The Big Adventure Of A Little Line

The Big Adventure Of A Little Line

By Serge Bloch

Published by Thames & Hudson

If there was ever a love letter to the art of illustration, then this is it in a beautiful picture book from master of the line, Serge Bloch.

The story is an epic one and is told in a longer than usual picture book containing 88 pages! We meet a small boy who goes out for a walk. On his way he finds a little line lying on the ground. He picks it up and puts it in his pocket and forgets about it. But the little line has other ideas…

What continues is the life of this boy, who becomes a teenager, a man with a family and then an older man in his twilight years. The older man then decides its time for someone younger to discover the line and he leaves a piece of the line in the same place he found it all those years ago - continuing the cycle.

The illustrations in the book are full of life, some pages feel almost animated. Serge also moves from childish doodles to more skilled illustrations as the boy gets older - showing how he is growing as an artist. I especially love the list of artists and illustrators Serge lists at the end of the book, including legends such as Quentin Blake and Tomi Ungerer - a fitting tribute to such a heartfelt story. 

A tremendous and very beautiful picture book and one VERY BIG adventure, I would recommend this book to all artists and designers as they're sure to see themselves in there somewhere. The Big Adventure Of A Little Line is available in all good bookshops and on the Thames & Hudson website here. I also recommend checking out the marvellous video of Serge doing some doodling below especially for the launch of the book.

The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty

The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty

By Beatrice Alemagna

Published by Thames & Hudson

This is the latest from illustrator/author extraordinaire, Beatrice Alemagna. Meet Eddie, an eight year old girl who thinks she isn't particularly good at anything.

Eddie knows her mum would love a Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty for her birthday. The only problem is that she doesn’t know what a Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty is, or where to find one! This book follows Eddie as she tours the whole town, trying to track down the perfect present.

Beatrice's books are a family favourite in our house, her illustrations are works of art, with so many things to spot throughout the use of paint, pencil and collage. The detail that goes into her illustrations is just mind blowing, and The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty is full of them! I love the use of colour in this book, especially Eddie's fluorescent pink coat which helps you spot her on each page.

The story is a sweet one, with the meaning being open to many interpretations, but I found that Eddie's lack of confidence in herself was a reflection of a lot of children her age. She ignores the fact that she is good at many things, with the main one being a very resourceful young lady with a very big imagination! 

The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty is available to buy from all good bookshops and online from Thames & Hudson here. 

There's also some great videos to watch over on Vimeo, with a trailer for the book and a tutorial from Beatrice on how to draw Eddie!

ABZZz... A Bedtime Alphabet

ABZZz... A Bedtime Alphabet

By Isabel Minhos Martins & Yara Kono

Published by Thames & Hudson

This is no ordinary Alphabet book, it's a Bedtime based one which is a great idea - especially with the all important snoozing letter Z! 

The book starts with a short introduction, explaining to the reader that they should be prepared to fall fast asleep as most readers fall asleep before reaching the letter P. I felt this was a nice touch as it almost sets the child a challenge to get to sleep before the book ends.

Yara Kono's illustrations are beautifully rendered, full of cute child characters and adorable animals. The choice of subject for each letter is refreshing, with each one being linked to helping the child drop off. There's also explanations to what sleep helps us with, which again will help a child that finds it difficult to shut those eyes.

This is the perfect wind down book for any younger child that finds it hard to drift off to sleep. The colours are consistent and not too loud, using simple shapes and screen-printed textures on mostly solid colour backgrounds.

There's also lots of funny moments that made me chuckle, I especially loved P, with Pee being the subject. The yellow puddle summed it up nicely. With lots of interactive elements and activities to help parents make that bedtime routine that little bit easier.

ABZZz... A Bedtime Alphabet is available to buy now from all good bookshops and from the Thames & Hudson website here.