When Dad Showed Me the Universe

When Dad Showed Me the Universe

Written by Ulf Stark and illustrated by Eva Ericsson  
Published by Gecko Press

With Father’s Day only a few weeks away (Sunday 21st June), this modern Swedish classic will delight any sons, fathers and grandfathers. This fun but moving story features a Dad wanting to show his son something special; the Universe.

After a long day working at the dentist, this Dad believes it’s time to show his Son the universe. They wrap up warm before heading outside. The Son decides to ask lots of questions about the universe as he’s not too sure what it is, after pointing at the supermarket, “No” replies his Dad but they go in for provisions. They walk for a long time, past the shops and through the park, past the hardware store and past the fish shop, which are all closing up for the night. 

When they reach the outside of town, where there are no streetlights, they stop on a small hill. The son asks if this is it, looking around at the hill and grass, spotting a snail from the universe creeping over a stone… he’s a little confused, until his Dad notices that he isn’t looking up at the sky and tells him to look up. The sky is filled with thousands of stars and the Dad begins to point them out but the Son thinks they look like specks of dust that you would find in the living room in the sunshine. The Dad continues talking about how amazing the universe is and picks his son up so he can be closer, explaining how some stars don’t even exist but we can still see their light. But its all interrupted, when they get a whiff of something stinky, the Son knows whats happened, his Dad has stepped in dog poo! His Son states “It’s Big Dog!” after being told about the star constellation Big Dog. It’s time to go home. The Dad thinks his son may be a little too young yet but the Son states he will remember and that the universe was beautiful and funny!

The story is told from the Son’s point of view, which brings humour to the story, especially when he is getting very confused about understanding what the universe is; first believing it is the shops, then grass and the plants around him. I liked the little facts that popped up when the Son is asking the Father questions; like the temperature of the Universe or about the different stars. Though, if we were to read more into this, the Son is quite right in that isn’t everything around us all part of the universe?

The soft classic illustrations, by Swedish illustrator Eva Ericsson, work brilliantly with the strong narrative by Ulf Stark making it a very sweet book to enjoy with your little one. This book is recommended for five years of age and over and I believe it would make a great book to start up a discussion about stars and the universe.

When Dad Showed Me the Universe will be enjoyed by little ones and adults alike but its always good to remember that even though its nice to look up and appreciate the stars above, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on down here, as sometimes the most important things are right under our noses!

BLACK and WHITE

BLACK and WHITE

By Dahlov Ipcar
Published by Flying Eye Books

 

BLACK and WHITE is the re-published work by Dahlov Ipcar, first published in 1963 by Alfred A. Knopf, featuring fun and frolics of a two dogs (one black and one white). Dahlov Ipcar is an American author and artist, illustrating over 30 children’s books, and timeless stories capturing the hearts of children and adults alike. And at 97, you will find her still painting two hours a day!

The two dogs are good friends that play and stay together all day long. After a day of exploring, they return home and after saying good night they climb into their beds and both dream. The little black dog dreamed a dream of a jungle scene where big elephants ford a stream, black panthers sniff the breeze and zebras and antelopes graze. Butterflies fill the air and birds fly above the tree tops.

The little white dog dreamed a dream of an arctic storm where seals swim to and fro, arctic foxes chase arctic hares, while polar bears stand ashore. Sea birds nest on the rocky shores and big black walrus roars. The two little dogs awake to a bright new day and run outside to race and play before telling the other of their dreams and all of the animals who were white as snow and black as night.

After first reading this book, it brought back memories of my primary school books filled with bright stylised colour illustrations. BLACK and WHITE is filled with stylised illustrations that only use four spot colours (Ipcar was a master of a technique that has now disappeared: four-colour separation, by which each colour is printed separately, and the layers build up’). Dahlov Ipcar truly captures the essence of the jungle and arctic and I love the variety of the animals included. You may feel it has a dated feel but the way Flying Eye Books has presented it gives it a retro feel. Ipcar's illustrations are paired with original verse celebrating the beauty of the living world around us.

There is a lot more to this book than I first realised and in researching Dahlov Ipcar, I came across this interesting article by the Telegraph. This was originally published during the height of the US civil rights movement and BLACK and WHITE was intended to promote equality within the turbulent political landscape of its time. The article is very insightful and explains the painstaking process that Flying Eye Books has gone to meticulously and faithfully restore this book to bring back the quality of the originals. Flying Eye Books will also be reintroducing Ipcar’s wider catalogue; I Like Animals and The Wonderful Egg, are two other titles that are already available.  

BLACK and WHITE is out now to buy in all good bookshops or direct from Flying Eye Books.

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.

The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy-cat

The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy-cat

Written by Julia Donaldson, Illustrated by Charlotte Voake
Published by Puffin 

 

The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy-cat was actually published in August 2013, where Julia Donaldson created a lovely sequel that is respectful and an appropriate follow on from The Owl and the Pussy-cat.

This adventure follows the Owl and the Pussy-cat, who set off to travel far from the safety of the Bong-tree glade in search of the thief who has stolen their beautiful golden ring. Children will be sure to recognise the familiar characters and places from Lear’s classic poem in this delightful sequel.

 

 

Julia has done a great job in following the structure of the original poem, very Lear-like, and with Charlotte Voake’s adorable illustrations. I believe children and adults alike will enjoy this second book just as much as the first! 

 

 

This paperback edition even comes with the added bonus of a CD which includes two readings of the story by the author and a musical arrangement, performed by Julia and Malcolm Donaldson. A lovely gift for any age.

 

 

The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy-cat is available to buy in all good bookshops and on the Puffin website. Watch out for my interview with Charlotte Voake coming soon!

The Owl and the Pussy-cat

The Owl and the Pussy-cat

Written by Edward Lear, Foreword by Julia Donaldson, Illustrated by Charlotte Voake
Published by Puffin 

 

Earlier this autumn, Puffin published a stunning picture book edition of Edward Lear’s classic poem, The Owl and the Pussy-cat, illustrated by Charlotte Voake and introduced by Julia Donaldson. The perfect companion to The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy-cat. 

This classic poem was first published during 1871 (as part of ‘Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets) and tells the story of the love between the title characters who marry in the land ‘where the Bong-tree grows’. The narrative poetry is beautifully illustrated by Charlotte Voake, who has done it true justice with her use of watercolour, capturing the essence of Lear’s ‘sketchy fluid style’, as noted by Julia Donaldson.

 

 

The foreword, written by Julia Donaldson, lovingly tells us about her Granny introducing her to Edward Lear’s poetry, and liking best the longer poems with their spirit of adventure. Julia likes The Owl and the Pussy-cat for its happy story of courtship and marriage and despite its humour and nonsense, for being charmingly romantic. 

 

 

Julia also brings up an interesting point that although this poem was voted the nation’s favourite children’s poem, she fears that it is more known to grown ups than to children, which I would agree with, but hope this lovely edition will change that. 

The Owl and the Pussy-cat is available to buy in all good bookshops and on the Puffin website. Watch out for my interview with Charlotte Voake coming soon!