The Fate of Fausto Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins Children’s Books) There was once a man who believed he owned everything and set out to survey what was his ….” So begins Oliver Jeffers’ latest picturebook, a longer narrative, which despite being originally written in 2015, sadly resonates very true in today’s world: Fausto is greedy, throws …
A Picturebook A Week
Picture Book of the Week monthly recap: May 2019
SEA: A World Beneath the Waves Patricia Hegarty & Britta Teckentrup (Little Tiger Press) Following the huge success of Tree, Bee and Moon, this wonderful creative duo are back with a new peek-through picturebook focusing on the natural world, this time on the world underneath our seas. This is a fabulous theme to showcase Teckentrup’s …
Picture Book of the Week monthly recap: April 2019
Norm Sylvia Liang (Thames & Hudson) Norm (short for Normal) lives in a world where everything is the same. Him and his friends go round with rules making sure everything is the right size, the right shape, etc. But when Norm across Odette (Odd for short), she introduces him to a whole different world, one …
Picture Book of the Week monthly recap: March 2019
Wisp: a Story of Hope Zana Fraillon & Grahame Baker-Smith (Orchard Books) One evening, a Wisp of air floats in a refugee camp. A little boy called Idris notices it and with his help, the Wisp visits inhabitants of the camp, helping them to remember life before the camp. Out of those memories, Hope grows …
Picture Book of the Week monthly recap: February 2019
When Sadness Comes to Call Eva Eland (Andersen Press) Sometimes Sadness comes to visit. There might not be any reason for its appearance, but suddenly it is everywhere, wherever you go, whatever you do. But what would happen if rather than fight it, you embraced it? With a limited colour palette and lots of white …
Picture Book of the Week monthly recap: January 2019
The Hug Eoin McLaughlin (text) & Polly Dunbar (artwork) (Faber & Faber) Hedgehog is feeling very sad, and could really do with a hug. But no one is willing to oblige, worried about the prickles on its back. Tortoise is also feeling very down and is not having much luck either, because of its hard shell. …
Picture Book of the Week monthly recap: December 2018
Silent Night Lara Hawthorne (Lincoln Children’s Books) Two classic Christmas traditions are brought together in this book: the text consists of the lyrics of the Christmas carol ‘Silent Night’ while the artwork tells the story of the nativity. This mix works surprisingly well, and is a great way to introduce either traditions, or both! The …
Picture Book of the Week monthly recap: November 2018
Little Wise Wolf Gijs van der Hammen & Hanneke Siemensma, translated by Laura Watkinson (Book Island) Little Wise Wolf is very wise. So clever in fact, that he doesn’t really have time for anyone else, even when they need his help. When the king calls however, he finds himself having no choice but to leave his …
Picture Book of the Week monthly recap: September
Where Happiness Lives Barry Timms & Greg Abbott (Little Tiger) Grey Mouse lives in a cosy cottage with his family and he thinks it is the perfect home. Until he comes across White Mouse’s grander abode. White Mouse loves his own house but not as much as he loves Brown Mouse’s mansion. But which is the …
Picture Book of the Week monthly recap: July
The Girls Lauren Ace & Jenny Løvlie (Caterpillar Books) “The Girls” is a joyful and uplifting tale of female friendship which starts off as four girls meet in early childhood under an apple tree. Ace’s style has a distinctive, almost folk-tale quality to it and it is paired with Løvlie’s endearingly quaint drawings. The book celebrates …