Tim Warnes's Blog: My Life in Books, page 11
May 13, 2021
Say Hello to the Dinosaurs!
From DINOSAUR ROAR! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland (Puffin 1996) | Illustration © 1994 by Paul Stickland
The stories featured in my previous two posts - You Must Bring a Hat and Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs - aim for slightly older kids.This week I’m sticking with the dinosaur theme and balancing things out by highlighting some picture books worth sharing with the youngest children. (So yes, that includes babies!)
First up, a modern classic: DINOSAUR ROAR! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland (Puffin 1996). The dog-eared copy I own was read with my kids countless times - and it still delights me!
Stickland’s characterful dinosaurs are superb - bright, colourful and humorous. They are beautifully patterned and textured, thanks to Stickland’s slick watercolour/ink method of working wet in wet (which allows the colours to bleed into each other). Background detail is kept to a minimum, focusing solely on those glorious dinosaurs instead, whose colour pops against the crisp white background.
Based on the concept of opposites, we’re presented with a wide assortment of dinosaurs in playful prose that rolls off the tongue. For example:
Dinosaur sweet, dinosaur grumpy,
dinosaur spiky and dinosaur lumpy.
You won’t find any complicated dinosaur names like Huehuecanauhtlus to wrangle within DINOSAUR ROAR!, which will relieve most parents of budding palaeontologists! So despite what some reviews would have you believe, I disagree that DINOSAUR ROAR! ‘helps educate young children in the variety of dinosaurs that once existed’. Stickland himself confesses that ‘some of them are based on real dinosaurs, some clearly are not…’ (which is no bad thing, in my opinion). As a kid, Stickland says he was passionate about dinosaurs, and his illustrations come from that place. (‘I loved drawing dinosaurs as a kid,’ he writes. ‘Most children do … they seem to be hard-wired for them.’)
From DINOSAUR ROAR! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland (Puffin 1996) | Illustration © 1994 by Paul Stickland
The humour is gentle and age-appropriate. For example, take the opening spread - a massive stomping dinosaur enters stage left, equipped with the most formidable-looking teeth and claws. A small green dino spots it - and drops his lunch (a berry)!
Dinosaur roar,
dinosaur squeak
From DINOSAUR ROAR! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland (Puffin 1996) | Illustration © 1994 by Paul Stickland
Somehow, Stickland pulls the scene off without it being scary at all. Although the carnosaur’s mouth is open wide, it appears to be smiling - as though enjoying making the little one jump (instead of sizing it up for lunch). Elsewhere, a family of baby dinos gather playfully around their parent (one baby uses the long tail as a slide). On another spread, an enormous, bloated dinosaur lies back and uses a tree as a toothpick.
As mentioned, the rhyming prose contrasts opposite characteristics of the dinosaurs - right up until the final 2 spreads, when the pacing slows:
All sorts of dinosaurs eating up their lunch,
Gobble, gobble, nibble, nibble, munch, munch, scrunch!
From DINOSAUR ROAR! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland (Puffin 1996) | Illustration © 1994 by Paul Stickland
That final scrunch! always felt so satisfying - and the accompanying illustration (showing a dinosaur playfully chomping down onto the word itself) has a playful twist.
DINOSAUR ROAR! is a lot of fun. It was a perennial favourite when my boys were young and will undoubtedly satisfy young dino fans and encourage them to seek out more. And the fact that it’s celebrating 25 years in print is a testament to the quality of the art and the simple text (which isn’t bad for a book initially self-published by the authors).
From Say Hello to the Dinosaurs! by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Macmillan 2009) | Illustration © 2009 by Tim Warnes
My other Story Worth Sharing is Say Hello to the Dinosaurs! by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by myself (Macmillan 2009).Dedicated it to my kids - ‘the mighty Levisaurus, and long-lost Dinosaur Jack’, it reminds me of fun times. (Dinosaur Jack - a fearless tracker and tamer of dinosaurs - was one of Noah’s many alter-egos!)
Like DINOSAUR ROAR!, Say Hello to the Dinosaurs! is a fun-filled introduction to the world of dinosaurs - perfect for reading together and aimed squarely at the youngest kids. As an added bonus, each dinosaur has a bumpy, scaly finish (so be prepared for scrabbling hands as you try to read!). But unlike DINOSAUR ROAR!, Say Hello is effectively a beginner’s guide to dinosaurs.
A cute, newly-hatched T-Rex - leaves its nest of siblings to wander through the book searching for its mummy. On the way, we’re introduced to a splendid array of specific dinosaurs, including Diplodocus, Ichthyosaur, Triceratops and a new one on me - the Spinosaurus. (I spotted a Spinosaurus many years later in one of the Jurassic Park movies and was pleased I knew what it was!)
From Say Hello to the Dinosaurs! by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Macmillan 2009) | Illustration © 2009 by Tim Warnes
Are you ready with your roars?
Let’s say hello to the dinosaurs!
Stegosaurus has plates on his back.
He swishes his tail as he stomps down the track.
Hello, Stegosaurus!
Swish, swash, swish!
From Say Hello to the Dinosaurs! by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Macmillan 2009) | Illustration © 2009 by Tim Warnes
Say Hello to the Dinosaurs! is written by a master of the game, Ian Whybrow. (His books include the series Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs, and one of my favourite stories to read aloud - Little Wolf’s Book of Badness.) His chatty, friendly text is suitably interactive and straightforward in a few ways:
Each dinosaur is presented with a satisfying refrain (for example, Swish, swash, swish!) which young children can’t resist joining in with.
The final spread sparks further conversation:
Now we’ll play. A little game.
I’ll ask a question and you say the name!
For example,
Who looks like. A rhino but with three horns?
Who swims under the seagoing bubble, bubble?
Who’s the longest dinosaur in this book?
It makes for a fun ending that reinforces the educational element. (And years later, when your child bemoans comprehension tests at school, you can remind them how much they enjoyed it in this book!)
From Say Hello to the Dinosaurs! by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Macmillan 2009) | Illustration © 2009 by Tim Warnes
Say Hello to the Dinosaurs! is now in its 12th year - I hope it has the longevity of DINOSAUR ROAR!
Finally, a word of warning (or rather, a confession). Following publication, my six-year-old neighbour ticked me off for illustrating a Pteranodon rather than a Pterodactyl as required by the text. Who knew?! (And there I was, thinking I’d done quite a job researching dinosaurs!) I guess it’s a lesson in never fully trusting things to be accurate. So if you have your own dino-obsessed kid who spots the mistake, my apologies. At least it will give them the smug satisfaction that they know more about dinosaurs than this grown-up!
From Say Hello to the Dinosaurs! by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Macmillan 2009) | Illustration © 2009 by Tim Warnes
STORIES WORTH SHARING: DINOSAUR ROAR! by Paul and Henrietta SticklandGood to Read because:
It’s fantastic to read aloud
It introduces opposites as a concept
It will satisfy young dinosaur fans
The stunning artwork makes this a pleasure to share every time.
STORIES WORTH SHARING: Say Hello to the Dinosaurs! by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Tim Warnes
Good to Read because:
It’s a fun-filled introduction to the world of dinosaurs
It will satisfy - and educate - young dinosaur fans
Children will love to stroke their bumpy scales and join in with the rhyming refrains.
Picture books for young dinosaur fans
Albertine by Anna Currey
DINOSAUR ROAR! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland
Daring Dinos by Jack Tickle
Say Hello to the Dinosaurs! by Ian Whybrow and Tim Warnes
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‘an absolute winner’
- Booktrust‘a visual extravaganza’
- Kirkus Reviews Buy UK* I EARN COMMISSION FROM THis LINK #AD/AFF
‘Big, bold and fun.’
- GoodReads‘a fun-filled introduction to the world of dinosaurs, perfect for reading together.’
- lovereading4kids Buy UK* I EARN COMMISSION FROM THiS LINK #AD/AFFSOURCESDINOSAUR ROAR! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland (Puffin 1996)Mrs B’s Book Reviews: Dinosaur Roar! 25th Anniversary Edition by Henrietta and Paul Sticklandwww.paulstickland.co.uk/Dinosaur-RoarSay Hello to the Dinosaurs! by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Macmillan 2009)© 2021 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****USE OF THIRD-PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE
May 7, 2021
Pirate Dinosaurs! (What more could you want?)
From Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto (Puffin 2005) | Illustration © 2005 by Russel Ayto
Remember Mr Benn by Dave McKee?As a kid, I loved those adventures. My favourites were Big Top Benn (perhaps behind my wish to be a clown when I grew up!) and Mr Benn - Red Knight. The simple premise behind each story was genius: Mr Benn enters a magical world through the changing room of the fancy dress shop into an adventure that matches his costume.
Likewise, the Pevensey children discover Narnia at the back of the wardrobe. And similarly, the hero of today’s Story Worth Sharing steps into a swashbuckling adventure that is a sure-fire hit with kids. Avast me hearties! It’s Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto (Puffin 2005).
‘One day at school, Flinn was colouring in a new dinosaur picture when he realized he didn’t have quite enough pens.’ I like the story’s mundane beginning. It’s a quiet contrast to the melee that follows, a plausible scenario that kids will easily relate to. Our hero is unwittingly directed into the fantasy world by his teacher:
“Why don’t you have a look in the art cupboard, Flinn?” said Miss Pie… “I think there are more colours at the back.”
So Flinn opened the door and stepped into the cupboard.
Even now, teacher’s store cupboards speak to me of something sacred or forbidden.
You must earn trust to enter.
It is only for the Chosen Ones.
What secrets might it possibly hold?
Well, it turns out that right at the back of Miss Pie’s cupboard (hiding under an old curtain) was a real live pirate captain - Captain Stubble! And he’s ’shaking and shuddering like a giant jelly’ because his ship (curiously named the Acorn) has been stolen.
“But who has stolen it?” asked Flinn.
“I don’t know,” said Captain Stubble, “but as I watched I heard a … ROAR!
… And then a strange kind of song.
It went: ‘Yo ho ho!
Yo ho ho!
Somethingy, something -
Go! Go! Go!’”
Flinn and his friends bravely offer to help Captain Stubble retrieve his stolen ship. “We love adventures!” they said.
And just at that moment, the back of the cupboard fell away and they all tumbled out…
From Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto (Puffin 2005) | Illustration © 2005 by Russel Ayto
Fortunately, an old pirate ship awaits.
Stubble promotes Flinn to Captain (since he’d ‘much rather be the cook’), and the search for the missing Acorn begins. Perfect!
From Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto (Puffin 2005) | Illustration © 2005 by Russel Ayto
Andreae’s text is funny and exciting, and needless to say, rammed to the rafters with piratical phrases and vocabulary. (For example, crow’s-nest, SHIP AHOY!, and cutlasses.) The illustrations are packed with details (such as the acorn-inspired skulls adorning the captured Acorn), and compliment the humourous story beautifully. The Guardian described Pirate Dinosaurs as ‘[a] rollicking adventure’. In my opinion, this is a story that begs to be read aloud and hammed up for full effect (with a complete galley of voices)! I loved sharing this with my kids, and it inspired many pirate games!
From Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto (Puffin 2005) | Illustration © 2005 by Russel Ayto
Kids love dinosaurs, and they love pirates! The excitement builds until finally, midway through the book, a page turn reveals what we’ve all been waiting for - PIRATE DINOSAURS! Captain Flinn and his crew stage their attack, and pandemonium ensues. It is, as the Sunday Times wrote, ‘[a] dream come true for readers [with] action so vivid you can almost hear it’! Cutlasses clash, a cannon fires, waves surge - and the pirate dinosaurs abandon ship!
Well, all except their fearsome Captain. A diabolical and dastardly dinosaur if ever there was one. Jagged-toothed and drooling (with a loathsome black tongue), the Tyrannosaurus Rex looms threateningly over Captain Flinn.
From Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto (Puffin 2005) | Illustration © 2005 by Russel Ayto
Ayto’s illustrations are superb - and personally inspiring. Look at their influence in the Little Red Riding Hood spread from my book, The Big Book Adventure. From the hulking, sharp-toothed wolf (mimicking the T-Rex) right down to the stripey trees and solid black background (which lends the scene a hint of menace).
From The Big Book Adventure by Emily Ford, ill. by Tim Warnes (Silver Dolphin 2018) | Illustration © 2018 by Tim Warnes
But back to that T-Rex! I’d love to hear Jeremy Irons or Benedict Cumberbatch read his threatening lines:
“I’m going to cut you up into little pirate sausages!” yelled the Tyrannosaurus Rex, dribbling greedily. “Then I’m going to put you on the barbecue and EAT YOU UP! With too much tomato ketchup!” he added.
Brilliant! That naughty aside about the ketchup helps keep it just the right side of scary.
The T-Rex may be monstrous, but our hero Captain Flinn is fearless and persistent. They fight ‘for at least two hours and twenty-five minutes’ until the exhausted Tyrannosaurus Rex surrenders!
“…Please spare me and I’ll be the goodest goody in the world. Honest!”
With the pirate dinosaurs defeated and the Acorn recaptured, they sail back to the harbour. ‘[T]he door that they had fallen through was still hanging open. So they all clambered in…’ - just in time for the end of storytime.
STORIES WORTH SHARING: Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto“And they all lived happily ever after,” said Miss Pie, closing the book…’
Good to Read because:
It’s a silly, fun adventure!
The perfect balance of exciting/scary makes it an excellent book for older children (while not being too frightening for younger kids).
Fun words like CLANG! CLASH! SWISH! SPLASH! help make this a great one to read aloud.
The slightly longer read is supported by highly detailed illustrations, which will keep your kid’s attention.
It expands your child’s vocabulary.
It’s a good book for children transitioning into independent reading.
Pirate-themed picture books
Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae and Russel Ayto
Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs - Smaugglers Bay by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto
Cats Ahoy! by Peter Bently and Jim Field
The Pirate-Cruncher by Johnny Duddle
Pugwash the Smuggler by John Ryan
For older kids
Peter Pan & Wendy by J.M. Barrie
How To Be a Pirate (How To Train Your Dragon #2) by Cressida Cowell
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From Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto (Puffin 2005) | Illustration © 2005 by Russel Ayto
‘A rollicking story that combines dinosaurs, pirates, fighting and fun.’
- Books for Keeps‘a sure hit’
- Kirkus Reviews buy us BUY UK* I earn commission from these links #ad/AFF SOURCESCaptain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto (Puffin 2005)© 2021 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)**** USE OF THIRD-PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.April 30, 2021
You Must Bring a Hat
From You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip and Kate Hindley (Simon & Schuster 2016) | Illustration © 2016 by Kate Hindley
I enjoy going to the theatre (or at least I used to).I’m partial to a musical. (Hairspray and Singin’ in the Rain were great!) Still, perhaps my favourite genre is comedy farce. (The Importance of Being Earnest and One Man, Two Guvnors stand out in my memory.)
I don’t think it’s disparaging to call my Story Worth Sharing this week a farce. After all, it’s full of patently ridiculous acts leading to ludicrously improbable situations! And like the best farce, it makes your brain tick and whirr (which is all part of the fun)! So keep up, everyone! It’s You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip and Kate Hindley (Simon & Schuster 2016).
The title page illustration shows a (hatted) boy posting an invite.The invitation (delivered by a toucan postman) is very specific.
You must bring a hat.
But the recipient of the invite - our narrator (a small boy) - doesn’t own a hat.
And the local hat shop has sold out.
In fact, the only hat to be found belongs to a monkey. But the monkey’s wearing it - and he won’t give it up!
So the boy is ‘left with no choice’ - he must take the hat-wearing monkey along to Nigel’s party! (The invitation clearly states, after all, that ‘you may bring as many extra guests as you wish’.)
‘At least I had a hat. Even if it was still attached to a monkey.’
That line is typical of the humour, which is dry and deadpan. But when the boy, the monkey and his hat arrive at the venue, they find the security to be ‘pretty tight.’
And this is where the farce begins.
“Invitation, please,” said the doorman.
Apparently there were other rules too.
“Sorry Sir, but we’re under strict instructions not to let in any hat-wearing monkeys… unless they are also wearing a monocle.”
The set up is simple and silly, and brilliantly executed! Only the most astute and eagle-eyed reader will twig what’s happening…
Luckily, the boy and the monkey bump into a monocled badger named Geoff. “‘He was just the sort of badger we required’,” notes the boy.
Unfortunately, the doorman is ‘under strict instructions not to let in any hat-and-monocled-wearing monkeys if they are accompanied by a badger called Geoff… unless Geoff can play the piano.’
“Can you play the piano?” I asked.
“Don’t insult me. I’m a Badger! Of course I can.”
From You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip and Kate Hindley (Simon & Schuster 2016) | Illustration © 2016 by Kate Hindley
Cue the fortuitous passing by of Terance T. Trump’s Professional Piano Removal van. Geoff wasn’t lying - he can play the piano (and he is good!).
Problem solved.
Except the doorman hasn’t finished. His growing list of rules become more uncompromising and ridiculous (while the trail of last-minute guests becomes longer and longer).
You can see the tension mounting as the characters, now eager to enter the party, become increasingly exasperated.
Finally, our boy snaps!
I enjoy stories where the characters totally lose it and have a meltdown.It reflects real life and makes a character feel well-rounded and believable (and easily relatable to a small kid!). I’ve had the pleasure of illustrating raging characters a few times (notably Archie the rhino in NO!) - and they’re fun to draw! (Right now, I’m working on the sketches for a picture book that features an angry kitten…)
Character development sketch © 2021 by Tim Warnes
Hindley does a great job depicting the boy’s anger and frustration. His outburst is amplified by the text, which blasts out across the page as if shouted through a megaphone.
“LOOK, THESE ARE THE SILLIEST RULES I’VE EVER HEARD,” yells the red-faced boy. he waves his invite aloft, shouting so loudly that the doorman is knocked off his feet…
From You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip and Kate Hindley (Simon & Schuster 2016) | Illustration © 2016 by Kate Hindley
“NIGEL CLEARLY STATED ON HIS INVITATION THAT I COULD BRING ANYONE I WANTED SO LONG AS I BROUGHT A HAT, AND I BROUGHT A MONKEY IN A HAT SO TECHNICALLY I BROUGHT A HAT AND…”
And here’s the moment of realisation.
The moment of truth.
They’re at the wrong house!
They’ve been trying to gain entry to number 34. Number 32 - Nigel’s party - is next door!
‘The surprise ending,’ notes LoveReading4Kids, ‘will send everyone back to the beginning to check for details that might have been missed.’
It’s a delicious moment when the penny drops and the truth of the situation comes into focus. The set-up was so simple. And the following chain of events (which become increasingly silly and complicated) is all the better for it.
I mean, who doesn’t enjoy the absurdity of a penguin carrying a suitcase full of cheese?
Even if it is unsliced.
Unfortunately, You Must Bring a Hat was released long after my boys had outgrown a picture book at bedtime.But we’d have loved the silliness of it and scrutinising Hindley’s delightfully detailed illustrations.
Part of the book’s success is down to it being a true collaboration between the writer and illustrator. They are both telling the story. On his website, the writer Philip explains how any instructions he might give illustrators ‘are merely suggestions, and are rarely prescriptive.’
“I trust that an illustrator will have far better ideas for what to do with a spread than I will, and I’m happy to leave them to it. They’re the experts, after all, and tell the story in their own right.”
It was Hindley, for example, who came up with the ballerina bunnies. Philip acknowledges that the book is “far funnier than it would have been without her comic touches and beautiful characters.”
From You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip and Kate Hindley (Simon & Schuster 2016) | Illustration © 2016 by Kate Hindley
Hindley’s attention to detail - like the snail with a top hat and the worm with a scarf - is fantastic! You certainly get your money’s worth your money’s worth in her colourful scenes, which have the business - and craziness - of Richard Scarry’s work.
Unsurprisingly, Hindley acknowledges Scary as a subconscious influence: ‘I grew up with Scarry, and I think his style is very ingrained in my brain, something that’s always there.’
In summary then - if you’re looking for some fun, light entertainment, grab yourself a copy of You Must Bring a Hat. I guess if you insisted on finding a moral or lesson, it would be to check the address carefully. Or you could argue that it presents the virtue of helping strangers out. On the other hand, maybe we should all relax a little and enjoy it at face value.
I agree with Kids Book Review: ‘Education, morals and messages are important parts of children’s literature’. But as they note, it’s also ‘important for kids (and adults) to enjoy books that are just there to entertain. This is one of them’.
From You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip and Kate Hindley (Simon & Schuster 2016) | Illustration © 2016 by Kate Hindley
STORIES WORTH SHARING: You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip and Kate HindleyGood to Read because:
It’s funny - and there’s something special about bonding with your kid over a shared joke!
It encourages visual literacy - go back and discover from the illustrations how the mistake is made
Detailed images encourage independent reading of the visual story.
The ridiculous situations will spark creative conversations - what other crazy rules can you come up with?
It will expand your child’s vocabulary with fun words like monocle, shindig and negotiate.
Parents - have fun with a whole range of character voices!
Good to Read
Picture Books about Birthday Parties
Kipper’s Birthday by Mick Inkpen
You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip and Kate Hindley
Happy Birthday, Dotty by Tim Warnes
I Am Invited To a Party - An Elephant & Piggie book by Mo Willems
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‘Mounting exasperation, preposterous rules, and just plain fun make this party a surefire hit.’
- Kirkus Reviews
‘bright and busy and jam-packed full of humour.’
April 23, 2021
The Sea Tiger - model parent or faithful friend?
From The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull | Illustration © 2014 by Victoria Turnbull
As adults, we often find it hard to describe precisely how we feel.No wonder kids can struggle!
Thank goodness for picture books. They provide a safe place to explore complex emotions. Meaning they help you guide your kids into becoming the best versions of themselves. This week, ‘a sweetly imaginative story about friendship whose message will linger’: The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull (Templar 2014). A dreamy escape - and the perfect tool for anyone with a shy or lonely child.
The story begins with the confident voice of the narrator, which, as its Kirkus Review noted, commands attention:
I am the Sea Tiger.
From The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull | Illustration © 2014 by Victoria Turnbull
Like an underwater Mufasa, the Sea Tiger stands atop a rocky pinnacle, mouth wide. Is he roaring? Fish appear to be calmly swimming into his gape - yet he is proud and bold. Ambiguities like this simply add to the intrigue.
With the page turn, we are introduced to Oscar. He’s a merboy (with a striped tail like the Sea Tiger), and the pair are hanging out beside a small sunken boat on the bottom of the ocean.
I am Oscar’s best friend. We do everything together.
Experiencing The Sea Tiger is like slipping into a magical, ethereal dream. Turnbull’s sensual art (created with an intriguing mix of coloured pencil, pastel and linseed oil) creates the illusion of underwater ocean currents. the Sea Tiger’s tail undulates like one of the sinuous plants. Tufts of his fur gently sway, and Oscar’s hair waves above his head. The result? As Red Reading Hub puts it - ‘one can almost feel oneself drifting gently through the ocean depths along with Oscar and the Sea Tiger.’
From The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull | Illustration © 2014 by Victoria Turnbull
The engaging illustrations are packed full of tiny sea creatures (156 jellyfish, 66 turtles, 38 octopuses, 19 seahorses, 3 squids and 1 sea snail, apparently!). Turnbull writes, ‘I want to create images full of narrative detail that readers can lose themselves in, images that live long in the memory.’ This attention to detail creates a mesmerizing world. It reminds me of Avatar. (The Sea Tiger himself has an air of Totoro about him.)
Stylistically, Turnbull’s subtle use of colour and precise yet simple line recalls the Golden Age of Illustration, giving The Sea Tiger a timeless look and feel. Her work sits comfortably alongside the likes of Artur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. The fantastical dream element also recalls Winsor McCay’s comic strip, Little Nemo, Alfred Bestall’s Rupert illustrations - and Maurice Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen. (Sendak was himself inspired by Little Nemo.)
From The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull | Illustration © 2014 by Victoria Turnbull
As the story unfolds, the underwater dreamscape (complete with giant clam Big Top and seahorse carousel) is revealed. And all the while, the Sea Tiger remains a safe, protective presence: The merboy’s gentle guardian. He holds on to Oscar as they swim and carries him safely under the arm as they hitch a ride to the surface with a swarm of jellyfish. (Elsewhere, the friendly big cat places reassuring paws on the merboy’s shoulder and around the waist.) All the while, Turnbull ‘quietly reveals the benefits of extending a hand, or paw, of friendship.’
Then Turnbull takes the familiar theme of friendship and gives it an unexpected spin. Understanding that for Oscar to be truly happy and free, he must cut the proverbial apron strings, the Sea Tiger has a plan:
Where I lead, Oscar follows.
That’s why it’s up to me…
… to make a new friend.
It’s a bittersweet moment - but he does it. The Sea Tiger befriends a Sea Lion, leaving Oscar to become acquainted with the lion’s charge: a mermaid. Oscar and the mermaid bond over one of the singing turtles, and as the book comes to a close, we see them swimming together.
From The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull | Illustration © 2014 by Victoria Turnbull
Maybe your child feels shy or lonely (or is overly attached). If so, picture books like The Sea Tiger are valuable tools that will give reassurance - and help you support them. They won’t provide an instant solution. But as Turnbull explains, picture books ‘can show [children] they are not alone and help them make sense of their experiences. Books can provide respite and ... show a child there is no need to feel shame or embarrassment.’
And if The Sea Tiger doesn’t set everyone up for sweet dreams, then I don’t know what will!
STORIES WORTH SHARING: The Sea Tiger by Victoria TurnbullGood to Read because:
The outstanding illustrations are incredibly detailed, with plenty of extras to enjoy (and a solitary sea snail to find!)
The lyrical prose will help soothe your child - making this a great bedtime story.
Ambiguous ideas and images aid discussion and encourage creativity.
It will encourage shy or lonely children, and help you as you support them emotionally.
Good to ReadDreamy picture books
The Snow Lion by Richard Helmore and Richard Jones
Fox’s Garden by Princesse Camcam
Bear and Wolf by Daniel Salmieri
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
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From The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull | Illustration © 2014 by Victoria Turnbull
‘ heart-stoppingly beautiful’
- The Book Sniffer‘A sweetly imaginative story about friendship whose message will linger.’
- Kirkus Buy US Buy UK* I earn commission from the links above #AD SOURCESThe Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull (Templar 2014) The Sea Tiger (Kirkus Reviews 2015) The Sea Tiger (Red Reading Hub 2013) Victoria Turnbull: The Sea Tiger (Association of Illustrations 2013) Celebrate 150 Years of the Illustrator Who Brought Children’s Books to Life by Ben Panko (Smithsonian Magazine, SEPTember 19, 2017) Picture Books Provide A Safe Place To Explore Those Difficult Emotions That Are Hard To Put Into Words (Teach Wire, May 25 2017)The Sea Tiger (Publishers Weekly)© 2021 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)**** USE OF THIRD-PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.
April 16, 2021
"Let's Get a Pup!"
I have a wonderful cat called Ed. I adopted him late last year from the local rescue centre, and I can tell you now - that was the best £50 I've ever spent! To be honest, he was a bit shabby when we met, so I'd be lying if I said it was love at first sight. But he was desperate for affection, and after only a moment or two, he’d won us over with his slightly desperate cat hugs. With Ed clinging around his neck, my son pleaded - "OH, Dada - we've GOT to have him…"
The reality is, we went along to choose a cat - but Ed chose us. It was love at first hug!
My Story Worth Sharing this week features not a rescue cat, but rescue dogs: Let's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001). Graham is a picture book hero of mine, and his stories were firm family favourites when the kids were young. Generally speaking, they are, as Graham himself once noted, "a light-hearted glimpse of the day-to-day activities of children, their families and dogs." And Pup! is no exception.
The story begins with a prelude - we learn that Kate's cat, Tiger, died last winter. 'The end of [Kate's] bed was a lonely place…' Now the summer sun streams through the bedroom windows, and Kate wakes up realizing that what they really need isn't another cat - but a dog!
Kate charges into her parent's bedroom and bounces off the bed.
"Let's get a pup!" said Kate.
"What, a brand-new one?" said a now wide-awake Mum.
"With the wrapping still on?" added her breathless dad.
"Pups don't come wrapped," replied Kate.
"I know they don't," said Dad. "It's just a joke."
I love Graham's writing. It flows so naturally (which makes his stories great to read aloud). The gentle humour (often told through the illustrations alone) is deadpan.
Kate's parents don't need much persuasion. Mum spreads the newspaper across the breakfast table and says, "LOOK!"
THE RESCUE CENTRE
The centre for dogs without a home
The centre for dogs all alone
With their breakfast uneaten, they dressed and left immediately.
From Let's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001) | Illustration © 2001 by Bob Graham | Used by permission of the publisher
At the Rescue Centre, they find a vast array of dogs: 'big dogs, small dogs, sniffers and sleepers, wire-haired, short-haired, scratchers and leapers.' Graham's work always reflects real life. So some of the cages contain doggy doo. The snarling occupant of another leaps at Kate's mum.
They saw smelly dogs, fat dogs,
Lean and mean dogs, chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out-at-you dogs,
And dogs like walking nightmares.
Then they saw…
Dave.
Dave is everything a pup should be - small, cute and overexcited. When Dave is let out of his cage to meet the family, he goes a bit mental. (For a moment, Kate 'briefly wore him like a hat.'!) In a word, Dave is irresistible.
"We'll take him," said Dad.
Then they saw… Rosy.
And she saw them.
Graham presents such a tender, believable moment. He loves dogs, and it shows. Describing Rosy as 'old and grey and broad as a table', he continues:
It was difficult for her to get to her feet, but she stood, it seemed, almost politely. Her eyes watered, her ears went back and she radiated Good Intention.
From Let's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001) | Illustration © 2001 by Bob Graham | Used by permission of the publisher
But the family have made their choice. They wish old Rosy well. And with Dave in arms and ‘many a backward glance… they slowly walk away.'
At home, Dave trashes the place by day and cries all night long! Nobody gets any sleep - but it's not all Dave's fault. Everyone’s thinking about someone else - and come morning they know what they must do...
At the Rescue Centre Rosy was waiting for them.
"Let's get you home," said Dad.
Graham certainly knows how to pull those heartstrings!
Back home, they give Rosie a bath. She has a calming effect on everyone - including Dave! (I love the images of Kate sat with her feet up, using Rosy as a footrest!)
Children's Books Daily summarises Let's Get a Pup! perfectly -
It's a story of acceptance of the sometimes overlooked – the not so beautiful, not so youthful, not so clean.
Now extrapolate that message out, and you will gain a deeper understanding of the value of well-crafted picture books.
Graham's work has been described as subversive.
Let's Get a Pup!, for example, was criticised because Dad wears a tee shirt with the image of a match - first smouldering, then lit. (Apparently, some people saw it as a cigarette - or spliff.) Perhaps what critics find uncomfortable is what others - myself included - celebrate in Graham's work. His picture books stand out as being honest and truthful - a realistic reflection of society. In Pup!, Kate's parents are tattooed and pierced and rather scruffy. The family watch TV together on the sofa, surrounded by toys and clutter. Kids' drawings are stuck up on doors with sticky tape. A framed picture leans against the wall, waiting to be hung. Kate is shown sat on the toilet (with Dave tugging at her trouser leg!). These details speak volumes and together create a believable world that embraces and draws the reader in.
The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature praises Grahams for his soft watercolour illustrations that 'exude a warmth and understanding of [the] sometimes scruffy, yet loveable characters... Small touches … typify his settings, underlining the warmth of family relationships.'
The following night, the dogs get to sleep beside Kate, just as she'd hoped.The end of her bed is no longer a lonely place, and Graham concludes the story with a touching observation:
Kate puts her head on Rosy's stomach. She hears angry gurgles, squeaks and plops,
Lonely corkscrew sounds,
And the pump, pump, pump
Of Rosy's heart, like a big hollow engine room.
And I’ve just this second noticed: Rosy has a protective paw on each of her small companion’s heads.
Simply beautiful.
From Let's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001) | Illustration © 2001 by Bob Graham | Used by permission of the publisher
I like it when Ed the cat sleeps on my bed at night.Curled up against my legs, his presence is comforting. His squeaky snores are soft and steady. As Graham writes about Rosy and Dave - '[t]heir weight is comfortable and reliable, and will stop Kate's bed floating away into the night.'
So here’s to the reassuring presence of our furry friends - and Rescue Centres everywhere.
STORIES WORTH SHARING: Let's Get a Pup! by Bob GrahamGood to Read because:
The pierced and tattooed parents add a touch of diversity to your bookshelf!
It's great fun to read-aloud
There are plenty of detailed illustrations to pour over
It's a realistic portrayal of chaotic family life!
It's a heartwarming story that helps develops empathy in your child.
It contains a more profound meaning about the value of older people.
It's a fitting tribute to the work of Rescue Centres
Good to Read
Picture books featuring adorable dogs
The Trouble with Dogs by Bob Graham (a follow-up to Let's Get a Pup!)
Dogs by Emily Gravett
Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton
Can't You Sleep, Dotty? by Tim Warnes
BUY THE BOOK
From Let's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001) | Illustration © 2001 by Bob Graham | Used by permission of the publisher
‘[Graham] makes the reader want to rush down to the local dog pound and adopt the lot.’
- Children’s Book Daily‘an engaging .. story, one which emphasizes the joys of canine companionship, and the importance of compassion’
- Good Reads buy us* I earn commission from the link above #ADSOURCESLet's Get a Pup! by Bob Graham (Walker Books 2001) Biography of Bob Graham (Encyclopedia.com 11 June 2018) Review of ‘Let’s Get a Pup ’ (Children’s books daily, 20 may 2013)The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (Second Edition) by Daniel Hahn (Oxford University Press 2015) © 2021 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)**** USE OF THIRD-PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.April 9, 2021
Tad: An anti-hero to encourage your kids
Tad by Benji Davies (HarperCollins 2109) | Illustration © 2019 by Benji Davies
Half of childhood with my face pressed against fish tanks paid off.— Benji DaviesMy Story Worth Sharing this week is Tad by the amazingly talented picture book creator Benji Davies (HarperCollins 2019).
I’ve narrowly missed meeting Benji Davies twice now.
The first was at the prize giving of Oscar’s First Book Prize in 2014. (My book, DANGEROUS! was a finalist.) It was a schmoozy to-do, (not my favourite kind of event), and I was there with the family and publishers; so I didn’t get to introduce myself. Davies won the prize with his splendid picture book, The Storm Whale - winning it a second time in 2020 with Tad.
Tad began life as a sketch of a frog - sitting on a leaf, staring at the moon. Davies had a go at writing a story around it, but it wasn’t coming together. So he put it on the back burner. “I thought that may be one day in the future, I would come up with a story for the frog,” said Davies.
Many years later, he had another go - and again put the idea aside. I liken this process to the germination of a seed - nurturing and allowing the idea time to form itself and grow a little. More years passed. Then one day, Davies sketched a little tadpole in a pond, peeking up above the water. “I put next to it: Tad was a frog. Well, that’s not quite true. He was almost a frog. And that seemed to be like the beginning of a story - it was an introduction to a character.”
Davies’ patience had paid off.
He wastes no time immersing his readers into Tad’s underwater life. Using a limited palette of deep greens, teal blue and black (which lends a certain frisson of danger), Davies takes us immediately into the secret world beneath the surface of the pond. Through a jungle of weed inhabited by pond snails, we see a great big helping of frog spawn.
At the time, Davies was considering how young children use picture books - in his words, “as a kind of roadmap” - to navigate life: their emotions, their feelings, their experiences.
“Picture books can … help show the way. When you’re very small, and the world is very big, there’s so much to learn and so much to notice - and there are also things to fear, I suppose, as well.”
- Benji Davies
Poor little Tad.
Differentiated from the other tadpoles by her huge, yellow eyes, she is ‘[s]maller than her tadbrothers. Smaller than her tadsisters.’ Meaning she’s always lagging behind.
All the same, Tad is learning and growing.
This makes her an easily relatable character: At some point, there’s always someone ahead of you. (If not an older sibling, then a classmate.)
Tad’s story is about being young and small and wanting to grow up, needing to grow up, and trusting that will happen even when it feels like you are always being left behind.
- Benji Davies
Like your own children, Tad is on a journey of self-discovery.
No matter how fast she wiggles her tail, Tad barely manages to keep up. Which (as Attenborough fans will testify) is a problem.
A Big Problem!
Because hidden in the pond’s depths, cloaked in hearsay and intrigue (like an underwater myth) lives every tadpole’s nightmare - the legendary Big Blub!
‘Big Blub, they said, was a great, big, nasty, fish..’
And he’s reputed to feed on little tadpoles.
Davies takes a universal fear - someone bigger is out to get you - and provides just enough eye-popping intrigue to keep kids on the edge of their seats.
[Big Blub] would wait till the sun went in, till all the pond was grey, then he would glide out from the dark patches and…
GULP!
No, no - Tad did NOT want to know.
She decided to not believe in Big Blub.
The tadpoles grow limbs; their tails get smaller. The excitement builds as they swoosh-wiggle-swish in the shallow water.
Until finally -
“We’ve lost our tails! We’ve lost our tails!” they cheered.
All except for Tad.
As the days pass, the number of tadsiblings dwindles.
10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6
Each night Tad counted her tadbrothers and tadsisters.
5 - 4 - 3
Where have they all gone?
She didn’t like to think.
Tad by Benji Davies (HarperCollins 2109) | Illustration © 2019 by Benji Davies
Soon, Tad is the only one left.
Uh-oh.
In the blackness, a trail of bubbles rises from the depths. Tad’s bright yellow eye peeps out from her hiding place.
With a perfectly timed page turn, Big Blub suddenly appears! Tad swims for her life - ‘faster than she had ever swum before… up … and up… and up and up.’
Tad by Benji Davies (HarperCollins 2109) | Illustration © 2019 by Benji Davies
‘The slow suspense, tapping into young children’s fear of abandonment, builds masterfully’, notes Kirkus Review. And Tad escapes to safety - now a fully-formed froglet.
And guess who she finds waiting for her on the other side?
My path crossed with Benji Davies’s two years later, at the Edinburgh Book Festival.We were presenting on the same day, at the same time. I didn’t realise until later (we’d even been in the hospitality tent together). At the time, I was suffering badly from depression, so it’s doubtful I’d have introduced myself anyway. Maybe one day I’ll be third-time lucky. If I do, I hope I get to see inside one of Davies’ sketchbooks and find out what’s on the back burner. Because with his track record, it’s sure to be good…
Tad by Benji Davies (HarperCollins 2109) | Illustration © 2019 by Benji Davies
STORIES WORTH SHARING: Tad by Benji Davies
Good to Read because:
It features a female protagonist.
It’s beautifully paced.
There’s just enough tension to make it thrilling for young kids.
The atmospheric illustration is scrumptious!
It’s a great introduction to the life cycle of frogs.
All kids will relate to Tad, the anti-hero.
It will inspire you to get out and go pond-dipping!
Good to Read
Picture books featuring fun frogs!
The Dark, Dark Night by M Christina Butler, ill. By Jane Chapman
Tad by Benji Davies
Oi, Frog! by Kes Gray, ill. by Jim Field
Sir Lilypad by Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Two Frogs by Chris Wormell
Buy the book
Tad by Benji Davies (HarperCollins 2109) | Illustration © 2019 by Benji Davies
‘One of the cutest tadpole-to-frog stories ever.’
- Kirkus Reviews"Saturated with colour and steeped in the fear and excitement of growing up."
- The Guardian, Best New Picture Books roundup Buy US Buy UK* I earn commission from these links #AD SourcesBenji Davies on Instagram: @benjidavies Oscar's Book Prize Shortlist: Benji Davies reading Tad (yOUTUBE.CO MAY 19 2020)High Quality Children's Books: A blog about Tad by Benji Davies - Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (clpe.org oct 7 2019) One of the cutest tadpoles ever (kirkus reviews june 9 2020)© 2020 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)**** USE OF THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.April 2, 2021
Jesus Loves Me!
From Jesus Loves Me! by Tim Warnes (Simon & Schuster 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Tim Warnes
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.— Psalm 68:19It’s Good Friday - the day Christians remember the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus.
Through his death - and resurrection on Easter Sunday - we are redeemed.
He paid the debt for sin with His own life.
Despite my failings, my Christian faith is central to who I am. My belief defines the projects I work on. So while the vast majority of books I’ve illustrated are not specifically Christian, they do model attributes synonymous with being a follower of Jesus: kindness, generosity, love, forgiveness.
Many years ago, I was offered the challenge of illustrating the traditional children’s hymn, Jesus Loves Me! It was an excellent opportunity to express my faith through the gift God’s given me, and I jumped at the chance.
The words to the song serve as the text for the book. But the narrative - depicting the daily activities of a family of anthropomorphic bears - is told chiefly through my art. (Which poses the question: What makes an author?)
Jesus Loves Me! opens with Little Bear snuggled up in bed while Mama reads Bible stories to him.
From Jesus Loves Me! by Tim Warnes (Simon & Schuster 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Tim Warnes
Their world is cosy and nostalgic. It has an old-time feel to it, inspired in part by the Shakers (whose ‘guiding principles of simplicity, utility and honesty seemed to fit my bears). The bears’ furniture reflects the minimalist design of Shaker furniture. Other Shaker elements include the bear’s brooms, baskets, and the checked blanket, which hangs on the wall behind the little bear’s Shaker bed. I saw that in a reference book and decided to include it - I liked the graphic element (one of those chance inclusions that I’d never have come up with myself).
I also found inspiration in my own life. The hens are the same little flock that we had. (Lavender Pekin bantams - the white one, Snowy, being the odd one out.)
From Jesus Loves Me! by Tim Warnes (Simon & Schuster 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Tim Warnes
Little Bear’s rainbow was painted by a five-year-old Noah. Papa Bear wears a favourite old hat of mine, complete with one of Snowy’s feathers.
But I’ve never played a fiddle - that detail was inspired by Pa Ingles from the Little House series (and reflects my love of bluegrass music). (Interestingly, in my original sketches, Papa Bear plays the banjo - the instrument I now play!)
From Jesus Loves Me! by Tim Warnes (Simon & Schuster 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Tim Warnes
Development work from Jesus Loves Me! | © 2006 by Tim Warnes
‘The general theme of love and caring for others is always apparent,’ noted Kirkus Review, ‘even [when] the words of the song aren’t directly related to the bears’ activities’. And what a busy day they have - from everyday domestic activities like sweeping and gardening to boulder hopping along a woodland stream. Finally, the day draws to a close - and the book comes full-circle: after toasting marshmallows over a campfire, the bears head home, where Little Bear is tucked back into bed.
Here’s a review of Jesus Loves Me! from Saskatoon Public Library’s website:
This book is so cute that I seriously want to dislike it, but I’m afraid I’m completely charmed.
I’m going soft in my old age.
- Adge73 (LibraryThing)
From Jesus Loves Me! by Tim Warnes (Simon & Schuster 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Tim Warnes
Sure - my illustrations may be sentimental. But they are sincere.
And as the Christian blog Aslan’s Library notes, the book’s simple text holds a profound truth:
I’ve sometimes been tempted to label this song as overly sentimental or flippant, but I’ve decided that those critical inclinations are completely wrong. After all, what is the basic building block of what a very young child needs to know about God? He needs to know that He loves him, welcomes him, and is with him each day – which is precisely the message of Jesus Loves Me.
- Aslan’s Library
The reviewer also notes:
The images bring to mind Deuteronomy 6 and the commandment to talk about God with children wherever you go, whatever you do.
I was pleased to read this, as I hadn’t considered that before. I’d add (for anyone who doesn’t share the Christian faith) that the book also supports more universal themes of mindfulness, generosity and love for your neighbour.
I’m aware that some adults who don’t identify will be put off even picking up this book because of the message. Which is a great shame. Those bears model a day in the life of a loving, supportive family:
Industrious and creative.
Encouraging and generous. (After painting Easter eggs, Little Bear presents them to his smaller animal friends.)
Thoughtful and mindful. (There’s a lovely image of Papa Bear smiling up at the grey sky as rain begins to fall, with Mama waving a mug of something hot for him from inside.)
From Jesus Loves Me! by Tim Warnes (Simon & Schuster 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Tim Warnes
It’s fifteen years since Jesus Loves Me! was first published.It still sells well (and I’m still proud of my illustrations). But revisiting it is bittersweet to me now.
Yes, the profound, unassailable truth of its message - that Jesus loves me - is lodged way deeper and sits more comfortably than ever before.
And I thank God for that.
But the years go by, and life has moved on: Little Bear #1 has grown up (he was followed by adorable Little Bear #2), and Papa and Mama Bear are no longer together. So as I look at the book now, I see fragments and highlights of happy days and precious memories stitched into the narrative. Despite the many autobiographical elements, the idyllic, pictorial celebration of family life is simply a piece of fiction.
Thanks to the grace of God, our stories continue.
May we all live happily ever after.
STORIES WORTH SHARING: Jesus Loves Me! by Tim WarnesGood to Read because:
Reading the narrative through the pictures will develop your child’s visual literacy
Teaches kindness and generosity
‘The general theme of love and caring for others is always apparent’ - Kirkus Review
Multi-panelled pages provide plenty of discussion points
BUY THE BOOK Jesus Loves Me! is available in hardback, board book and e-book editions
‘The bears have a cuddly, friendly demeanor that’s sure to endear them to a wide range of readers’
- Publishers Weekly ‘[T]his book will make you want to give an extra snuggle to the little people you love.’ - Aslan’s Library BUY US* #AD I EARN COMMISSION FROM THIS LINK SourcesScripture quotation taken from the Holy Bible (NIV)Jesus Loves Me! by Tim Warnes (Simon & Schuster 2006)Wikipedia: Shaker FurnitureKirkus Reviews: Jesus Loves Me!Saskatoon Public LibraryAslan’s Library© 2020 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)**** USE OF THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.March 26, 2021
King of the Sky
From King of the Sky by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin (Walker Books 2017) | Illustration © 2017 by Laura Carlin
A good picture book can carry as much in it as a great novel.— Nicola Davies I have recently moved to a town by the sea.
I’m enjoying exploring the area and becoming acquainted with the local birdlife. As expected, there are various gulls and shorebirds - like oystercatchers and turnstones, egrets and curlews. And I’ve had some enviable encounters with one of my favourite birds of all: Ravens.
But there’s another, often overlooked urban resident of the feathered kind that never fails to thrill me when it passes overhead in tight formation - the humble pigeon.
Not those fat, swaggering woodpigeons that I left behind in the Dorset fields. Instead, swirling flocks of feral pigeons, performing aerobatics over the rooftops below my balcony.
I think some of them are homing pigeons. Regardless, I’ve watched a sparrowhawk attempt to help itself. (It missed.) Pigeons make my heart sing - and reminded me of a poignant picture book, the award-winning King of the Sky by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin (Walker Books 2017).
King of the Sky is a multi-faceted book. Like Town is by the Sea, it’s the story of a boy in a mining town. Unlike the protagonist in Town, the narrator of King of the Sky did not grow up in the mining town. He’s from a migrant family, starting a new life in a Wales in the 1920’s - leaving their Italian home far behind.
He’s a total outsider.
Davies uses poetic language to tell her story, which makes it a treat to read aloud. She ‘considers the strangeness of new places, especially their smells, and the simple acts that can make us feel part of a new community.’
It rained and rained and rained.
Little houses huddled on the humpbacked hills.
Chimneys smoked and metal towers clanked.
The streets smelled of mutton soup and coal dust
And no one spoke my language.
All of it told me this is not where you belong.
Just one thing reminds the boy of home - the racing pigeons belonging to his neighbour, Mr Evans (a retired miner).
There’s a gorgeous illustration of the boy crouched down, surrounded by pigeons (dreaming of his home back in Rome). Using warm pencil outlines, Carlin captures the boy’s thoughts - of sunlight, fountains and St. Peter’s Square in Rome - with a light touch.
From King of the Sky by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin (Walker Books 2017) | Illustration © 2017 by Laura Carlin
In this way, the imagery doesn’t overpower the Welsh street’s reality, which feels heavy, solid and concrete. “I’m trying to sort of match them up, as opposed to outweigh one another,” explains Carlin in an interview.
Later, the same device is used to separate the past from the present when Mr Carlin describes the boy’s pigeon as a hero, likening it to the messenger pigeons of WW1.
When we first see Mr Evans, he is separated from the boy by the book’s gutter.
I stood beside [Mr Evans] and watched
As his pigeons soared above the chimneys and the towers,
Up to where the sky stretched all the way to Italy.
Over the following spreads, the two characters become physically closer, symbolising their growing friendships as they bond over the racing pigeons.
The birds link the boy with home - a connection that deepens when the old man gives him a pigeon to hold.
I felt its small heart racing underneath my finger,
And the push and power of its wings.
It’s head was whiter than a splash of milk, its eyes blazed with fire.
“Name him and he’s yours,” the old man said.
Their friendship is cemented - and the bird is christened Re del Cielo (King of the Sky).
Together, the boy and Mr Evans train Re del Cielo and the rest of the flock by sending them to stations up the rail line - a little further every time.
“They don’t need a map like we do,” Mr Evans told me.
“They’re born knowing how to find their way. All they want is a bit of practice.”
Eventually, Mr Evans decides that the boy’s bird is ready for the ultimate race: ‘King of the Sky would go to Rome by train, then race back a thousand miles and more!’
Illustrator Carlin depicts the boy’s long, agonising wait for his bird to return from Rome by using repeated imagery - the boy sat at his window. These are interspersed with wordless spreads depicting the bird’s journey home: clattering from its basket at St. Peter’s Square, past the gelateria, over the Alps and finally back across the moonlit sea.
I admire Carlin’s work enormously. Her illustrations are naive and have a child-like quality (which ironically makes them rather sophisticated). They are reminiscent of Lowry and the Cornish Primitive, Alfred Wallis.
From King of the Sky by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin (Walker Books 2017) | Illustration © 2017 by Laura Carlin
Two Steamers in St. Ive’s Bay by Alfred Wallis | From Alfred Wallis: Cornish Primitive by Edwin Mullins (Pavilion 1994)
The boy’s special pigeon finally makes it safely home:
[I] squinted up into the clouds.
A speck… A blob…. A bird.
A pigeon with a milk-white head,
A hero and a champion!
King of the Sky!
The ending (though quiet and calming) is uplifting and left me with a deep sense of connection.
Connection between the boy and Mr Evans.
The connection between the boy and his bird, resting in his arms.
The connection between distant countries (borderless to a bird) linked by the big, open sky.
And finally a sense of belonging, as the boy realises that he is home.
Because home is where the heart is.
Perhaps you’re wondering where all the fluffy bunnies and bears are in this week’s Good to Read recommendation?I hear you - I also invite you to expand your understanding of what a picture book can be (and who they are for). King of the Sky will resonate with anyone feeling excluded or out of place. It will expand your child's understanding of the world, and promote deeper thoughts about the meaning of home, friendships and belonging.
As Davies herself explains:
I feel very strongly that there is no issue which cannot be presented in a picture book. Children are enormously emotionally aware and sophisticated, even if they don’t have the ability to articulate their feelings. To a certain extent, I feel it is my job as a writer TO articulate the feelings and experiences that children - well, people in general really - don’t have the ability to express. Both The Promise and King of the Sky work well with the very young and adults. That is the power and wonder of a picture book - they can tell universal truths to universal audiences.
- The Author at Foyles: An interview with Nicola Davies and Laura Carlin
STORIES WORTH SHARING: King of the Sky by Nicola Davies & Laura Carlin
Good to Read because:
It’s a powerful story about the meaning of home - chosen by Amnesty UK for its positive representation of human migration.
It will encourage and reassure children struggling to fit in - from those feeling worried about starting a new school to refugees from another country, making a new life in a strange place.
It invites curiosity.
It expands children's knowledge of the world - use it to explore immigration, maps, bird migration, mining, WW1...
It develops empathy in your child.
Shortlisted for the Greenaway Medal
Good to Read
Picture Books exploring the themes of Home and Belonging
The Day War Came by Nicolas Davies & Rebecca Cobb
The Snow Lion by Jim Helmore & Richard Jones
Toot & Puddle by Holly Hobbie
Lost & Found by Oliver Jeffers
The Suitcase by Christian Naylor-Ballesteros
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith
BUY THE BOOK‘[This] sensitive, uplifting tale about find your place in a new strange new land could just as well be about a refugee as it could any child moving to a new town.’
- The Times * Children’s Book of the Week BUY UK buy us* I EARN COMMISSION FROM THESE LINKS #AD
SOURCESKing of the Sky by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin (Walker Books 2017)
Nicola Davis & Laura Carlin - Authors at Foyles
(Foyles)
Laura Carlin talks about King of the Sky
(Vimeo, 2018)
King of the Sky
(Booktrust)Alfred Wallis: Cornish Primitive by Edwin Mullins (Pavilion 1994)
Nichola Davis - Children’s Author
(Nicola-davis.com)© 2020 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****
USE OF THIRD-PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.
March 19, 2021
Sir Lilypad the Green (bravest frog I’ve ever seen)
Sir Lilypad by Anna Kemp and Sarah Ogilvie (Simon & Schuster 2015) | Text © 2015 by Anna Kemp | Illustration © 2015 by Sarah Ogilvie
It’s not easy being green.— Kermit the FrogMany years back, BG (Before the Gruffalo) rhyming picture books (in the UK, at least) were hard to find.
The reason? Publishers - seeking to maximise their investment - sell their books to as many foreign co-publishers as will take them. And good rhyme is lost in translation.
But then along came Julia Donaldson and the glorious Gruffalo (not to mention the hugely successful Bear books by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman). And all of a sudden, rhyming stories are most acceptable - in vogue, even.
Rhymes are a great way to develop speech in your children - hence all those traditional nursery rhymes. And publishers (keen to jump on the Gruffalo-shaped bandwagon/money-making machine) have recently flooded the picture book market with rhyming stories. This proliferation has inevitably resulted in some rather forced - and tedious - stories. So discovering one that works on every level is a refreshing find! Enter Sir Lilypad by Anna Kemp and Sarah Ogilvie (Simon & Schuster 2015).
Sir Lilypad - a tall tale of a small frog - does what it says on the tin. A follow-up to The Worst Princess (which I confess to not having read), it works splendidly as a stand-alone title.
The story is a play on traditional fairy tales and conquering adventurer stories. And as with all good fairy tales, it begins Once upon a time:
Once upon a time, in a deep dark bog,
Lived a teeny-tiny speckled frog.
‘Not much bigger than a pea’, Little Tad (or as he prefers to be known, Sir Lilypad) is dwarfed by his bullish brothers. Tad dreams of becoming big and tall and strong like them. Meanwhile, he assumes an alter-ego:
Sir Lilypad the brave and wise! Slayer of the dragonflies.
Sir Lilypad by Anna Kemp and Sarah Ogilvie (Simon & Schuster 2015) | Text © 2015 by Anna Kemp | Illustration © 2015 by Sarah Ogilvie
I love the image of him, astride a leaping koi carp, resplendent and orange. (Turn the page, and you discover it was just a big leaf all along.)
One night, Sir Lily finds hope and inspiration in the pages of his bedtime book:
Then, one night, tucked in his nook
He read the most terrific book!
Frog to prince with one small kiss
From a grateful royal miss.
Sir Lilypad by Anna Kemp and Sarah Ogilvie (Simon & Schuster 2015) | Text © 2015 by Anna Kemp | Illustration © 2015 by Sarah Ogilvie
Ogilvie’s illustration is playful. A cross-sectional image of Sir Lily’s damp abode (lit by a firefly lamp) the scene adds to the written narrative. Tucked under a leaf, sword by his side (with dripping chain mail pants hung out to dry), our wannabe hero reads:
Frog + kissy lips = heroic knight!
The solution to every froglet’s problems, right?
“If I could save a princess true,
I’d surely grow a foot or two!”
Feeling tough and brave, the diminutive Sir Lilypad hops off in search of a princess to rescue. He encounters a playful mash-up of characters, including an ogre (vast and green, complete with string vest) and a snoring witch.
But no sign of a princess.
Poor Sir Lily begins to feel defeated:
His sandwiches were getting soggy.
Oh, what a wretched little froggy!
Sir Lilypad by Anna Kemp and Sarah Ogilvie (Simon & Schuster 2015) | Illustration © 2015 by Sarah Ogilvie
Just in the nick of time, Sir Lily glimpses flowing hair, sparkling eyes and cherry lips - his damsel in distress! Well, not so much distressed (or even in need of rescuing). With yellow baseball boots and ‘a broadsword slung around the hips’, this spunky princess is out picnicking with a dragon.
Sir Lilypad by Anna Kemp and Sarah Ogilvie (Simon & Schuster 2015) | Text © 2015 by Anna Kemp | Illustration © 2015 by Sarah Ogilvie
Unperturbed, Sir Lily comes to the rescue:
“Release that maiden fair!” he roared.
Then poked him with his wooden sword.
“I say,” said Dragon. “Do you mind?
It’s rude to creep up from behind.”
Brilliant!
The friendly Princess brings things bang up to date. She’s sassy and - as she points out - doesn’t require a noble knight! In a nod to The Worst Princess, she brags, “Have you seen me in a fight?”
Sir Lilypad is crestfallen. He drops to his froggy knees in a suitably dramatic turn and wails,
“But now I’ll be forever small!
And not a proper knight at all.
The other frogs will call me stuff
Like weedy-pants and sugar-puff.
I’ll always just be tiny Tad
And never Brave Sir Lilypad!”
Sir Lilypad by Anna Kemp and Sarah Ogilvie (Simon & Schuster 2015) | Text © 2015 by Anna Kemp | Illustration © 2015 by Sarah Ogilvie
This adventure of Tad’s - this quest - was never about the fair maiden. It was about his self-esteem. He was unable to accept unchangeable facts about himself. He may be small, but there’s no denying his bravery. As Princess quite rightly points out: Froglets can be heroes too.
And what a froglet he is! Ogilvie’s depictions of him are so energetic and expressive - from his swashbuckling poses down to his moments of despair.
In the time-honoured tradition of fairy tales - they all live happily ever after. Sir Lilypad is subsequently knighted, Sir Lilypad the Green! (“Bravest frog we’ve ever seen!”) and joins their motley crew.
Sir Lily cuts bullies down to size and stands up for the little guys. He forgets ‘his under-average height.’ Which, my friends, is reason enough to celebrate this picture book. It teaches the valuable lesson of accepting the things that cannot be changed and rising to the challenge of being the hero in our own stories.
And maybe, just maybe, we, too, will get to poke some baddies on the way!
Sir Lilypad by Anna Kemp and Sarah Ogilvie (Simon & Schuster 2015) | Illustration © 2015 by Sarah Ogilvie
STORIES WORTH SHARING: Sir Lilypad by Anna kemp and Sarah Ogilvie
Good to Read because:
It’s funny!
It depicts a strong, female protagonist.
Kids will be enchanted by - and relate to - the adorable froggy hero!
Sir Lily will boost your child’s confidence (and encourage them to dream big!).
There’s loads of incidental details to enjoy in the illustrations (e.g. The ogre’s sinister-looking venus fly trap plant)
It’s a great example of how traditional tales can be mashed up.
Sequential panels support visual literacy.
It’s a great one to read-aloud!
Good to ReadInspiring books with tiny heroes
The Storm Whale by Benji Davies
Stick Man by Julia Donaldson, ill. by Axel Scheffler
Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen, ill. by Kevin Waldron
Lavender by Posy Simmonds
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
For older children
Little Wolf’s Book of Badness by Ian Whybrow, ill. by Tony Ross
Charlotte’s Web by EB White, ill. by Garth Williams
BUY THE BOOK‘ Sir Lilypad is adorable. Faultless family fun.’
- BookTrust‘Sparky [and] funny’
- Love Reading 4 Kids Buy UK* #AD i earn commission from this link
SOURCESSir Lilypad by Anna Kemp, ill. by Sarah Ogilvie (Simon & Schuster 2015)
© 2020 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)**** USE OF THIRD-PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE. March 12, 2021
Town Is by the Sea
From Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Groundwood Books 2017) | Illustration © 2017 by Sydney Smith
I have just moved to Weymouth, on the Dorset coast. From my house, I can see the sea.For the first few days, the view out over Portland and its harbour was bright and sparkly. It reminded me of the cover of Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Groundwood Books 2017).
From my house, I can see the sea is the opening line of this 'beautiful and haunting story of life in a seaside mining town' in Nova Scotia during the early 1900s. Life as seen through the eyes of the narrator - a young boy:
My father is a miner and he works under the sea, deep down in the coal mines.
The boy describes how the first thing he sees each morning when he looks out his window is the sea -
And I know my father is already deep down under that sea, digging for coal.
It was a hard life. And it's lines like that (with its accompanying illustration of two miners hunched beneath a black mass of rock) that led the New York Times to describe the book as 'quietly devastating.'
From Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Groundwood Books 2017) | Illustration © 2017 by Sydney Smith
Yet there is warmth and beauty to be found, too. The Horn Book Review noted that '[t]here's a distilled, haiku-like quality' to the poetic voice of the boy as he describes his day:
First I hear the seagulls, then I hear a dog barking, a car goes by on the shore road, someone slams a door and shouts good morning.
And, along the road, Lupins and Queen Anne's Lace rustle in the wind.
Schwartz was recognised with the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award for her writing in Town. Smith, meanwhile, won the Greenaway Medal for the illustrations. Bold and graphic, yet painterly and atmospheric, they are drawn with a black brush pen and coloured with watercolour. It's a great technique! They remind me of the illustrator Salvatore Rubbino and Bill Watterson's covers for the Calvin and Hobbes collections.
(One illustration, in particular - of miners arriving for work - has a feeling of Lowry about it.)
From Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Groundwood Books 2017) | Illustration © 2017 by Sydney Smith
Town Is by the Sea is the perfect collaboration between writer and illustrator. Words and pictures work in harmony to support each other. Smith uses sequential panels (a graphic novel device) to describe movement and provide extra information. And with the use of wordless images, Smith adds pauses in the reading of the text.
"Illustrations can control how the story is read," explains Smith, "and can add weight to words or flip them upside down. There's a lot of power there."
From Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Groundwood Books 2017) | Illustration © 2017 by Sydney Smith
Smith's illustrations dramatically show the contrast between the sparkling sea above and the underground mine's oppressive darkness. As the Horn Book notes, ‘The sea is made of light, the mine of darkness; and home is a mixture.’ Without a doubt, the story has a sense of pathos, particularly the final few spreads as we witness the boy's bedtime routine and hear his poignant acceptance of his future. ‘It goes like this’:
As I fall asleep I can hear the whooshing back and forth of the waves. I think about the sea, and I think about my father.
I think about the bright days of summer and the dark tunnels underground.
One day, it will be my turn.
I'm a miner's son.
In my town, that's the way it goes.
Yes - Town is at times' quietly devastating.' But it accurately recollects life in a mining community and warmly celebrates families and the love that unites them.
From Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Groundwood Books 2017) | Illustration © 2017 by Sydney Smith
It's a week after moving day now.The weather has changed dramatically - in the last 24 hours, there have been torrential rain and gale-force winds battering my apartment.
I love it!
(And yeah - Smith captures the seaside squalls - and sparkling night lights - with equal panache, too.)
From Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Groundwood Books 2017) | Illustration © 2017 by Sydney Smith
STORIES WORTH SHARING: Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz & Sydney SmithGood to Read because:
It supports visual literacy by introducing children to sequential panels that require interpreting and supply additional information.
It supports diversity by presenting a unique - often overlooked -community.
It encourages empathy and promotes discussion. For example:
How might you feel if your daddy worked in a mine under the sea?
Does he miss the sunshine?
Schwartz's beautiful prose will expand your child's vocabulary.
Good to Read
Books set beside the seaside
Storm Whale by Benji Davies
The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Sally and the Limpet by Simon James
The Secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton
Cover of Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Groundwood Books 2017) | Illustration © 2017 by Sydney Smith
‘This is a beautiful book and would make a perfect book for boys to read with their fathers’
- Good Reads buy us Buy UKSOURCESTown Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Groundwood Books 2017) An Interview with Sydney Smith (Art of the Picture Book, September 3 2019) Review of ‘Town is by the Sea’ (The Horn Book Inc. April 3 2017)© 2020 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)**** USE OF THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.
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