Picture Book Nook

Picture Book Nook: The Hueys in The New Jumper by Oliver Jeffers

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Oliver Jeffers is one of those illustrators whose work is instantly recognisable.  He has a really unique style that’s quite sparse but very effective.  I fell in love with Oliver’s illustrations when I first picked up The Book Eating Boy, which is one of my favourites along with The Great Paper Chase.  Oliver’s latest book is The Hueys in The New Jumper, the first in a new series which is sure to be a hit.

The thing about the Hueys was that they were all the same.  They looked the same, thought the same, and did the same things, until the day that Rupert knitted a new jumper.  At first, everyone thinks Rupert is silly and he stands out like a sore thumb.  Then some of the other Hueys start knitting their own jumpers, and they all start to look the same again.  How will Rupert stand out?

The Hueys in The New Jumper is a quirky picture book about how cool it is to be different.  Rupert shows children that it’s OK to be different (and you might even start a new trend at the same time).  The book itself is quite different from a lot of other picture books, because there is very little detail or colour in the illustrations.  I love that Oliver can make such simple characters show so much emotion (he shows happiness, shock, anger and embarrassment with a few quick strokes of his pencil).  The Hueys are characters that children and adults will love and I look forward to seeing what they get up to next.

Oliver has been in NZ recently for the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival and an event in Wellington.  I’m really looking forward to hearing Oliver talk at the Children’s Book Council of Australia Conference in Adelaide this week, and I’ll be queuing up with everyone else to get my books signed.

Picture Book Nook: April Favourites

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I’ve been reading a heap of picture books lately.  Some of them have been pretty average but most of them have been perfect picture books that I want to read over and over again.  Here are a selection of my favourites that I read in April:

The Pros and Cons of Being a Frog by Sue deGennaro

Finding the right animal wasn’t easy. It was Camille who finally gave me the idea of being a frog! Frogboy and Camille are best friends but they are very different. Camille speaks in numbers and Frogboy likes to dress up. With Camille’s help he finds that dressing up as a frog is perfect for him, but when he tries to convince his friend to be a frog too, his plan goes terribly wrong.

This is a beautiful story about friendship and how, even if you’re completely different you can still be friends.  I really like Sue deGennaro’s illustrations, which are a blend of different media, including collage, pencil and ink.

Eric!…the Hero? by Chris Wormell

Eric is a boy who sometimes gets things wrong. Some days he’s a little bit slow, some days he’s a little bit clumsy and most days people would agree that he’s the opposite of a hero. But when a huge monster stomps down from the mountains, Eric might just get the chance to prove them wrong.

I absolutely love Chris Wormell!  When I was working at The Children’s Bookshop a few years ago my boss introduced me to Chris’s Two Frogs and I’ve been a fan ever since.  I love the way he captures emotions in his illustrations and he often writes stories about characters who are different or misunderstood(like Eric in this story).

Cloth From the Clouds by Michael Catchpool and Alison Jay

The boy who spins cloth from the clouds is wise. He spins only enough cloth for a warm winter scarf, not one stitch more. But a greedy King sees the marvellous cloth and demands that the boy spin cloaks and gowns galore. Soon there are fewer clouds in the sky and finally the rain stops. Will it be possible to undo the damage done by greed?

This is a perfect picture book for older readers, with an environmental message about the impact of human greed on the natural world.  The story is a pleasure to read aloud and the words just roll off your tongue (it would make a great story to act out with costumes and props).  Alison Jay’s illustrations are stunning and they seem to glow on the page.  I keep picking this book up just to look at the pictures.

Six Little Chicks by Jez Alborough

Busy Hen has five little chicks to look after while making sure number six – still an egg- stays warm. The last thing she needs is hairy, scary Fox sniffing about. She is frantic when the other birds warn her that her chicks are in danger, but her five little chicks are a lot braver than she realises!

Jez Alborough (creator of Duck in the Truck) is the king of picture books for preschoolers and this is another great book from him.  The text is rhyming and is full of fun sounds for children to join in with (which make it fun for adults to read aloud too).  The illustrations are bright and bold and the chicks are incredibly cute, which will appeal to preschoolers.

Picture Book Nook: A Mammoth in the Fridge by Michael Escoffier

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If you find a mammoth in your fridge, there are two questions you should ask: How did it get there? and How do you get it out?  One day, Noah opens his fridge to find there is a mammoth in his fridge.  At first his father doesn’t believe him, but when he looks for himself he freaks out and they call the fire brigade to solve the problem.  When they try to catch the mammoth it escapes and runs through the streets and ends up stuck in a tree, but when it gets dark Noah goes out to help it.

A Mammoth in the Fridge by Michael Escoffier and illustrated by Matthieu Maudet is a deceptively simple story with a surprise ending.  At first I didn’t think there was anything special about the story, until I got to the last few pages.  The ending left me with a smile on my face and children will love it too.  Both the text and the illustrations are quite sparse and simple but they’re fun and there’s a sense of anticipation throughout the story to keep children guessing what might happen next (will the firemen catch the mammoth? Where will he run to?).  I especially like the illustration of the mammoth squashed into the fridge.  The father is telling the children to stay away because it might bite, but the mammoth just looks upset that his hiding place has been discovered.  Thanks Gecko Press for another unique, curiously good picture book!

4 out of 5 stars

Picture Book Nook: Hugless Douglas and the Big Sleep by David Melling

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I fell in love with Hugless Douglas from the moment I set eyes on this adorable bear.  He’s the bear that nobody wants to hug (apart from everyone who reads the book) and who ruins his wooly hat.  In his latest hilarious outing, Douglas has been invited to a sleepover at Rabbit’s house, but when Douglas is around, things don’t quite go as planned.

Douglas has been invited to a sleepover at Rabbit’s house so he packs his bag and makes his way through the forest.  Rabbit is happy to see everyone and invites them all inside, but however hard they push and pull, Douglas doesn’t fit.  Rabbit decides to dig a bigger hole and everyone squeezes inside for a bedtime story.  Everything is going fine until Little Sheep tickles Douglas’ nose and makes him sneeze.  Will anyone get any sleep?

Hugless Douglas and the Big Sleep is a perfect picture book that children and adults will love, whether at bedtime or any other time of the day.  David Melling is the king of picture books and I love both his wonderful words and his marvelous illustrations.  With his signature red scarf to his bumble bee pyjamas, Hugless Douglas is a cuddly, loveable character that deserves a place next to the Gruffalo, Spot, and the Very Hungry Caterpillar.  He’s full of enthusiasm and always ends up squashing a sheep or two.  However you’re feeling Hugless Douglas will cheer you up and make you laugh.  One of my favourite things in these books are the end pages featuring the sheep and rabbits.  In the other books they’ve modeled different hugs and hats, and in Hugless Douglas and the Big Sleep they model the different things you would take for a sleepover.  I hope there are many more Hugless Douglas books planned because I can’t get enough of this loveable bear.

5 out of 5 stars

 

Picture Book Nook: The Great Orlando by Ben Brown and Helen Taylor

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I’ve always loved Ben Brown and Helen Taylor’s books.  So far their books have been mostly about native New Zealand wildlife and they’re beautiful books.  Their latest book, The Great Orlando, is something completely different, but absolutely stunning.

From the very first page you know that this is not a happy story.  ‘The Great Orlando,’ otherwise known as Sunday Jones lives in a ‘rough, broken house with an unkempt lawn and a dead lemon tree in the front yard.’  His father is a cruel, miserable man, but his mother cares for him, protects him, and tells him bedtime stories of The Great Orlando.  When his mother dies, Sunday Jones is left with his father who makes his life a misery.  When he gets the chance to enter the school talent show, he transforms himself into The Great Orlando and is finally able to escape his miserable life.

The Great Orlando is a dark, multi-layered story about a boy who wants to escape.  Ben and Helen introduce us to Sunday Jones, a boy with a father who makes life hard for him, but holds onto the dreams his mother gave to him through her stories.   Ben Brown weaves his magic on the reader with his words and shows us a snapshot of Sunday’s life.  I particularly like the way Ben describes the mother’s love for her son.  This story also shows us how versatile Helen Taylor is.  It’s a completely different subject matter to her previous illustrations but they match the text perfectly and I really love them.  They’re quite dark and eerie, which matches the tone of the story, and I like the symbolism she’s used throughout the book (the shadow of the bull in the background and the butterfly).  The Great Orlando is the perfect picture book to share with older readers who will appreciate both the story and the illustrations.  I hope The Great Orlando sees some success outside of New Zealand for this talented duo.

4 out of 5 stars

Picture Book Nook: Seesaw Po by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Katz Cowley

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Read me for NZ Book Month!

Kyle Mewburn has done it once again!  He’s created another clever and fun-filled picture book that children and adults alike will love, and it features a loveable hippo called Po.

Po and his friends love the playground.  “I want to swing!” said Uta.  “I want to slide!” said Madi.  “I want to spin!” said Raff.  “I want to do everything!” said Po.  They all rush off to the playground and have a go on everything.  Everyone, that is, except Po.  Poor Po is just too big to go on anything…until he gets to the seesaw.

Children absolutely love Seesaw Po!  I’ve read it numerous times to children from 2-7 years and they were all captivated by the story.  Older children know right from the start that Po is too big to go on the playground and they feel sorry for him, but they don’t see the surprise ending coming.  It’s a story that all children can relate to because they all love going to the playground and they all have their favourite thing they like to go on (for me it’s always been the swings).  Katz Cowley’s illustrations are as marvelous as always.  You can really see the joy on the faces of the characters as they whizz around on the roundabout and whoosh down the slide.  The favourite illustration of the children I read the book to was Po stuck on the slide and they liked to point out that Uta was trying to pull Po down the slide by his ears.  Book Design deserve a special mention for the wonderful design of the book.  I love how the words follow the characters down the slide and around the roundabout, while still making the text easy to read.   It’s also great to see Scholastic NZ publishing Te Reo versions of their New Zealand picture books, especially these younger picture books.  Seesaw Po is a great collaboration from two of our most talented authors and illustrators.

4 out of 5 stars

Picture Book Nook: Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton

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I’m a dog person so I love books about dogs.  The best one has to be Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy (and I’m not just saying that because I’m a Kiwi – even the Duchess of Cornwell loves it!).  You can tell the difference between an author/illustrator that loves dogs and knows how they act and one who doesn’t.  Chris Haughton obviously loves dogs and has spent a lot of time studying their habits and expressions, because his new book Oh No, George! is one of the most hilarious picture books I’ve read.

George is a dog that just wants to be good.  The only problem is that there are so many distractions all around him and he can’t help being bad.  His owner Harris is going out, but before he goes he asks “Will you be good, George?” and George says that he’ll be very good. But he has just seen a cake in the kitchen…What will George do?!

Chris Haughton is an incredibly talented author and illustrator.  The story is one that children can easily relate to (wanting to be good but somehow getting into trouble) and they’ll want to join in, yelling out ‘Oh no, George!’ The sense of anticipation hooks you in, because you want George to be good and not eat the cake or dig up the garden.  Like Chris’ other book, A Bit Lost, the story doesn’t quite end so children will imagine what George might do next.  Chris’ illustrations are so bright and bold so Oh No, George will catch the eye of young readers.  I’m sure it will become a favourite in schools and homes just because of the amazing cover.  The thing I like most about Chris’ illustrations is that he can portray so much emotion with very little detail.  Looking at the cover, you can tell that George is feeling guilty just by looking at his eyes and his droopy ears.  If you look at the last page you can see that George is weighing things up in his head.  Oh No, George works great as a read aloud for age 4 and up and older children enjoy it just as much (as do adults).

5 out of 5 stars

Join me tomorrow when I host Chris on his Oh No, George! Blog Tour.

Picture Book Nook: Where is Fred? by Edward Hardy

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‘Hey, you! Yes, you reading this! I’m Gerald the crow and I’m looking for a lovely, fluffy white caterpillar called Fred. Have you seen him? I want him for my lunch! You haven’t? Are you sure? Then…Where is Fred?’

Fred is a lovely, fluffy, white caterpillar who loves games, especially Hide-and-Seek.  He’s really good at Hide-and-Seek because he can hide himself very well.  Apart from hiding, he spends most of his day munching on leaves.  Then one day he looks up to find a beady-eyed black crow, called Gerald, staring down at him hungrily.  Fred must do what he does best to escape Gerald’s hungry beak.

Where is Fred? is a fun picture book about a very smart caterpillar and a crow who’s ‘not the cleverest of birds.’  Children will get hooked right from the very first page when they meet the ‘lovely, fluffy white caterpillar called Fred’ and they get a chance to stroke him.  They’ll want to find Fred on each page and will get great satisfaction out of Fred outsmarting silly old Gerald.  Edward Hardy’s story is funny and action-packed, with just the right amount of repetition that children will be able to join in with the story.  Although you’re rooting for Fred, you also feel kind of sorry for Gerald because he keeps getting outsmarted.  Ali Pye’s illustrations were what made this picture book stand out for me.  She’s made Fred look very cute and fluffy and made Gerald look angry and a little bit crazy.  Each page is full of colour and there is lots for children to look at as you’re reading the story.  Ali very skilfully hides Fred on each page and it’s only his beady eyes that give him away.  I also really like the design of the book as different fonts and text sizes have been used, while still making it easy to read.  Where is Fred? will leave children laughing and is a great read-aloud for children who like a longer story.

5 out of 5 stars

Picture Book Nook: Edge of the World by Ian Trevaskis

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Shaun Tan, Margaret Wild, and Chris Van Alsberg are some of the masters of sophisticated picture books.  Their stories are told through both words and pictures and they make us think and question.  Edge of the World is a stunning new sophisticated picture book by Ian Trevaskis and illustrated by Wayne Harris, about grief and the power of art to heal wounds.

Edge of the World is about a small fishing village near the edge of the world where ‘the wind shrieked and howled through the empty streets and women and children huddled closer to their hearths,’ and where nobody smiled.  While other fishermen talk about their adventures, Toby McPhee keeps to himself and tries to forget what has happened.  Everyone in the village gets on with their lives; the women pray for the boats’ safe return and the children trudge to school.  Everything changes one day when Toby McPhee hauls in his fishing net and discovers more than just fish.  Each time he returns home with tiny pots of paint, which he uses to bring colour back into his life and the lives of the villagers.

Edge of the World is a magical story full of colour and hope.  Ian Trevaskis’ writing style is very descriptive and paints a picture for the reader, even without Wayne Harris’ illustrations.  You can sense the sadness of the village and it’s inhabitants from the opening lines, but the tone lightens as more colour gets introduced to the village.  Wayne Harris‘ illustrations are absolutely beautiful and it’s hard to believe that they were created digitally.  Wayne’s use of colour is very important to the story and he has shown this in the change in colour palette throughout the story.  In the beginning the colours are very muted and dull, but they get progressively brighter as the mood of Toby and the villagers change.  I’ve read this book at least 5 times so far and have got something new from each reading and viewing of the story.  It is a perfect picture book to study as a class (especially Year 7/8) as there as so many different aspects of the story, from the use of descriptive language to symbolism of different colour, that you could explore.   Walker Books have even created Teacher’s Notes to use with the book.

4 out of 5 stars

The perfect book for Valentine’s Day – Love Monster by Rachel Bright

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There are alot of picture books around that are about love.  Usually they feature rabbits, bears, or even kangaroos, but until now there hasn’t been one featuring a monster.  Love Monster by Rachel Bright is the perfect picture book to give to your valentine this Vanlentine’s Day.

Love Monster is about a little red, furry monster who is ‘a bit funny looking to say the least.’  He lives in a place called Cutesville, filled with all the cute, fluffy things you could imagine, like puppies, kittens and bunnies.  Nobody loves him so he sets out to find someone that will.  He looks high and low, inside and out, but he search proves fruitless.  Just when he gives up and starts to go home, love finds him.

Rachel Bright’s story about finding love in the most unexpected place is cute, funny and smart in just the right doses.  It’s not sickly sweet like some books about love.  The monster in this book isn’t scary, but one of those ones you want to pick up and cuddle (kind of like Mike Wazowski in Monsters Inc.).   Rachel’s illustrations are big, bright and bold and remind me of those pictures I used to do when I was at primary school where you use crayon and ink.  The picture of the monster holding his teddy with his sad face on the front cover will definitely stand out on the shelf.  You’ll want to share Love Monster with the slightly hairy monster in your life, as well as the not-so-hairy ones that would love to live in Cutesville.

4 out of 5 stars