What better in the week of World Book Day but to read about a little girl’s journey from book hater to book lover? In I Hate Love Books by Mariajo Illustrajo (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books) , a little girl is forced to face her misgivings about reading after her teacher sets her class a holiday …
“How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?” and playful page layouts
If there is one Christmas picturebook to add to your collection this festive season, it is, without a doubt, How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen (Walker Books). Full disclosure: you will not get any answers from this book, but the string of possibilities offered by super duo Barnett …
The Story Behind the art: “‘Tis the Season” by Richard Jones
Ever year, the autumn publishing calendar is awash with Christmas-themed books for children and amongst the many titles available, there are always a few very special gems. One of them this year is Richard Jones’ ‘Tis the Season, published by Nosy Crow as part of their National Trust collection. Beautifully produced with luxurious foil cover …
Looking at Pictures – a framework by Kenneth Clark
I have been revisiting my dissertation (a very painful experience I may add as I hate reading my own work) to reacquaint myself with picturebook theory. Part of it included researching , via the excellent Children Reading Pictures: Interpreting Visual Texts by Evelyn Arizpe and Morag Styles, and applying art theory by art historian Kenneth …
The Story behind the art: “The Swing” by Britta Teckentrup
The first thing one notices about Britta Teckentrup’s latest book The Swing (Prestel Publishing) is the object itself; it is much longer than traditional formats (160 pages) and a much smaller size too (a square, 22 centimetres, give or take). The size in itself promises a different kind of reading experience, and this continues as …
Apropos of … the comfort of familiar reading
“Apropos of …” is a new section of Library Mice which is more opinion piece (sounds a bit self-important but I can’t find another term really) than review. I wanted to keep it slightly separate because it might be more broadly about reading and not necessarily just about picturebooks or indeed children’s literature, as is …
A double celebration of Picturebook art from Thames & Hudson
Thames & Hudson have long been at the forefront of publishing books on the arts and design, but they are also one of the few publishers who continue to publish books about illustration as an Art form. In the last few months they have released two volumes which will undoubtedly delight and fascinate picturebook enthusiasts. …
Bookshop Day: A Q&A with Polly Faber
What better way to celebrate Bookshop Day than with a book that follows the long journey of a picturebook from printing press to reader’s hands via, of course, a lovely independent bookshop? This is exactly what Special Delivery: A Book’s Journey Around the World (Nosy Crow), written by Polly Faber and illustrated by Klas Fahlén, …
BLOG TOUR: Gender Swapped Greek Myths
Karrie Fransman & Jonathan Plackett(Faber Children’s Books) A couple of years ago I wrote about Gender Swapped Fairy Tales as part of the blog tour celebrating its release and the fascinating algorithm used by the book’s creators to literally swap one gender for another , with fascinating insights into how such tales might affect our …
BLOG TOUR: Thank You for the Little Things
Caryl Hart (text) & Emily Hamilton (artwork)(Bloomsbury Children’s Books) “Whenever I am feeling sador life feels hard or wrong or bad,I focus for a little whileon little things that make me smile…“ When my children were little, reading Caryl Hart’s rhyming texts was a regular and joyful occurrence in our house. Doing rhyming properly in …