Tag Archives: Picture books

New review: Nothing Rhymes with Orange by Adam Rex

Just in time for National Poetry Day, I’m delighted to be reviewing the fantastic book, Nothing Rhymes with Orange by Adam Rex, author and illustrator of many picture books and novels.

We all know nothing rhymes with orange. But how does that make Orange feel? Well, left out! When a parade of fruit gets together to sing a song about how wonderful they are – and the song happens to rhyme – Orange can’t help but feel like it’s impossible for him to ever fit in.

As soon as I read about this book I knew I’d love it – and I do! It’s a wonderful parable of how in order to fit in, we sometimes need a bit of help and for that to happen others need to make space and maybe adjust a little.

It starts as an amusing poem celebrating the wonderful and varied fruit, but as Orange gets more downhearted and desperate to fit it, the rhymes get a little more ridiculous. As Drew Daywalt said (author of The Day the Crayons Quit) “any picture book that can work in Friedrich Nietzsche and lycanthropic pears is a winner”.

Even Orange can’t work out what’s going on, asking questions throughout, creating an emotional commentary alongside the fruit parade poem. Finally, it’s a very intuitive Apple who realises certain fruit are “feeling rotten because they’ve been forgotten” and works out just how to help Orange fit in. I won’t spoil it, but it’s genius in its childlike simplicity!

The illustrations are a combination of photographs, text and drawing, bringing to life a vibrant cast of characters – the fruit we know and love. Young and old alike will enjoy this fruity tale, a good book to read aloud creating instant empathy. Original and with a great message celebrating difference, Nothing Rhymes with Orange is a wonderful book to help celebrate National Poetry Day!

Find out more at www.adamrex.com

With thanks to Abrams and Chronicle for sending me this book to review.

New review: Early Learning with The British Museum and Nosy Crow

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The partnership continues between The British Museum and Nosy Crow with three fantastic new books in their series of books for 0-12 year olds. The British Museum is the country’s leading visitor attraction and the second most visited museum in the world. The books draw on the British Museum’s unparalleled, vast and fascinating collection of objects and Nosy Crow’s expertise as the Independent Children’s publisher of the Year 2017, to create a collection of titles that represent and celebrate cultures from around the world!

Colours and Opposites are the two new titles in their board books series, where inquisitive toddlers can enjoy learning all the colours of the rainbow and contrasting opposites alongside seeing wonderful photographic images highlighting cultures from around the world.

There is a useful index in each book, detailing all the artefacts shown, giving little ones and grown-ups the chance to explore and learn more.

Featuring everything from illustrations by Beatrix Potter to a mask made of coconut from Bangladesh, I love the celebration of history and culture giving a wonderful opportunity to inspire even the youngest of minds. I also think older sibling’s, parents and carers will enjoy the tour through history!

Mixed-Up Masterpieces Funny Faces is a fun photographic mix-up book, featuring faces from the museum’s collection. With puzzles to solve matching up the correct faces and then hours of fun mixing them all up again, there’s hundreds of hilarious combinations!

The faces used are incredible real masks from around the world, with an index at the back of the book telling you about each one. Again this is a book that will inspire curiosity in the many and varied cultures around the world and bring history to life – something all the family can enjoy.

Find out more at www.nosycrow.com and www.britishmuseum.org

Read my reviews of the first two books in the series here.

With thanks to Nosy Crow for sending me these books to review.

Bookchat: Adam Hargreaves

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I am so very excited to say that Adam Hargreaves is on the blog today! I think if someone had told me when I was young that one day I’d be talking to one of the creators of the Mr Men, I would never have believed them!

Adam is the son of original Mr Men creator, Roger Hargreaves. Not only has he continued the work of his father, Adam is also a painter, creating beautiful oil on canvas landscapes. I was delighted to be invited to interview Adam following the publication of his first book from his very own series, Molly Mischief: My Perfect Pet! The adventures of Molly are bound to delight young and old alike. I read the story aloud with my five year old niece who laughed out loud and announced that Molly was exactly like her!

Molly is a wonderful character – full of life, mischief and mayhem – exactly what an inquisitive little girl should be. Her first adventure centres on a trip to the zoo, where Molly becomes inspired to find a pet more perfect than her own little mouse, Polka. The antics that follow as Molly tries to find her ‘perfect’ pet are very funny and utterly endearing. Try as she might, none of the animals she ‘borrows’ from the zoo quite fit at home, from a hippo to a giraffe to an elephant. Eventually she realises that maybe her pet mouse, Polka, is more perfect than anything else – much to the relief of her family (except maybe her brother…!). Molly Mischief: My Perfect Pet is exactly what a children’s story should be – funny, full of imagination, with a valuable lesson to be learned. And perfect for sharing!

Welcome to the blog Adam and congratulations on the publication of Molly Mischief! I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it – as did my five year old niece who said ‘Molly reminds me of me!”. It’s a wonderful story and feels like an absolute classic. Can you tell us about your inspiration for writing it? The inspiration for Molly comes from the wonderful ability that children have to imagine something and for that to also be real for them. I particularly remember this when my kids were young. My son Jacob would dress up as Batman and then we would have these surreal conversations about what Jacob was doing in another room in the house. I wanted to capture this power of imagination in a character. Molly can be or do anything she wishes.

This is your first children’s book outside of the Mr Men. Was creating Molly a very different experience from working on the Mr Men? The creation of the idea for Molly Mischief was obviously quite different, but writing and illustrating Mr Men books has given me a lot of experience which I have been able to apply to writing Molly. Over the years I have developed a sort of process that fits to anything I am trying to write.

Can you tell us about the creative process behind Molly? I hand draw everything and then scan the black line drawing into my computer where I colour the illustration as I like the flat finish I can achieve that way. I have a pretty good idea of the page layouts from the start, so don’t often need to make any major changes to composition later on. It took a while and a few variations to pin down exactly who I wanted Molly to be (and she went through various name changes before Molly Mischief, but now she is a Molly I can’t think of her in any other way), but once I had given her a mischievous nature then everything fell into place. Strangely, even for lots of different versions of drawing her, she has always had the same outfit.

When I was young, my sister and I would literally spend hours drawing the Mr Men; some drawings were more successful than others! Molly Mischief is wonderfully drawn and I particularly love her mischievous expressions. What advice would you give to aspiring illustrators and artists to help them develop their creative talent – particularly when it comes to storytelling? The more you draw the better you get, so keep practising and then, as you get better, the more fun it becomes. Drawing is all about observation, so it is important to look at things very hard when you are trying to draw them.

What adventures can we expect from Molly in the future? I am writing a second story about Molly which explores the advantages and pitfalls of being a superhero. And her superpowers, of course, involve a lot of chaos and mayhem for her family.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions. I’m looking forward to reading Molly’s next adventure (and so is my niece!)

Adam Hargreaves will be introducing Molly Mischief, including a live draw-along, at the Bath Festival of Children’s Literature. Sunday 1^stOctober, 1.30pm.

For more information visit www.pavilionbooks.com. With thanks to Pavilion Books for sending me a copy of this wonderful book.

New review: Dog on Wheels by Gillian McClure

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Gillian McClure has written and illustrated wonderful picture books including We’re Going to Build a Dam, which was nominated for the UK Literacy Association (UKLA) book awards and the Kate Greenaway medal. Dog on Wheels published by Troika Books is a lovely picture book and I instantly fell in love with the skateboarding dog Dubbin!

Dog on Wheels by Gillian McClure

Dog pals Dubbin and Todd are going on a walk before breakfast: Dubbin on his skateboard and Todd lagging behind on paws. Not only that, but poor Todd is also carrying a huge bone which is attracting attention from another, not so nice, dog. Can Dubbin, Todd and the bone get home safely?

A dog with a very special skill springs off the page in this lovely picture book. Dog on Wheels stars Dubbin, a dog who can skate board, taking his friend Todd on a pre-breakfast jaunt through the town! But Todd isn’t quite so adventurous and ends up moaning about his heavy bone – which Dubbin quite rightly says he should have left at home! When Todd realises his bone is lost, it’s up to Dubbin, aided by his wheels, to get back the bone and both dogs to the safety of home in time for breakfast!

The lively narrative and rhyming words create a fun story brimming with energy. Dubbin is a great character – you’ve got to love a dog that can skateboard! Whilst Todd slows Dubbin down, Dubbin still looks out for his friend and helps Todd when he most needs it!

The lovely illustrations and text layout compliment the story and bring to life the daring Dubbin perfectly – I loved the stars that surround him wherever he skates. Dog on Wheels is a celebration of a dog’s life – walkies on wheels! It’s a story that will make all who read it smile! Great for readers aged 3+ and a brilliant book to read aloud.

With thanks to Troika Books for sending me this book to review. Find out more about the author at www.gillianmcclure.com.

Perfect picture books published by Pavilion!

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I’m delighted to be reviewing these four very different, but all very gorgeous picture books, published by Pavilion on the blog today. My New Room by Lisa Stickley; Just like Daddy by Lucy Freegard; Little Red by Lynn Roberts-Maloney, illustrated by David Roberts and Woolf by Alex Latimer, illustrated by Patrick Latimer are a wonderful example of the amazing picture books available for children’s enjoyment today.

In My New Room by Lisa Stickley, we meet Edith again, after her first outing in Handstand! This time Edith has a new bedroom and her toys are each helping her settle in. Featuring wonderful characters such as Gary Guardsman, Clarissa the Cow, and Major Ted, we discover that having a new bedroom can be an exciting time for everyone – even the toys! And a big bed isn’t as daunting as you might first feel, especially if you’ve got all your special toys around you. I absolutely LOVE Lisa Stickley’s unique style; childlike illustrations with bold colours and wonderfully imagined scenes.

The storytelling is gentle with a light touch of humour; just the right tone for turning what can seem like a life-changing event into a joyful one. All the toys have to adapt and find their new place in the room, but they’re all there just waiting to welcome Edith and make her feel at home. This is a really lovely story and a great addition to your picture book collection! Find out more at www.lisastickleystudio.com

Just Like Daddy by Lucy Freegard is one of the best picture books I’ve read celebrating the relationship between a child and their Daddy. I’m certain this will have made it’s way into lots of Daddies hands over the last weekend for Father’s Day! Full of charm and warmth, the story reminds us of the very special relationship between a father and child and all the magic and fun they have together. Whether on the fair rides, reading stories or even tug of war, this little one is going to be just like daddy – brave and fearless! And not only this, Daddy will always love his child – even through the tantrums and the tears.

I loved that we’re reminded how fleeting those early years moments can be and how precious memories are for parents and their children. Colourful and lively illustrations bring the story to life and capture how wonderful a Daddy can be – and how much love a child can have for their parent! Find out more at www.lucyfreegard.com.

Little Red retold by Lynn Roberts-Maloney, illustrated David Roberts

I absolutely adore this series of re-imagined fairytales, each set in a different time period including Sleeping Beauty set in the 1950s. Little Red is, of course, a version of Little Red Riding Hood with incredible illustrations giving a wonderful twist to the tale, featuring artwork and characters inspired by the 18th Century. A little chap called Thomas takes the central role of Little Red. He lives with his parents who preside over the local inn and who make the most amazing ginger beer, enjoyed by an interesting mix of visitors! Little Red sets off to visit his Grandma and the tale unfolds, taking a few unexpected turns along the way. Detailed images beautifully depict quite a scary forest, with scary inhabitants, giving a darker flavour to the story perhaps more akin to the original fairy tale. However, there are also humorous moments that lighten the mood and of course, ensure the wolf does get his comeuppance – but not how you might expect!

Little Red is a great way to introduce younger readers to fairy tales but with more artistic flair and interest – and perhaps even a lesson in what life might have looked like in the 18th Century! Find out more at www.pavilionbooks.com.

Woolf by Alex Latimer, illustrated by Patrick Latimer

A wonderful story with a simple narrative; a perfect parable for acceptance, tolerance and diversity. The tale starts with a he-sheep and a she-wolf finding love together. They have a son who loves his home and is happy being both sheep and wolf. But as he grows up he realises how different he is to the flock of sheep and pack of wolves he meets. Trying to fit in, Woolf pretends to both wolves and sheep he’s in disguise, but his plan only works for a short time and he gets bored of just being one thing. Woolf is more than this but instead of making him happy, it makes him sad. Finally his parents help him see that he is special and unique, and thus encouraged Woolf finds new friends who accept him for who he is.

Woolf is a fantastic picture book for demonstrating the difficulties we face fitting in sometimes, and how with a little bit of love and encouragement we can overcome them. Given the stark differences between wolf and sheep, children will instantly recognise the problem this could create and identify with Woolf trying to find friendship, and the lengths he goes to, to fit in. The narrative springs to life through great illustrations, capturing Woolf’s character perfectly as he plays the part of both a wolf and a sheep. With a positive message about accepting yourself just as you are, this is a great picture book to have in the classroom and at home. Find out more at www.alexlatimer.co.za