picture books

Picture Book Nook: The Three Bears (Sort of) by Yvonne Morrison and Donovan Bixley

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If you think you know the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears then you better think again.  I’m sure you’ve never had a child pointing out the loop holes in the story as you read it before.  This is exactly what happens in Yvonne Morrison and Donovan Bixley’s new take on the story, The Three Bears (Sort of).

A mother starts to read the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears to her son before bed, but he doesn’t just sit there quietly and listen to the story.  This boy is both switched-on and rather annoying.  His mother can only read a sentence or two before he points out an issue with the story.  First, he wants to know what sort of bears they were (Grizzly bears? Polar bears?). He also points out that daddy bears don’t live with mummy bears (mummy bears raise their cubs alone), that bears don’t have thumbs so they couldn’t pick up a pot for the porridge, and that bears would probably just eat fish instead of porridge.  Every time he questions a detail of the story you wonder why you hadn’t thought of that yourself.

The Three Bears (Sort of) is an entertaining and unique retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears that adults will enjoy as much as children.  Yvonne Morrison’s text will have you in stitches! It’s full of sarcasm that adults especially will love and she’s captured the voice of an inquisitive toddler and the mother (who’s making it up as she goes along) perfectly. Donovan Bixley’s illustrations are absolutely wonderful and really match the humour of the story and the way it’s being told.  The hands of the mother and son can be seen on some of the pages, as they draw or add pictures into the story.  Donovan’s Goldilocks looks both cute and bratty, and I love the facial expressions of the bears.  I think Donovan is New Zealand’s own Anthony Browne, because of the way he adds extra details into his illustrations that add another layer to the story.  On the very first page, above the publication details, there are some interesting objects on the mantelpiece, including soft toy bears, a card for a locksmith, and a postcard from Svalbard.  You’ll also notice the tree patterns on the wallpaper.  I also really love the way that Donovan has designed the book, with the son’s interruptions inside a box on the page and in a different, childish font.  This makes it clear to see when the son is talking and when the mother is talking.

It’s perfect for reading aloud one-on-one or with a large group, and it’s ideal for acting out, as one person could be the mother and one person could be the son.  This is how we’ll be performing it at our Three Bears Breakfast at Shirley Library in Christchurch next Saturday (16 March).

5 out of 5 stars

It’s Not a Monster, It’s Me by Raymond McGrath

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I love this video so much that I have to share it with everyone!  Raymond McGrath made it (with the help of his very talented friends) to promote his picture book, It’s Not a Monster, It’s Me! published by Penguin New Zealand.  I’ve seen this book in the library and not even realised it was created by a New Zealand author/illustrator.

Check out It’s Not a Monster, It’s Me! by Raymond McGrath in your library or bookshop now.  It’s a great book to read and share for New Zealand Book Month.

Picture Book Nook: That’s Mine! by Michel Van Zeveren

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In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the little frog finds an egg.

“That’s mine!” he says.

But the snake wants his egg, and so does the eagle, and so does the lizard…But what does the angry elephant want?

 

 

 

That’s Mine! by Michel Van Zeveren is a gem of a picture book that’s simple, yet surprising.  You start off thinking you know where the story is going, but it veers off in a completely different direction (these are the best sorts of stories).  The illustrations are bold and I love the expressions on the animals faces, especially right at the end.

 

The thing I like most about this book though is the text and the design.  As each of the animals appears the sound they make turns into a word, like the eagle who flies in saying “Ack…ack…ack..actually it’s mine.”  Children can follow the direction that each animal appears from by following the direction of the words (the hsss of the snake drops down from the top to the bottom of the page).  I love the way that the text changes size depending on how loud the animal is talking and in relation to their size.  On a page featuring all the animals, the text is largest for the elephant and smallest for the frog, so it’s clear that each of the animals has a different voice.

That’s Mine! is the perfect picture book for reading aloud.  You can do different voices for all the animals and make it really silly.  It could even be acted out in the classroom, with each child being a different animal.

4 out of 5 stars

Win The Bird King: An Artist’s Notebook by Shaun Tan

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A new book of sketches, artwork, and personal reflection from the brilliant mind of award-winning, bestselling author and illustrator Shaun Tan.

“I’m often wary of using the word ‘inspiration’ to introduce my work — it sounds too much like a sun shower from the heavens, absorbed by a passive individual enjoying an especially receptive moment. While that may be the case on rare occasions, the reality is usually far more prosaic. Staring at a blank piece of paper, I can’t think of anything original. I feel utterly uninspired and unreceptive. It’s the familiar malaise of ‘artist’s block’ and in such circumstances there is only one thing to do: just start drawing.” — Shaun Tan.

And when Shaun Tan starts drawing, the results are stunning. In THE BIRD KING: AN ARTIST’S NOTEBOOK, we find a window into the creative process: the stops and starts, the ideas that never took off, and the ones that grew into something much bigger. Fans of THE ARRIVAL will recognize the quirky, surreal sensibility that is so distinctly Shaun Tan in this stunning collection, and gain insight into how his many gorgeous books were made.

Due to my own mistake (I thought this was a new book, but it just has a slightly different title and cover from the one I got a while ago) I have a copy of this wonderful book to give away.  All you have to do to get in the draw is leave a comment telling me which Shaun Tan book is your favourite (mine is Tales from Outer Suburbia).  Competition closes Thursday 14 February (NZ only).

 

Picture Book Nook: Anton and the Battle by Ole Konnecke

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Anton and the Battle is one of those picture books that you know is going to make kids laugh just by looking at the front cover.  How can you not laugh when the two boys are swinging a cow and a cello at each other?  The cover hooks you in and you want to find out what the battle is about.

The story starts with Anton and Luke arguing about which one of them is the strongest.  Anton can lift a big stone, but Luke can lift an even bigger stone.  They keep trying to out-do each other by proving that they’re stronger or louder or braver – until they meet a ferocious puppy.

Anton and the Battle is a wonderful story about the power of the imagination and the joy of play.  Both the text and the illustrations are so simple, but really funny.   Ole has coloured his two characters but left the rest of the page white so that they and their imaginations stand out.  The white space allows the giant horn or the bombs to take center stage and draw the reader’s attention.  The illustrations will have children laughing out loud, as Anton and Luke chase after each other with giant hammers, swing lions and tigers over their heads and get stuck up trees.  The page where they are swinging lions and tigers over their heads is hilarious (just look at their faces)!  I love the twist on the story when Ole throws a puppy into the mix and even when they’re stuck up a tree, they’re still trying to out-do each other.

It’s a story with lots of anticipation that keeps children guessing.  Before you turn the page you could ask them what they think might happen next.  Even after the story is finished you could ask children to suggest other things that Anton and Luke could battle with or ways they could show they’re stronger, louder or faster than each other.  They could even draw their own Anton and Luke battle scene.

Anton and the Battle is one of Gecko Press’ first releases of 2013 and is available in libraries and bookshops now.

 

Picture Book Nook: Open Very Carefully by Nicola O’Byrne and Nick Bromley

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I love picture books that are interactive.  I’m not talking about book apps, but physical books that ask the reader or the audience to do something.  Not only are they fun for the audience, they’re also incredibly fun for the reader.  Some of my favourite interactive picture books are the cat books by Viviane Schwarz (There Are Cats in This Book, There Are No Cats in This Book), that involve you blowing on the page to dry them off and throw balls of wool at them.  I’ve just discovered a new favourite interactive picture book, called Open Very Carefully by Nicola O’Byrne and Nick Bromley.  

The book starts off with the story of The Ugly Duckling, but something shows up in the story that shouldn’t be there – a really big, scary CROCODILE!  It seems that this crocodile likes to eat letters, words and even whole sentences, but you’ve got to stop him before he eats the whole book.  You try rocking the book backwards and forwards to make him go to sleep, and you try shaking the book to make him fall out.  Will it work or will he eat the whole book?

Open Very Carefully will have adults and children in hysterics!  Part of the humour of the book is in the way that you read it, putting the emphasis in the right place, and part of it is in the hilarious illustrations.  At the beginning of the book the crocodile is looking very happy with himself, but that changes quite quickly when he discovers that he is wearing a very unflattering outfit.  From the very first page children are engaged in the story and they’ll want to help you get rid of the crocodile.  The interactive parts of the book are especially great for sharing one-on-one as these parts make children feel like they are important to the outcome of the story.  The design of the book is wonderful too, especially the final pages and the back cover, which offers one final surprise for readers.

I will be reading Open Very Carefully again and again to preschoolers and school groups in my library.  I’ll have to try and read it without laughing myself though.

 

 

Meet the wonderful Oliver Jeffers

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I thought Oliver Jeffers was awesome before I saw this video, but now he’s just reached an all new level of awesomeness!  I’ve been a huge fan of Oliver since his first book was published and I’ve loved everything he’s created so far, from his own picture books to illustrations for other authors, such as John Boyne and David Almond.  His books are wonderful and it’s great to get this entertaining insight into his creative process.

Picture Book Nook: A Patch of Black by Rachel Rooney and Deborah Allwright

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I came across this delightful picture book last week when I was putting new books out for display.  A Patch of Black is one of the best picture books I’ve seen that’s aimed at children who are scared of the dark and it’s a wonderful bedtime story.  It starts with a mother and her child in the girl’s bedroom getting ready for bed.  The mother says to her child,

“Don’t be afraid of the darkness, dear.
Don’t be afraid of the dark.
What can you do with a patch of black,
a moon and a silver star?

The mother then tells the child about all the different places and things she could dream about when she’s sleeping.  There are pirates and mermaids, princesses and dragons, ice cream lakes and milkshake streams, and much more.  The mother’s refrain is repeated throughout the book and is followed by a different dream land.

It’s a very reassuring story that will have children imagining their own dream lands.  The illustrations are also reassuring and comforting, as they’re light, bright and full of excitement.  If you want a bedtime story that you’ll be happy to read again and again, grab a copy of A Patch of Black by Rachel Rooney and Deborah Allwright.

David Melling chats about Hugless Douglas

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David Melling is one of my favourite picture book author/illustrators and I absolutely love Hugless Douglas.  He’s a cute character who children and adults love.  There’s even a very cool Hugless Douglas app, with the story read by the wonderful Alan Davies.

David has a great website (www.davidmelling.co.uk) where you can find out more about him and his work, and you can even buy some very reasonably-priced prints (I’ve got the Hugless Douglas one on my wall).  I’d love to have a giant Hugless Douglas costume like the one on his blog.  I’ll have to try and convince my library to buy one.

My Top 10 Picture Books of 2012

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It’s that time of the year when we all start to think about our favourite books that we’ve read during the year.  Throughout this week I’ll be posting my lists of my Top 10 Picture Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, and New Zealand Books of 2012.  Here are my Top 10 Picture Books of 2012 (if you want to know more about the books you can read my reviews of most books on the blog).