picture books

Picture Book Nook: Two Little Bugs by Mark and Rowan Sommerset

/ zackids / Leave a comment

Last year Mark and Rowan Sommerset brought us the hilarious Baa Baa Smart Sheep, which went on to win the Children’s Choice Award at the 2011 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.  Their latest creation, Two Little Bugs, is sure to be another hit with children.

As the title suggests, the story is about two little bugs, Little Bug Red who lives underneath the leaf and Little Bug Blue who lives on top of the leaf.  They try to convince each other that life is better on their side of the leaf, but neither is willing to try something different.  Little Bug Red decides to start eating the leaf bit by bit, and so each page gets smaller and smaller, until there is no leaf left, just a stalk.  They discover that the end of their leafy home is just the beginning of a new adventure.

While Two Little Bugs doesn’t pack the same humorous punch as Baa Baa Smart Sheep, it’s a fun story with an interesting design that children will love.  I love the way that the pages mirror each other so that you can see both bugs in each double-page spread (the bugs can be seen poking through the holes in the leaves).  This design aspect will make it appealing to children, as they see the page (leaf) shrink every time they turn it.  The colour palette is simple (green and black of the leaf with the red and blue of the bugs) which draws your attention to the two bugs.  Mark and Rowan publish their books through their own independent publishing company, Dreamboat Books, and other self-publishers could learn alot from the quality of their beautiful picture books.

You can learn more about Mark and Rowan Sommerset and buy their books from their Dreamboat Books website.

Picture Book Nook: Moon Cow by Kyle Mewburn

/ zackids / 3 Comments

Kyle Mewburn deserves an award for being New Zealand’s hardest working children’s author this year.  He’s had so many books published in 2011, from picture books to junior fiction novels.  His Dinosaur Rescue series (with which he collaborates with the brilliant Donovan Bixley) is probably the best series for junior readers to come out of New Zealand in recent years.  Kyle’s latest book is a picture book about a cow that tries to make friends with the moon, called Moon Cow.

Milly the cow thinks that the moon must be lonely up there in the sky with no-one to talk to so she decides to try and make friends with it.  She stays up all night talking to the moon but “the moon didn’t say a word.”  All the other cows laugh at her, saying “Silly Milly Cow! Talking to the moon!”  Each night the moon gets brighter and closer as Milly talks, dances and juggles for the moon, but the moon stays silent. Will the moon ever talk to Milly and share its secrets with her?

Moon Cow is an absolutely stunning picture book.  It’s one of those picture books where the text and illustrations are perfectly matched.  Kyle’s story is gentle and touching, with just the right amount of humour.  As I was reading I thought that it had a similar feel to his award-winning Hill and Hole.  Deidre Copeland’s illustrations are what really make Moon Cow stand out for me.  The front cover really draws the reader in and makes you want to make friends with Milly.  I can just see children gushing over how cute Milly is, especially because of the way Deidre has drawn her eyes.  I love the way that Deidre’s illustrations glow on the page, especially the very last page with Milly and the moon by the lake.  The book’s designers should get some credit for the amazing job they have done on this book too.  My only negative is that a book of this quality should have been published in hardback.  Moon Cow will be a favourite with children and is sure to be a finalist in the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards in 2012.

Kiwi Corkers – traditional tales with a Kiwi twist

/ zackids / Leave a comment

Scholastic New Zealand Publishing Manager Diana Murray shares the story behind the stories.

The Kiwi Corkers series hatched from the idea of taking well-known tales and retelling them with a New Zealand flavour. The concept of reworking fairy tales is not revolutionary; however the idea of bringing them into our familiar, uniquely Kiwi environment has made them popular stories that our children can relate to.

Every aspect of the series has been carefully considered. We decided to publish them with bright, fun and durable hardcovers, but sell them at lower than paperback prices to make collecting the full series affordable. We identified the traditional tales children are still growing up with. Initially we asked New Zealand authors to write stories for us, but after a time the series took on a life of its own and we have received a high volume of manuscripts for it.

Sounds straightforward? Well – not always!

Take The Elves and the Cloakmaker, written by Chris Gurney and illustrated by John Bennett (October 2011). There were twists and turns in bringing this book to publication, as we had to consider things such as whether men can weave cloaks (yes, our research tells us, they can) and what patupaiarehe might look like (bright red hair, pale skin). At one stage, the title was going to be The Patupaiarehe and the Cloakmaker , but we were concerned that such a complicated looking word in the title might be off-putting to non-Maori speakers and changed it to The Elves and the Cloakmaker – which begged the question whether patupaiarehe are elves? After research and consultation, we decided yes, that would be fine.

And it took a long time to come up with the Kiwi wolf for Little Red and the Cunning Kuri, also written by Chris Gurney, with illustrations by Sarah N Anderson (October 2010). What nasty New Zealand creatures do we have that could fit this character? We thought of a katipo – but it wouldn’t have been the right size in relation to Little Red, and not the right shape either. A kahu (harrier hawk)? No, still not right. It was a light-bulb moment when the author came up with the kuri, a Maori dog.

Scholastic New Zealand has now published 12 books in the series, and have another two in the pipeline for 2012 – both of which promise to uphold the ‘high standards’ of ‘this series of poetic parodies’ (Trevor Agnew The Source, 6 July 2011).

Picture Book Nook: People by Blexbolex

/ zackids / 3 Comments

Last year the wonderful people at Gecko Press brought us Seasons, a stunning book full of illustrations all relating to different seasons by the French illustrator, Blexbolex.  Now Gecko brings us People, another absolutely beautiful book full of all sorts of different people.

Even before you open the book you have to marvel at the production of the book which is like a piece of art itself.  When you remove the dust jacket you discover that it doubles as a poster that would look amazing and eye-catching on a wall.  When I first flicked through the book it seemed like a seemingly random selection of different people from a juggler to a hermit to an eccentric, but when I looked again the people on each double page spread are either connected in some way or are opposites of each other.  For example, one spread has an executioner and a lumberjack.  People would be a great book to share with children, whether one-on-one or with a group, as you could discuss the relationship between each person.  Teachers could use it with their class in creative writing time to help spark story ideas or you could leave it on the coffee table at home to spark discussion.  As I was reading through I couldn’t help but think up stories about these relationships between characters.

People is a book that will be loved by not just children, but parents, teachers and design students.  It’s the perfect Christmas present for the whole family to enjoy.

Celebrating 30 years of Alfie

/ zackids / Leave a comment

I grew up with lots of books.  My parents read to me right from the start and I have no doubt that’s part of the reason I love books so much now.  One of my parents’ favourite authors/illustrators was Shirley Hughes so I grew up with Alfie.  Her Alfie books have stood the test of time and are just as fun and entertaining to read now as they were when I was a kid.  This year sees the 3oth anniversary of the very first Alfie book, so Shirley Hughes has celebrated this milestone by publishing a brand new Alfie book and a mini Alfie collection.

All About Alfie is a brand new collection of Alfie stories, while at the same time, retaining everything that made the original stories so special.  All your favourite characters are here, including Alfie’s little sister Annie Rose, his best friend Bernard, and his toy elephant Flumbo.  You can join Alfie as he hides in his secret den, helps Bernard celebrate his birthday, and goes on a big adventure with his mum.  All About Alfie is a real celebration of Shirley Hughes’ classic character and her stunning artwork.

The My Alfie Collection brings together four of the best Alfie stories in a package of miniature hardback editions.  These miniature editions are a good size for sharing but also perfect for carrying around in your handbag or in the car, for those moments when you need a book. Alfie Gets in First is still my favourite Alfie book and makes me laugh every time.

I hope that, even though the world of books is changing, the Alfie books will still be popular in another 30 years.  I know that I’ll share the joy of Alfie with my own children, as my parents shared them with me.

Picture Book Nook: Poo Bum by Stephanie Blake

/ zackids / Leave a comment

Children of any age love toilet humour, so what better book to appeal to them than Poo Bum by Stephanie Blake. Once there was a little rabbit who could only say one thing – Poo Bum.  Whenever his parents or his sister ask him to do something, this is what he says.  But what happens when he meets a wolf who wants to eat him?

Children are in fits of giggles even before you open the book and you know they’re going to be rolling around on the floor by the end of it.  The story and illustrations are so simple but they make a winning combination.  The danger (and fun) of this book is that children start to join in with you.  However, they don’t see the surprise ending coming, which sends them into fits of giggles.  Poo Bum is sure to be a favourite of children everywhere and the book that parents will have to read again and again.  Another brilliant book from Gecko Press, publisher of curiously good books from around the world.

Picture Book Nook: Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

/ zackids / Leave a comment

I love Oliver Jeffers’ books because they’re always so quirky and different.  His illustration style is quite simple and sparse but he uses different textures and materials within them.  His latest picture book, Stuck, is classic Oliver Jeffers and is weird and wacky, with a surprise ending.

It all began when Floyd got his kite stuck in a tree.  As any kid would do, Floyd tries throwing other things up into the tree to knock the kite down, including a ladder, a bucket of paint, a cat, the kitchen sink, and a rhinoceros.  Each thing he throws up there just ends up getting caught with the kite.  It’s not long before things really start to get out of control and Floyd starts to run out of ideas.  Will he get his kite, and everything else, out of the tree?

Stuck will have kids (and grown-ups) laughing out loud at all the crazy things Floyd throws into the tree.  You’re never quite sure what you’re going to find he’s thrown in the tree each time you turn the page, so you can have a guessing game about what it might be.  I didn’t see the ending coming so it had me cracking up, and left me thinking what might happen next.  I love the simplicity of Oliver’s illustrations and the text, which seem quite child-like.  Oliver has really channeled his inner child in this book and kids will love the craziness of it.  Stuck will beg to be read again and again.

Picture Book Nook: A Bus Called Heaven by Bob Graham

/ zackids / Leave a comment

Bob Graham is one of Australia’s most prolific illustrators and his books always make you laugh and tug at your heartstrings.  Bob’s latest book, A Bus Called Heaven is another classic Bob Graham story.

An abandoned bus turns up one day in Stella’s street and everybody stops and stares. There’s no explanation for it, it’s just there. They all follow Stella on board to have a look around and Stella suggests that it could belong to everyone in their street.  Together, they push the bus into Stella’s front garden and clean it, paint it and add their own touch.  Life returns to the bus where ‘babies crawled, people laughed, kids fought, grandads scratched dogs, meetings were planned, couples met and the Fingles showed their holiday pictures.’  Then the tow truck arrives and takes the bus away.  Will Stella and her neighbours be able to save their bus?

A Bus Called Heaven is a uplifting story about a community coming together and fighting for what they believe is right. Bob Graham makes you want to be a part of their community and you’re hoping and wishing that they’ll be able to keep their bus.  Bob’s vibrant, panel-style illustrations tell their own story, meaning that you could take away the text and you could still understand what’s going on.  There are so many characters that anyone can find someone in the story that they can relate to, whether it’s the children playing, the parents sharing a cup of tea, or the grandads scratching the dog’s tummy.   A Bus Called Heaven is a story that can be enjoyed again and again and a great book to teach children about community and working together.

Subscribe and win a New Zealand picture book pack

/ zackids / 6 Comments

If you’ve enjoyed reading my reviews you might like to get them emailed to you as soon as they’re posted.  If you subscribe to My Best Friends Are Books before 30 November you could win a New Zealand picture book pack just in time for Christmas.  The pack includes All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, There’s a Hole in my Bucket, and The Elves and the Cloakmaker.

The winner of the New Zealand picture book pack is Nicole Latham.  Thanks to all my new followers!