100 Christmas Colouring Book

100 Christmas Colouring Book

Illustrations by Dominka Lipniewska

Published by Tate Publishing

Is it too early to be reviewing a Christmas themed book? Well yes, it probably is but I love all things Christmassy, much to the disgust of my husband (bah humbug to him!). So I was rather excited to receive this large Christmas themed colouring book from Tate Publishing.

This fun and festive book is filled with Dominka Lipniewska's bold graphic style. Featuring double page spreads jam packed with lots of Christmas characters, festive animals, festive food, decorations and a whole lot more.

With chunky outlined shapes, it would make good practice for little fingers to practice colouring within the lines - I have yet to test that with my 3 year old! Or good for tracing.

There is also a page at the back which suggests activities for children, such as spotting and counting  items within the book.

This would make a great little stocking filler or to keep small and big people busy when the cold and dark winter nights roll in. Hopefully I'll get a look in and Aoife won't hog it!

Link to Tate Publishing, is here. 

Doodle Town

Doodle Town

By Dominika Lipniewska 

Published by Tate Publishing

From the author of 100 Colouring Book, Doodle Town celebrates the transformative power of drawing. Welcome to Doodle Town, where everyone and everything is a drawing...

Following the success of Dominika Lipniewska’s eye-catching 100 Colouring Book comes Doodle Town, a wonderfully whimsical drawing activity book that invites children to discover how, with just a pencil and an idea, they can transform the world around them. 

Packed with over 60 drawing activities, including creating designs for gravity defying hairstyles, releasing scribble clouds into the sky (who knows what kind of rain a scribble makes?) and playing mix and match with Doodle Town dog owners, Doodle Town is an entertaining and empowering introduction to imaginative drawing. 

This really is the book to go 'doodle crazy' on! Every page invites the reader (or in this case, doodler) to draw all over each page and just let their imagination run riot. There are loads of activities to explore and the large format book allows the doodler to have plenty of space to draw. A great present for any young artists out there or one to simply stop boredom setting in over the Christmas holidays.

Doodle Town is available to buy now from all good booksellers and from the Tate Publishing website.

The Museum of Me

The Museum of Me

By Emma Lewis

Published by Tate Publishing

The Museum of Me is by debut author Emma Lewis, an illustrator with a distinctive collaged style. Emma introduces young children to the world of museums and explores the reasons why we collect and preserve objects.

We're off on an adventure to see all kinds of wonderful things - and they're all available to see in your local museum. The Museum of Me follows a little girl on a journey of discovery to find out what museums are and what they have inside them. Brimming with anticipation, she finds giant bugs and peculiar beasts, ancient pots and contemporary paintings, feathery leaves and flowers as big as her own head! Marveling at museums old, new, outdoors, and even in outer space, she soon realizes that her favorite museum of all is waiting for her at home.

Emma's art is fun and stylish, and very inventive. Using a mix of collage, paint, paper and pencil (and probably a lot more!), Emma creates works of art on each spread, full of things to discover and look at (just like in a museum!). Using a colour palette of mostly blues, reds and greys, the book has a collective feel of its own, and echoes back to more retro picture books. A great way to celebrate museums, showing how a collection of objects can reflect our personal identities. The perfect read for getting children interested in visiting museums and starting collections of their own.

The Museum of Me is available to buy from today at all good bookshops and on the Tate Publishing website. If you want to join in on the fun of creating your own museum using 5 objects, then get over to twitter now and use the hashtags #mein5objects #museumofme to get sharing!

Outfoxed

Outfoxed

By Claudia Boldt

Published by Tate Publishing

Outfoxed is the humorous tale about a fox with a conscience. Harold is a smart little fox but finds himself facing a dilemma and his very own mystery to solve.

Meet Harold, he loves swiss cheese and his biggest dream is to be a detective but Harold's father believes it's time for him to catch a chicken. Harold knows where to find one and after catching one he's eager to show his father, but while explaining to the chicken that he doesn't plan to eat him, in a flash the chicken is gone. It's up to Harold to solve the case. He hunts for clues that lead him to a food van run by two wolves. Harold orders a 'whole chicken, fresh, not cooked,' and takes off with the chicken on a stolen donkey. He explains to his father that he outfoxed the two wolves and leaves the impression that he ate the chicken but really the chicken is long gone.. safely on a train!

Filled with colour, texture and patterns, there's hardly a white page in sight, which I like as there's a lovely uniqueness to the book. Not your normal picture book size, this small book has a lovely feel to it. The story starts as soon as you open the cover, no end papers here. 

Outfoxed is recommended for ages 4+ and is aimed at encouraging independent thinking. Children will enjoy following Harold and helping him solve his very own mystery.

Available in all good book shops and online here.

Jill & Dragon

Jill & Dragon

By Lesley Barnes
Published by Tate

Sometimes at the end of a story, not every character gets a happily ever after and that’s the case in Jill & Dragon, Lesley Barnes’ debut book.  Lesley Barnes is an illustrator and animator, based in Glasgow, who has worked in fashion, music, children’s literature, film and product design and has truly created a stunning illustrated book and one that actually achieves a true happy ending after all.

“The king and his knights captured the terrible dragon and they all lived happily ever after” said the last page in Jill’s story book but Jill notices that the Dragon doesn’t look very happy. Asking the Dragon why he is sad, Dragon informs Jill that the King hates him because all he can do is burn and scorch everything in the Kingdom. So Jill suggests that Dragon come live with her and that she will teach him to do all of her favourite things. Jill tries to teach Dragon how to flower arrange but Dragon is just too big and knocks everything over. Jill then teaches Dragon about fashion but that doesn’t work out so well and when Jill tries to teach Dragon the trumpet, he creates fireworks. While trying to teach Dragon how to host a tea party, Dragon looks sadder than ever and knows he doesn’t fit in anywhere but something catches Jill’s eye at the table and she has an idea.

The next morning, armed with a fork, Jill and Dragon fly back in to the huge story book where Jill demands to be taken to the King. Jill wants to show everyone what Dragon can do and holds up a piece of bread where Dragon carefully begins to burn and char the bread to create a flattering portrait of the King. The knights pass the toasted portraits back to the King where he nibbled a corner or two and proclaims it truly fit for a King. Dragon is invited to live in the castle and make the King toast. Dragon moved in and made toast portraits for everyone and lived happily ever after. Jill was very happy with that ending!

Jill & Dragon is a lovely book with a heart warming tale, reminding us that everyone has a talent, however well hidden. But what really stands out within this book is the impressive and beautiful illustrations.  There’s a medieval fairy tale feel what with the patterns used, the screen printed effects and the choice of colour palette. Even the texture of the paper works well with the story. There is also an extendable page which shows the Dragon’s mighty fire while creating the toasted portraits. 

Jill & Dragon is a lovely new take on a fairy tale that any adult or child will love. This magical book is available in all good bookshops or online here.

HIPPU

HIPPU

By Oili Tanninen
Published by Tate Publishing

 

 

HIPPU was first published in 1967, and feels as fresh and current alongside anything in today's book market. Oili Tanninen is one of Finland's most cherished author/illustrators and has illustrated over twenty children's books, winning her several major awards including the Hans Christen Andersen Cerificate of Honour.

Published by Tate Publishing, this is the first time HIPPU has become available in English, and is undoubtably destined to become a classic worldwide. This lovely edition is a minature 15cm squared hardback which is ideal for tiny hands to hold.  

 

 HIPPU tells the story of a mouse called Hippu, and one day he sees a homeless dog (called Heppu) outside his house and decides to invite him in. They eat their favourite things, play dress up and go for a walk together. The moral being that its good to share with people less fortunate than us and that friendship (whether it be with animals or people) is rewarding in itself. 

 

 

Created using a limited colour palette of red, black and white and simple paper cut out shapes, the imagery is bold and striking and especially appealing to young children. The contrasting colours favor our main characters, with them being the main focal point as they sit on white or red backgrounds. You can see that illustrators around today like Chris Haughton have been inspired by Tanninen with the her unique simplity to paper cut-out illustration and bold colour choices. Here's hoping she'll influence many more illustrators to come...   

HIPPU is available to buy now from the Tate bookshop and from their online store.

Little Big Boubo

Little Big Boubo

By Beatrice Alemagna
Published by Tate Publishing

Little Big Boubo is the latest book from award-winning illustrator Beatrice Alemagna, who has had 29 books published to date. This charming book offers a tender and humorous reflection on the delightful age of toddlerhood.

Meet Boubo, he’s eager to prove that he’s no longer a baby anymore! Boubo can already ride a bike, has big eyes, a big boy’s nose and four big teeth. He only has to wear a nappy one day a week (like adults!) and can even walk backwards without almost falling over. He’s not scared of heights, and can order his own meal at a restaurant - but never has peas!  

This isn’t your usual brightly coloured picture book. Beatrice uses her familiar style of collage and pencil to create illustrations filled with warmth and charm. Even the unusually small book size adds to its charm and allows small hands to handle it with ease. 

There are lots of things to explore on every spread. Beatrice's attention to detail throughout the book is directed to keep children focused on everything from the text to the expertly layed out illustrations. With numerous things to count like people in queues and fruit lined up on a wall. There's also an emphasis on size throughout the book. Boubo's big bike (with very large wheels), the tiny ladybird on Boubo's nose when he's stressing he has a 'big boy's nose and the towering size of his mother who appears at the end of the book. 

Of course the biggest thing in this book isn't Boubo, it's the love his mother has for him and you can't get any bigger than that! Little Big Boubo is available to buy now in the Tate bookshop and on their online store.

A DOG DAY

A DOG DAY

By Emily Rand
Published by Tate Publishing

A DOG DAY is Emily Rand’s first book for children and what a refreshing debut it is. The title pretty much sums up the story, its the day in a life of a dog. And our dog in this case is a big, fluffy, lovable Airedale Terrier. 

 
A DOG DAY is a rhyming book and its written in the voice of the dog, which I absolutely loved. The breed of dog is captured brilliantly, I’ve always felt sorry for Airedales as they seem quite sad all the time. This Airedale is no exception, as he starts off on a positive note; ‘We’re off on a walk, hi there, hello! The park’s my favourite place to go.’ But his owner has other ideas, as the dog has been duped into thinking that this walk was to visit the park to play ball. But as they pass the entrance the dog is pulled into a busy street ‘Looking down at me below, no one wants to say hello.’- which he finds distressing with all the busy feet going this place and that.To make matters worst his owner visits the high street shops, where the dog is left outside to suffer the cold and have a long hard wait until his owner returns. 

 

Eventually they walk towards the park again, only for his owner to meet someone he knows. The dog can’t quite understand why he isn’t being let to play with his friends as he’s been so patient and good whilst his owner drags him everywhere but the one place he wants to go! But as the day comes to a close he does get to have some fun before eventually returning home. 

Emily, who not only illustrates, is also an educator for Cubitt Education and has worked for the Serpentine Gallery. Her style is simplistic and full of character, using pen and light washes in this black and white title. The fine attention to detail on the dog’s coat and his surroundings are a nice touch to the fine line illustrations. All in all this is a simple yet lovable story. Children will adore the illustrations and the story helps them understand what a dog may feel when they’re being walked. A
DOG DAY is in all good bookshops and on the Tate website.