Ruth Ellen Parlour's Blog, page 3

Value Kid’s Books – The Crow’s Tale & The Bear and the Piano

I picked both of these paperbacks up from Waterstones for £6.99 each.

The Crow's Tale">The Crow’s Tale by Naomi Howarth.

The beautiful vibrant colour attracted my eye immediately. The story is completely intriguing with a fable feel. At first I thought it was a retelling of the Icarus fable but the twist at the end was a pleasant surprise. All the animals are freezing cold and the crow volunteers to take a branch to the sun to bring fire back. The crow gets too close to the sun, scorching his feather’s black, and soot makes his throat croaky. The message of the story is about inner beauty told in a very sympathetic way. A beautiful treasure of a book, Howarth is a true artist and I look forward to seeing what she does next.

The Bear and the Piano.

The cover once again intrigued me and I was attracted to the textural images inside. The story feels long for a picture book which is extra value for money. A magical element to this story wraps all the elements into an entertaining package. A woodland bear learns to play the piano. Leaving his home he performs in the city. Missing his home, the bear returns to see his family. It is a book about family and where you came from. It is easy to get lost in the woodland illustrations. A true beauty.

Best New Children’s Picture Books Winter/Spring 2016

I’ve been doing a lot of research into popular children’s fiction and here’s a collection of awesome books that I want to get my mits on! You can follow my pinterest board for even more new kids books.

The Bear and the Piano" target="_blank">The Bear and the Piano – April 5, 2016

by David Litchfield

One day, a bear cub finds something strange and wonderful in the forest. When he touches the keys, they make a horrible noise. Yet he is drawn back again and again. Eventually, he learns to play beautiful sounds, delighting his woodland friends.

Then the bear is invited to share his sounds with new friends in the city. He longs to explore the world beyond his home, and to play bigger and better than before. But he knows that if he leaves, the other bears will be very sad . . .

This gorgeously illustrated tale of following one’s dreams reminds us of the value of friendship, wherever we go.

Pax">Pax" target="_blank">Pax – February 2, 2016

by Sara Pennypacker

Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day, the unimaginable happens: Peter’s dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild.

At his grandfather’s house, three hundred miles away from home, Peter knows he isn’t where he should be—with Pax. He strikes out on his own despite the encroaching war, spurred by love, loyalty, and grief, to be reunited with his fox.

Meanwhile Pax, steadfastly waiting for his boy, embarks on adventures and discoveries of his own. . .

Maya" target="_blank">Maya – April 15, 2016

by Mahak Jain (Author), Elly MacKay (Illustrator)

The electricity in Maya’s house has gone out again. Worse, she is afraid of the dark — and her fear has been even worse since her father died. Now it feels as if the darkness will never go away. Elly MacKay mixes miniature-paper-theater art with spellbinding shadow puppetry to play with darkness and light, giving Maya’s real, fantasy, and story-within-a-story worlds unique treatment—and making Maya’s world come alive on the page.

The Wild Robot">The Wild Robot" target="_blank">The Wild Robot – April 5, 2016

by Peter Brown

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Why is she there? Where did she come from? And, most important, how will she survive in her harsh surroundings? Roz’s only hope is to learn from the island’s hostile animal inhabitants. When she tries to care for an orphaned gosling, the other animals finally decide to help, and the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her….

Heartwarming and full of action, Peter Brown’s middle-grade debut raises thought-provoking questions about the environment, the role technology plays in our world, and what it means to be alive.

The Night Gardener">The Night Gardener" target="_blank">The Night Gardener – 16 Feb 2016

by Terry Fan

One day, William discovers that the tree outside his window has been sculpted into a wise owl. In the following days, more topiaries appear, and each one is more beautiful than the last. Soon, William’s gray little town is full of color and life. And though the mysterious night gardener disappears as suddenly as he appeared, William—and his town—are changed forever.

With breathtaking illustrations and spare, sweet text, this masterpiece about enjoying the beauty of nature is sure to become an instant classic.

Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois" target="_blank">Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois

by Amy Novesky (Author), Isabelle Arsenault (Illustrator)

Just as spiders spin and repair their webs, Louise’s own mother was a weaver of tapestries. Louise spent her childhood in France as an apprentice to her mother before she became a tapestry artist herself. She worked with fabric throughout her career, and this biographical picture book shows how Bourgeois’s childhood experiences weaving with her loving, nurturing mother provided the inspiration for her most famous works. With a beautifully nuanced and poetic story, this book stunningly captures the relationship between mother and daughter and illuminates how memories are woven into us all.

ABC Dream">ABC Dream" target="_blank">ABC Dream – January 19, 2016

by Kim Krans

This stunning and innovative alphabet picture book will dazzle little ones and engage the adults who share it with them! Each page is dedicated to a letter, and clever alliterations are packed into each ink-and-watercolor spread. This gem comes to us from Kim Krans, the creator of The Wild Unknown—a lifestyle website offering prints, calendars, and more.

Lionheart">Lionheart" target="_blank">Lionheart – February 23, 2016

by Richard Collingridge

Richard hears something in his room before bedtime. Is it a monster? He doesn’t wait to find out and sets off running through the streets, over the hills, through the forest, and into the fields until he finds himself in a magical jungle. With the help of his stuffed lion Lionheart, Richard finds the courage he needs to face his fears.

My Old Pal, Oscar" target="_blank">My Old Pal, Oscar – May 3, 2016

by Amy Hest (Author), Amy Bates (Illustrator)

After a young boy’s beloved pet passes away, he encounters an adorable stray dog on the beach. The boy tries to walk away and ignore the cuddly creature, but the puppy continues to follow him, undeterred. Though the boy is still dealing with the pain of his loss and feels afraid to care about a new pet again, as the two walk the sand together, the boy slowly opens himself up to the joy of having a new dog in his life and making peace with the past.

Ida, Always">Ida, Always" target="_blank">Ida, Always – February 23, 2016

by Caron Levis  (Author), Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

Gus lives in a big park in the middle of an even bigger city, and he spends his days with Ida. Ida is right there. Always.

Then one sad day, Gus learns that Ida is very sick, and she isn’t going to get better. The friends help each other face the difficult news with whispers, sniffles, cuddles, and even laughs. Slowly Gus realizes that even after Ida is gone, she will still be with him—through the sounds of their city, and the memories that live in their favorite spots.

Little Cat's Luck">Little Cat's Luck" target="_blank">Little Cat’s Luck  – February 9, 2016

by Marion Dane Bauer  (Author), Jennifer A. Bell (Illustrator)

When an indoor calico cat named Patches spots a golden autumn leaf fluttering past her window, she can’t help but venture outside to chase it. But soon, Patches feels something tugging at her, telling her to find a special place—one she won’t know until she sees it. Why must she go on this search? She doesn’t know yet.

Along the way, Patches finds herself in dire circumstances, but with the help of the other neighborhood animals, she faces off against the scariest dog in town and continues on her journey to her special place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Tips for Creating a Children’s Picture Book

Just because you’re writing for kids doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy ride. On the contrary, children are some of the harshest critics. It needs as much thought and consideration as a book for adults, if not more! I’ve put together a collection of tips and thoughts from my experience of self-publishing a children’s picture book.

Story

Every story needs to have conflict, even if it’s something simple.

A basic story structure has four key parts:

Character has a need.
A problem gets in the way of that need.
Problem gets worse.
Resolution.

You don’t have to have a dramatic battle to have conflict. Something getting in the way of your character’s need is a conflict, whether that need is something as simple as sleep, or food.

Have a likeable character. You’re not going to have a huge character arc in a 32 page picture book of less than 500 words. Give at least one endearing trait to your character to make kids like them.

Don’t be afraid to address issues, but you’re not trying to change the world. People like books with morals, but you don’t want to ram it down someone’s throat. A subtle message leaves a nice afterthought to the story. Themes work well also.

Be exciting. Just because you’re writing for children doesn’t mean the story has to be boring. If you can’t enjoy it as an adult, why would a child enjoy it?

Children are not stupid, so don’t talk down to them.

Have a purpose. If the story has no point then there’s no point in the story. It doesn’t have to be a world changing idea, but if the character doesn’t change somehow, then the events that took place were pointless. Make sure the ending is satisfying.

Don’t try to rhyme if you’re not good at it.

Every word matters. If you can say something using fewer words, chances are it will be better. You have to be absolutely brutal. Pretend that you’re on a sinking ship and every unnecessary word pulls you down so you have to throw them overboard.

Illustrations

Whether you’re the illustrator, or you’re hiring one, these points are vital to producing a good book.

Consider composition and colour. Variation is key. Have double page spreads but also don’t be afraid of the white space. Vary the size and layout of the images and text to create extra interest for your readers. Think of your story as a journey, not just for the imagination but for the eyes too. You can have some dark pages if you have some colourful pages. Too much colour can be overwhelming, but too much dullness can be boring. You need balance.

Don’t forget where the spine of the book is. Particularly with double spreads or full bleed images, you could lose key parts of your image in the gutter and spoil the look of your spread. When you’re laying out the illustrations remember where the middle is and compromise for this.

Images can go on every page. Take a look at traditionally published books and see how things are displayed and laid out. Even the inside of the cover has images on. The title page and copyright page can display an image, even if it’s just a small one to make the page more attractive.

Make sure your illustrator has the exact size (including bleed if it goes right to the edges.) There’s nothing worse than trying to upload your book and you realise you haven’t got the size right!

Your cover will sell your book. What picture in the interior of your book best sums up the book as a whole? Is it vibrant and eye catching? Does it intrigue the reader? Make sure the title is big enough and easy to read at a small size. The author name is not important; title and image come first.

Make the illustrations light and bright. Images on screen always look brighter than those in print. Your illustrator might have to lighten the images before sending them to print. It might be worth considering changing the image format to CYMK (which is appropriate for printing press,) whereas to view images digitally the format will be RGB.

Include details. Good images will improve your reader’s experience. Add details in the background that give extra depth to your story. If you want your books to be read multiple times, you want your readers to discover things in your book that they hadn’t noticed before. It adds value for money.

Style. What kind of look and feel do you want your book to have? How are the illustrations going to set it apart from other kid’s books? Most illustrators have their own style when drawing. Do some research to figure out what works for your story and what looks good.

Text

Think about what style and size font would be appropriate. Look at what other books are doing. A standard font is easier to be read. If the lines are spaced further apart, it is even easier to follow. It’s fine to vary the size and colours of the words if it fits in with the story, for example, a word written in bold and in red to express a  character’s anger, but don’t overuse this technique. Use it sparingly for better effect.

Spacing the text and arranging it around images can provide extra interest for your reader as they follow the words. The text and images should always complement each other.

Format

Use an industry size book to be eligible for expanded distribution. It will also sit better with other books on your reader’s bookshelf. For picture books, bigger is better to show off your illustrations.

How many pages is your book? Most POD services require a minimum of 32. Remember, the more pages, the more costly! Can you reduce the number of pages without compromising the story or images?

Publishing

Choose your POD service wisely. Consider cost, ease of use for customers, distribution and visibility. Don’t be afraid to try a few to see how the final product compares. You can always switch to another service, or use multiple services.

Look at other kid’s books.

Look at new kid’s books, look at old classics, look at bad kid’s books and figure out what makes them so bad so that you can avoid those mistakes. Look at the art style, the variation of images, the layout of text, page numbers, word count, characters, moral message and ideas expressed, story content, book size, just look at everything you can think of. When you read it ask yourself why you did or didn’t like it, what would you have preferred it to be like?

Look at what’s popular and try to figure out why it’s popular. Is it educational? Exciting? Adorable? Do adults like it? Don’t try to copy, but try to emulate elements that make something good.

Finally…

I’d love to hear any opinions you might have on the subject so feel free to comment, especially if you have any advice of your own!

Ruth Reviews: The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski

Whisper, The">Story

A little girl borrows a wonderful book from her school. When she gets home she realised there’s no words in the book. A whisper comes to the girl and says she has to make her own stories to the pictures. So the girl stays up all night on wonderful adventures through her story world.

Characters

There’s not much to the characters, the little girl enjoys reading and stories. There’s a fox and rabbit to spot on every page.

Art

The art style is what I like best about this book. It is wonderfully vibrant and built up with lots of layers giving the images depth and texture. Every page is a double spread with lots about the images that children would enjoy looking at.

Moral

There’s no moral to the story. I think the idea is for children reading the book to make up their own stories to the images. Zagarenski starts off a story and children can continue on with what they can see from the pictures. This gives an added value and it would be nice to explore the stories and pictures with parents.

Value for money

RRP: £12.99

I think the RRP is a little steep although I do love the illustrations and I like that children can make up their own stories which gives it added value. I would be happy to pay £10 or less for this book as a gift for a child.

Available on Whisper, The" target="_blank">Amazon

Age appropriateness

I think children between 4 and 7 would enjoy this book. It gives children the opportunity to be creative and explore their own ideas and stories.

My vote

4 stars. I especially like the illustrations and the extra value although I find the book is lacking in its own story.

How I rate books:

Mostly I look for:

Great images
Exciting story
Message or meaning

Five stars: Only my very favourite books get a 5 star rating

Four stars: Books that I enjoy

Three stars: Books that are okay

Two stars: Books that are pretty rubbish

One star: Books that make me mad

Ruth Reviews: The Snow Rabbit by Camille Garoche

Snow Rabbit">Story

The Snow rabbit is about the adventure of two sisters in the snowy woods. When the snow rabbit comes alive, they chase it into the forest, but the girl’s wheelchair gets stuck and it starts to get dark. The girls have to get back home. The book has no words, just double page spreads throughout.

Characters

The twin sisters are very sympathetic towards each other and seem to know how the other is feeling. The snow rabbit is well designed and caring character.

Art

The illustrations are built up using layers of cut out paper, the artist uses light and shadow to create added depth. The mood of the book stays consistent with the dark lavender tones. The artist is adept at creating living environments on paper to stunning effect.

Moral

There is no specific moral expressed in this book, but I love the close relationship between the girls. One girl is in a wheel chair and when it gets stuck in the forest the two girls stick together. The snow rabbit helps them to return home.

Value for money

RRP: £11.99

I think this is a book that can be enjoyed by children on their own as there are no words. But having no words loses the potential for reading together. However, there is the opportunity for children to create their own words to go along with the story. The Snow Rabbit is a beautiful book, one that would be treasured for a long time. I would be happy to spend around £9 for this hardback book.

Snow Rabbit" target="_blank">Available on Amazon

Age appropriateness

I think children between 4 and 6 would enjoy this book, particularly girls.

My vote

5 Stars. The images really appeal to me and I love the relationship between the girls that is expressed purely through the illustrations.

How I rate books:

Mostly I look for:

Great images
Exciting story
Message or meaning

Five stars: Only my very favourite books get a 5 star rating

Four stars: Books that I enjoy

Three stars: Books that are okay

Two stars: Books that are pretty rubbish

One star: Books that make me mad

Author Spotlight and Interview – Elly MacKay

Photo by Theatre Clouds

I am thrilled to be welcoming one of my favourite children’s picture book makers, Elly Mackay, to my blog; author and illustrator of Butterfly Park, If you Hold a Seed, Shadow Chasers, Fall Leaves; and illustrator of the new Anne of Green Gables books. You can read my review of Butterfly Park Here.

Elly lives with her two children and husband in Ontario, Canada. She found her popularity selling prints of her vibrant and whimsical paper scenes on her Etsy shop, Theatre Clouds. She is inspired by her own children, as well as playing with Victorian inventions including tunnel books, magic lanterns, stereoscopes, and paper theatres. Both her parents were craft makers and so it felt like a natural progression from her childhood growing up in an old church on the shores of Georgian Bay.

Butterfly Park">As a teen, Elly made Victorian style tunnel books, and tried to sell paper-cut-out books at a gallery.

She met her husband, a wood worker, when she was at the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design. They both struggled for a while living off odd jobs and creating art. But now they live in a “classic eclectic” 115-year old home, messy and filled with flowers.

“I have been making little paper worlds since I was a child. I use ink to make small drawings that I cut out and set up in a miniature theatre. Then I light the scene and photograph it.”

Elly kindly took the time to answer a few questions for me, and I am over the moon to be sharing her answers with you!

What are your favourite things to draw?

If I look at my sketchbooks, my drawings are usually either of landscapes or automatic. I like to see what happens. Lately I have been sketching expressions quite a bit too. My family always laughs because I can’t help but make the facial expression I am drawing.

Do you work in any other media just for fun?

I love using all sorts of materials. My kids and I love to experiment together too. We use clay, paint, oil sticks, and blocks of wood. We like to collect things outdoors too which often find their way into our art. I always have my camera with me when we take car trips and have developed a strange hobby of taking blurry long exposure images from the passenger seat. Actually my kids get in on this too. I pass the camera around. Some have a really loveliness to them.

Do you have any top tips for authors and illustrators?

Gosh, I guess it isn’t ground breaking advice but it seems like good advice… Just be yourself. I thought my work was too odd/unusual to ever be commercially viable and it will always be a bit niche I think, but the world is large and there is room for all of us.

Elly hopes to continue creating; making more picture books, and perhaps dabble in animation. She would like to have a family adventure to Spain, but most of all she enjoys the quiet creative life.

Visit Elly’s Etsy shop, Theatre Clouds, for these prints and more.

Elly can be found on these platforms:

http://www.ellymackay.com

https://www.facebook.com/theaterclouds

https://twitter.com/theaterclouds

To see Elly’s creative process, watch the trailer for If you Hold a Seed.

Author Spotlight and Interview – Elly McKay

Photo by Theatre Clouds

I am thrilled to be welcoming one of my favourite children’s picture book makers, Elly Mckay, to my blog; author and illustrator of Butterfly Park, If you Hold a Seed, Shadow Chasers, Fall Leaves; and illustrator of the new Anne of Green Gables books. You can read my review of Butterfly Park Here.

Elly lives with her two children and husband in Ontario, Canada. She found her popularity selling prints of her vibrant and whimsical paper scenes on her Etsy shop, Theatre Clouds. She is inspired by her own children, as well as playing with Victorian inventions including tunnel books, magic lanterns, stereoscopes, and paper theatres. Both her parents were craft makers and so it felt like a natural progression from her childhood growing up in an old church on the shores of Georgian Bay.

Butterfly Park">As a teen, Elly made Victorian style tunnel books, and tried to sell paper-cut-out books at a gallery.

She met her husband, a wood worker, when she was at the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design. They both struggled for a while living off odd jobs and creating art. But now they live in a “classic eclectic” 115-year old home, messy and filled with flowers. Elly says that she feels like they have finally got it figured out.

“I have been making little paper worlds since I was a child. I use ink to make small drawings that I cut out and set up in a miniature theatre. Then I light the scene and photograph it.”

Elly kindly took the time to answer a few questions for me, and I am over the moon to be sharing her answers with you!

What are your favourite things to draw?

If I look at my sketchbooks, my drawings are usually either of landscapes or automatic. I like to see what happens. Lately I have been sketching expressions quite a bit too. My family always laughs because I can’t help but make the facial expression I am drawing.

Do you work in any other media just for fun?

I love using all sorts of materials. My kids and I love to experiment together too. We use clay, paint, oil sticks, and blocks of wood. We like to collect things outdoors too which often find their way into our art. I always have my camera with me when we take car trips and have developed a strange hobby of taking blurry long exposure images from the passenger seat. Actually my kids get in on this too. I pass the camera around. Some have a really loveliness to them.

Do you have any top tips for authors and illustrators?

Gosh, I guess it isn’t ground breaking advice but it seems like good advice… Just be yourself. I thought my work was too odd/unusual to ever be commercially viable and it will always be a bit niche I think, but the world is large and there is room for all of us.

Elly hopes to continue creating; making more picture books, and perhaps dabble in animation. She would like to have a family adventure to Spain, but most of all she enjoys the quiet creative life.

Visit Elly’s Etsy shop, Theatre Clouds, for these prints and more.

Elly can be found on these platforms:

http://www.ellymackay.com

https://www.facebook.com/theaterclouds

https://twitter.com/theaterclouds

To see Elly’s creative process, watch the trailer for If you Hold a Seed.

The Printing Process – Lithographic Printing

I was lucky enough to be allowed to watch my books being printed at my local printing firm on their lithographic printer.

This is the pile of paper being sucked up and passed on. Each sheet will hold 8 pages of my book which is later folded and trimmed.

The paper goes down the slide weeeeee.

The sheet has to go through four colour plates; yellow, cyan, magenta, and black.

Lastly it gets coated with a silk finish then appears here!

The sheets get checked for colour variance and any errors then the machine is adjusted accordingly before the final print run. On this print run they enhanced the blues so my dragons would be bright and vibrant! The final sheets will get folded, trimmed, and bound on a separate machine.

Watch my video of the printing process.

Ruth Reviews Mog’s Christmas Calamity by Judith Kerr

Story

It’s the night before Christmas and the Thomas family are dreaming peacefully, apart from Mog! Her tail gets tangled up in tinsel which catches fire and spreads to the house. Mog leads the fire brigade to the house but Christmas is ruined. The story ends when all the neighbours bring Christmas to the Thomas’ house. The ending was really touching and shows how people can come together when calamity strikes, especially in this season of good cheer!

Character

Mog is a classic beloved character. She’s a cat that gets up to mischief. Judith Kerr’s illustrations really bring Mog to life.

Art

The art style is hand drawn with pencil and crayons. It’s child friendly and comforting, although a bit simple for me, but Mog looks great as she leaps across the pages. A little Photoshop would make the images look better.

Moral

It’s a very good message to teach children about fire in the home, especially at Christmas time as decorations are very flammable. It might even make adults take care when decorating their house. I loved the ending of the book, when all the neighbours help the Thomas family clean up and have a good Christmas.

Value for money

I bought this book for £3 from my local Sainsbury’s and £2 of that goes to Save the Children, to improve child literacy in the UK. I don’t think I need to say anymore!

Age appropriateness

I think children between 3 and 6 will enjoy this book (and adults too!)

My vote

Five stars! Great story, great value, helps charity.

Watch the feature adaptation of Mog’s story;

Watch the making of the feature presentation;

Author Bio:

‘Judith Kerr ‘ was born on 14 June 1923 in Berlin but escaped from Hitler’s Germany with her parents and brother in 1933 when she was nine years old. Her father was a drama critic and a distinguished writer whose books were burned by the Nazis. The family passed through Switzerland and France before arriving finally in England in 1936. Judith went to eleven different schools, worked in the Red Cross during the war, and won a scholarship to the Central School of Arts and Crafts in 1945. Since then she has worked as an artist, a BBC television scriptwriter and, for the past thirty years, as author and illustrator of children’s books.

How I rate books:

Mostly I look for:

Great images
Exciting story
Message or meaning

Five stars: Only my very favourite books get a 5 star rating

Four stars: Books that I enjoy

Three stars: Books that are okay

Two stars: Books that are pretty rubbis

One star: Books that make me mad

Ruth Reviews Butterfly Park by Elly McKay

Butterfly Park">Story

The story in Butterfly Park" target="_blank">Butterfly Park was simple and easy to follow. The main character wants to bring butterflies back to the park. The story is about how she goes about achieving that, what she tries to do on her own, then together with people from the town. It was adorable and touching.

Characters

The character is brought to life by the expressive artwork. The girl loves wildlife and is sad when she has to move to a strange place. I like that she is determined to improve upon her situation.

Art

Elly McKay creates the images by making paper scenes and photographing them. She uses all sorts of wonderful effects and lighting to produce lively and vibrant art. I bought this book solely based on the images. There are plenty of pictures to explore in the book including a fold-out four page spread!

Moral

There is not a specific moral expressed in the book, but the girl brings the whole town together and they all help to bring butterflies back to the park.

Value for money

Butterfly Park" target="_blank">RRP: £11.99 I think what you are paying for mostly is the illustrations. They are not just pictures, they are works of art. The hard-back book is a large format, and the book is filled with more pages than the average picture book. I would definitely buy this for a loved one as it is the kind of book that one keeps and treasures for a long time.

Age appropriateness

I think children aged 4-6 would appreciate this book.

My vote

5 stars. Mostly because I adore the artwork so much.

How I rate books:

Mostly I look for:

Great images
Exciting story
Message or meaning

Five stars: Only my very favourite books get a 5 star rating

Four stars: Books that I enjoy

Three stars: Books that are okay

Two stars: Books that are pretty rubbish

One star: Books that make me mad