbookshops_NameImage-2 Don’t forget February 14th ibgdposterlarge

The Dinner That Cooked Itself and A Runaway Snack

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The Dinner that Cooked Itself
J.C.Hsyu and Kenard Pak
Flying Eye Books
This elegant retelling of a Chinese folktale (no source is given) centres on Tuan, a hardworking young man orphaned as a child and brought up by  kindly neighbours. When he comes of age, the couple seeks the services of a matchmaker for Tuan. The first suggestion has an unsuitable animal symbol, the second has a clashing elemental sign, the third seems promising but her parents reject Tuan for being too poor.
A lonely Tuan continues working hard and one evening when out picking cabbages he comes upon a large snail. The kindly young man sees this as a sign of good fortune and takes it home to care for. Indeed his luck does then take a turn for the better. The next night and for several thereafter, he returns home from work to discover a delicious meal awaiting him on the table.
Curious as to who is doing him such kindness Tuan resolves to discover the identity of the cook. Coming home earlier the next evening, he sees something most curious: from the snail’s jar emerges a beautiful woman ‘in long silk robes that flowed like water’. She tells Tuan that she’s a fairy sent by the Lord of Heaven to care for him until he marries and to whom she must now return as she cannot be seen in her true form by a mortal.
However, she leaves behind her shell and that never runs out of rice, so Tuan always has food. He does eventually find a wife and the couple live happily together in true folktale fashion.
Pak chooses a palette of muted, predominantly earthy tones

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to create the mixed-media illustrations for this unusual story, which is told in an appropriately direct manner as befits a traditional tale. Interestingly he gives all characters an angular jaw structure,

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which reminds me of the calligraphic strokes shown on the final double spread and this makes them stand out in stark contrast to the fluidity of elements portrayed in some of the scenes.

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Keep Running, Gingerbread Man
Steve Smallman and Neil Price
QED Publishing
Billed as a story about keeping active, this version has the Gingerbread Man running away from his makers, the little old man and woman, (good to hear they were both involved) dashing from the clutches of various animals as he chants his well known ‘Run, run as fast as you can … “ refrain until he encounters a fox. This vulpine character is a keep-fit enthusiast, which enables him to keep up with the escapee

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and of course he is more than happy to give the little fellow a lift across the river. The tricky hitchhiker however, manages to make his escape (this time) leaving his breathless pursuers participating in a keep-fit class, led, of course, by that fitness-fanatic fox.
This is a fun twist on the tale vividly and amusingly illustrated by Neil Price. The healthy lifestyle message is clearly evident visually and verbally within the narrative so why the need for the ‘Next Steps’ page at the back of the book. Wearing my teacher’s hat I found the suggestions unnecessary and condescending. Undoubtedly though, the book would be a good starting point for discussions about watching one’s weight and keeping physically fit; I’m all for stories across the curriculum.

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Hug Me

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Hug Me
Simona Ciraolo
Flying Eye Books
It’s difficult to imagine many things less huggable than a cactus but Simona Ciraolo has made the central character of her delightful book a very spiky yet totally adorable creature. Young Felipe, who longs for a hug, has the misfortune to be a member of a very uptight family so, realizing that his longed-for embrace will definitely not be forthcoming from his un-touchy-feely kin, decides to try his luck outside the family circle. However, when he strikes up a friendship with an outsider, poor Felipe ends up feeling more unloved than ever. So, is he destined to spend the rest of his days alone and unhugged?
Despite being a tale of loneliness and a longing to belong, there is subtle humour here in abundance, largely conveyed through the expression-filled pencil and pen pictures, and the relationship between them, the understated text and what is left unsaid. We are never told that Felipe is actually a cactus and we are only shown the nature of his bouncy first friend; and that newspaper report is priceless.

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The manner in which scale is manipulated further adds to the power of Felipe’s feelings of desolation and isolation. We see for instance, his completely dwarfed, diminutive form reaching out longingly to a family member –

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your heart really goes out to him.
I love the way too that the predominantly arid earthy tones give way to a burst of brighter pinks and purples as Felipe emerges from his isolation, and that the story continues onto the final endpapers leaving child audiences space to co-create an extended narrative and possibly their own books. The front endpapers are great too – a family tree cactus style.
A great debut from Simona Ciraolo and a classy production from Flying Eye.

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Strange Happenings: Seen and Not Heard & No Such Thing

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Seen and Not Heard
Katie May Green
Walker Books
Go through the gate into the grounds of Shiverhawk and you feel yourself inexplicably drawn towards the large house bathed in moonlight; follow that black cat up the stairs of the stately home and your spine begins to tingle. Enter the nursery and be gripped by further frissons of fear as you see on the wall, those portraits of ghostly children imprisoned within the frames thereon.

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Notice two in particular – identical twin girls staring impassively forwards while the others seemingly glance around. Look again at those twins’ eyes – are they moving as the black cat keeps watch? Now turn the page and see closer: there’s dainty Lily Pinksweet, the oh so polite Plumseys, clever Billy Fitzbillian, kind Percy and those De Villechild twins Lila and Vila … watch those eyes.
As the night whispers so do those eyes, seemingly saying, there’s nobody watching, time to escape from our daytime imprisonment. Those all pervasive nightmarish tones begin to fade slightly as the escapees run RIOT. All except the twins who look on from the rear as the rioters make their way down the stairs for a midnight feast..
Soon the scene resembles something from Sendak’s Night Kitchen

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but that is only the start of the fun. A climax builds; then the spookiness returns with ghostly feathers floating in the silence and it’s time to return before sunlight filters into the nursery, once more illuminating those angelic children – ‘Seen and not heard’. Watch out too for the three white mice that follow the children’s every move
A debut author/artist who manages to make a mini gothic horror movie with rhyming script within the covers of a picture book must surely be one to watch.
Ideal for an unusual hallowe’en story telling session but really for any time.

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No Such Thing
Ella Bailey
Flying Eye Books
When strange things start happening in Georgia’s home one October, she absolutely refuses to believe it’s the work of anything supernatural. She knows who has smashed that vase, pinched her socks, swiped her crayons,

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stolen the pumpkins and more besides. The evidence is right there before her eyes. Even those weird noises can be accounted for with the help of her trusty torch because well, without question, “we all know … there’s no such thing as ghosts!”
The great thing about this (or one of them) is that, unlike little Georgia, young audiences will spot the ghosty tricksters lurking at each and every turn of the page and relish so doing. That final spread is crammed full of the little spooksters having the time of their lives.

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Totally involving: Ella Bailey lets her gorgeous retro-style illustrations do most of the talking in this brilliant, tongue in cheek book.

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Cuddles, Crime, Cavemen and a Question

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I Want a Cuddle
Malorie Blackman and Joanne Partis
Orchard Books pbk
First published over ten years ago, this story written by current the Children’s Laureate, about Little Rabbit and his search for a cuddle still holds its original charm.
Having injured his paw during a game of hide-and-seek, Little Rabbit is in desperate need of a cuddle. Hedgehog is sympathetic but too prickly, likewise Squirrel (too tickly), Badger – he’s too bristly, Toad is lumpy, and bumpy, not to mention squidgy.

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Poor Little Rabbit sets off home through the forest but who is that bushy-tailed creature sneaking up behind her?
And who else needs a cuddle now?

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Funny, tender and with just the right amount of suspense to keep young readers engaged throughout; this is a lovely story-time read aloud for nursery settings as well as individual listeners. Joanne Partis’ boldly coloured, illustrations rendered with thick strokes, daubs, spatters and mixed media manipulations are a delight.
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Top Top Secret
Claire Freedman and Russell Ayto
Simon and Schuster pbk
The bond between, reader, author and main protagonist – a young secret agent spy – are immediately established in this vastly amusing rhyming tale. Herein Sid accepts a mission to recover the Royal Ring bearing the king’s secret seal from the clutches of a dastardly dragon and return it to its place in the royal vaults. Off he goes creeping in the shadows till he comes upon a large drain lid; out comes his trusty magnet, up comes the cover, down slides Sid. Then propelled by his supersonic pulley he whizzes through the shaft, out onto a river (his raft a-ready there), under a bridge, oops -! Having narrowly escaped the waiting shark’s jaws,

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he comes upon a sign:
Once inside the dragon’s lair, he discovers the ring’s whereabouts and is on the point of seizing same when ROAR! The dragon wakes; smoke and flames burst forth; OH NO! Sid’s has lost his anti-dragon flare. Time to resort to something altogether more tricky and DEFINITELY, much more sticky, Sid.

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And does our Sid succeed in retrieving and returning the precious object to its rightful place? Erm well… those telescopic super-charged skis and that trusty magnet do come into their own and we leave our hero sound asleep in his comfy bed so … What do you think?
Rendered in skillfully scurrying rhyme and through suitably off-beat illustrations, this fast-moving, very amusing tale is such fun to share with young audiences large and small. If the former though, make sure individuals have opportunities to revel in the hilarious details of Russell Ayto’s deliciously idiosyncratic artwork.
Overall design, the variety of fonts used, Ayto’s choice of colour palette, the minutiae of detail within the scenes be they wide screen or small close-ups, all add to the impact of the book.
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Ug-A-Lug
Jill Lewis and Simon Rickerty
Simon and Schuster pbk
Previously for Simon Rickerty it was crayons; now, along with the characters he depicts, a quartet of troglodytes no less (those drawn by the little boy of the story), it is pencils that take centre stage. Actually just the one pencil, in fact. The particular one being that which rolls over the cavemen’s fire extinguishing it but bringing to life said picture. Thereupon the bemused cave dwellers attempt to make sense of this mysterious object; they try eating it, and climbing it before one of their number, Colin, hits upon tool wielding. After some serious carving and chopping an impressive result is achieved.

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‘ BURNA BURNA ROAST TOASTA!’ shouts the excited Flint but then out of nowhere seemingly, there leaps a hungry tiger, jaws a-gaping. Plan B I think guys.
After a pretty close call though, things take a turn – or rather they don’t – for the worse.

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You didn’t notice that tree then? Time for another one of Colin’s good ideas …
But …

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Have a sausage instead! UG-A-LUG! A happy ending? Certainly, so long as you are a carnivore that is.
Jill Lewis’s matter of fact manner of telling with its sprinkling of troglodyte talk, works wonderfully well as a counter to Ayto’s over the top artistry, with its brilliantly expressive caveman countenances as they go about their comical caperings.
In a word SUPERDUPERUG-A-LUG-A-LOVED-IT!
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The Wonderful Egg
Dahlov Ipcar
Flying Eye Books
Is it a mystery story or is it an information book? First published in 1958 and now in a new edition, this lovely book is actually both. It tells how long, long ago when all the earth was covered in jungles a wonderful egg sat solitary in a mossy nest beneath a giant fern tree.

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But whose egg is it?

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A dinosaur’s perhaps, or did it belong to one of the marine or flying reptiles that lived over a million years ago?

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Dahlov Ipcar transports us to that prehistoric world and takes us through a multitude of possibilities before revealing the answer.

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Her wonderful illustrations have been ‘remastered’ from the original edition. The limited palette of shades of green, brown, grey and pink and the bolder black blocks, shading and outlines creates scenes at once dramatic, subtle and timeless.
In addition to the narrative, readers are provided with a helpful pronunciation page and a double spread showing the relative sizes of the creatures featured.
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Christmas is Coming part 2

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I Love You Father Christmas
Giles Andreae and Emma Dodd
Orchard Books
A small child’s delight in the festive season is lovingly portrayed through Giles Andreae’s bouncy rhyme, which is actually a letter to Father Christmas, and Emma Dodd’s characteristically bright, bold pictures.

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The latter have enormous child appeal and her jolly scenes of a totally endearing character should reassure any young child who is slightly nervous about Santa.
One to give to the youngest children.
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Are You Ready For Christmas?
Helen Lang
Templar Publishing
It’s Christmas Eve and Reindeer meets and greets friends Mouse, Squirrel and Dove. Each tells him of their special last minute preparations but then Reindeer seems to have forgotten what his special role is. The final fold-out reveals all.

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This is actually in board book format but I think this rhyming story could be enjoyed by children beyond that stage too. With its bold, coloured lines, patterns and touches of sparkle, Helen Lang’s artwork is quirky and charming. The scenes set against the dark night sky are particularly striking.
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Lollipop and Grandpa and the Christmas Baby
Penelope Harper and Cate James
Phoenix Yard Books pbk
When Lollipop receives the news that there’s to be a new addition to her family and that it will arrive just in time for Christmas, she is far from enthusiastic. Crying, stinky and attention grabbing is what she thinks of babies. “Christmas is ruined!” she feels as the infant’s arrival time draws ever closer. Fortunately for Lollipop, Grandpa is on hand to involve her in all the festive preparations and when on Christmas Eve, Dad and Mum have to leave her to go to the hospital, he helps her hang up the stockings. But on Christmas morning, although Santa has left presents, her Mum and Dad still haven’t come back. It’s over to Grandpa once again – to do the Christmas dinner this time. And even if it’s not quite the conventional festive meal her parents might have expected, it does have that Wow factor. So too does the tiny Christmas Baby that Dad is holding all wrapped up and definitely NOT crying.
This, the fifth of the series, is as enjoyable as the others and Lollipop should win some new friends with this seasonal goodie.
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Belle and Boo and the Merry Christmas
Mandy Sutcliffe
Orchard Books
The fourth in this series about a little girl and her rabbit friend (toy or real?) sees the inseparable pair getting ready for Christmas. First they decorate the tree and Belle has to explain to Boo what Christmas entails and then together they put up paper-chains, make cards and Christmas cookies, hang up their stocking and finally snuggle up for the night. Then, next morning after opening their respective presents, Boo decides they should share the joys of Christmas with their animal friends outside in the garden.
A gentle, slightly whimsical story with an old-fashioned charm, illustrated in appropriately soft colours. with just a touch of festive sparkle on the cover.
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Father Christmas Comes Up Trumps!
Nicholas Allan
Red Fox pbk
A few years back, Father Christmas was in need of a wee; now he needs something much more explosive. It’s the result of his over indulgence in – wait for it – Brussels sprouts – on his final supper before departing on his Christmas Eve delivery round. With his wind-filled tum, it’s a good thing that Santa is accompanied by his helpful elf who is on hand to push him down chimneys and utter ‘Sssshhh!“ warnings when those bubbling, rumbling, gurgling sounds start to emanate from his explosive belly. Santa does his level best to keep his wind in but his utterance of “Ooooo! my tum – it’s going to start. This time I’m really going to f . . . !” signals that the effort has become just too much. Out comes a ‘cheep’ and its time to run from the stirring child. But, horror of horrors! His reindeers are totally zonked in the sleigh. Perhaps it’s as well then that the elf’s final exhortation goes unheeded: time to make use of that WIND power to launch the sleigh skywards and homewards. PWHOOOAH!
As before, this slightly risqué humour will have young children wriggling on their bottoms in delight especially, in anticipation of the final grand
F F A A A R R T T !
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A Letter for Bear
David Lucas
Flying Eye Books
Bear is a postman, painstakingly ensuring he delivers every letter in his sack to the correct address each day and then trudging back to his cave to drink soup and wonder what it would be like to get a letter himself. The trouble is Bear never sends any letters. One windy day when out on his round, the wind takes the mailbag scattering the contents all over the snow. Bear collects all the letters but the addresses are smudged so he conscientiously knocks on each door to ensure correct delivery. The recipients are thankful but Bear feels even lonelier as he returns to his cave. Time for a change, he thinks as he gazes out at the snowy night. He sets to work writing Christmas party invitations and next morning he delivers a whole snowstorm of letters to his new acquaintances.

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That evening having waited for ages and ages, Bear is about to give up when he hears voices outside. It’s party time after all and even better, the following morning guess who gets a whole sackful of letters of his very own.
The real strength of this book is Lucas’ intricately patterned illustrations. Almost every double spread has a geometric border of patterned triangles, rectangles, diamonds or scallops and set into some of the scenes, we view Bear’s lonely world through circular peephole vignettes. His use of limited colours – shades of blue, orange, purple, russet, pink and orange and his use of geometric shapes for, or to pattern, trees, buildings, flowers and more, add to the impact. Then there are angled viewpoints, interrupted borders and beautiful snowscapes . This book is a small masterpiece of design.
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The Smallest Gift of Christmas
Peter H. Reynolds
Walker Books
Having eagerly anticipated the great day, Roland is less than impressed when he dashes downstairs on Christmas morning to discover a very small parcel awaiting him. So, he wishes for a larger one again and again and … Still not satisfied he storms off and eventually launches himself in a rocket to search the whole universe. It’s not until he glimpses Earth as a tiny dot growing ever smaller through his telescope, that Roland begins to realize that bigger isn’t always better, unless of course, it’s your home and you are heading back towards it.
A simple message amusingly rendered through Reynolds’ comic scenes. This author/artist has the unfailing knack of getting right to the nub of things every time and, he clearly demonstrates with all his books, that small things can often be among the very best.
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Alfie’s Christmas
Shirley Hughes
Bodley Head
Making cards and decorations, counting down the days with an advent calendar featuring a nativity scene, Christmas cooking, buying and decorating a Christmas tree, choosing and wrapping presents, writing to Santa, carol singing, hanging up Christmas stockings and a family Christmas dinner with visiting relatives:

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these are just some of the ingredients of four-year old Alfie’s Christmas so lovingly told and illustrated in Shirley Hughes incomparable style.
This is a traditional family Christmas full of warmth, friendship, love, bustle and excitement, and some secrets too. It’s Christmas as we would wish it to be for everyone, before Christmas started in October and consumerism took over.
A book to buy and cherish year after year.
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Don’t forget:
Snow Bunny’s Christmas Wish
Rebecca Harry Nosy Crow pbk
Lonely Snow Bunny’s Christmas wish is for a friend so she writes to Santa with her request.
For full review of this lovely story, now in paperback, see Seasonal Selection: Christmas Books 2012

Also reviewed there and now in paperback is :
When It Snows
Richard Collingridge
David Fickling Books pbk
A small boy’s favourite book transports him on a magical snowy Christmas adventure .