Pip and Posy - The Snowy Day

Pip and Posy - The Snowy Day

By Axel Scheffler
Published by Nosy Crow

 

The Snowy Day, is part of the Pip and Posy range by the well known illustrator Axel Scheffler. If you have little ones under 5, then these are a great range of colourful books filled with comfort and humour. ­ There’s even a website dedicated to the World of Pip and Posy which has lots of games, news and activities for fans to get stuck into. In The Snowy Day, Pip and Posy can’t wait to go outside to enjoy the snow, but first they have to dress warmly. They put on their scarves, hats, mittens and waterproof boots and then they’re ready to head outside. They catch snow flakes on their tongues, make snow angels, and sledge down a steep hill. 

 

 

But the fun doesn't last. Posy announces that she wants to build a snowmouse, but Pip wants to build a snowrabbit. As they can’t agree it soon turns into a fight with Posy throwing the snowmouse’s head at Pip who then in turn pushes Posy facedown into the snow. Oh dear! However, they soon make up and head back indoors to warm up and play playdough making lots of different animals. 

 

The Snowy Day is a great book for the mini people in your life who have yet to see their first snow fall, or for reading at a winter theme at nursery/play group. ­ It shows young children what clothing you need to wear before going out into cold, snowy weather and also shows what fun can be had in the snow; making snow angels, having snow fights and building snowmen. And even showing how little ones can resolve their differences after arguments. 

 

 

Axel became a household name for illustrating the Gruffalo, the Gruffalo’s Child and many of Julia Donaldson’s stories. His style is distinctive and recognisable for his bright, colourful illustrations and cute characters. The Snowy Day is no exception and with the hard back it has a lovely soft cushiony feel, great for little hands to hold. There are seven books in the Pip and Posy range by Axel Scheffler, which are aimed at 2 years and above.

 

The Snowy Day is available at all good bookshops and direct from Nosy Crow. ­

SNOW

SNOW

By Sam Usher
Published by Templar Publishing

If you live down in the South of England, you may have felt a slight sense of envy that the North West had a few days of snow over the Christmas period whereas the rest of us had to put up with the wet and cold. SNOW by Sam Usher captures the excitement for seeing snow outside the window; when it’s still fresh, clean and has no footprints! A lovely sight, especially when you don’t have to go to school or work of course. 

 

 

SNOW is about a little boy called Sam who awakes up to a snowy scene outside his window and can’t wait to be the first one outside. But there's one problem, he has to get his Grandad up before he can even step outside! Sam of course is raring to go but his Grandad isn’t quite as keen. Sam keeps reminding his Grandad about the snow while he showers, shaves and gets dressed. But as Grandad takes his time Sam impatiently watches on as his friends, the local cats and dogs and even some more wilder animals escape to the winter wonderland before him. 

 

Finally his Grandad is ready and they’re off to the park where Sam can have fun with everyone at last! There’s snow fighting, snowman building and sleighing and even Grandad gets involved winning a snow fight. Having read a recent interview with Sam Usher, I discovered he is greatly influenced by Hergé, Quentin Blake and Emma Chichester Clark which does come across in Sam’s illustrative style of ink and watercolour. SNOW has a lovely charm and with the double page spreads of large amounts of white, it captures that feeling of when you see fresh, clean, white snow. 

 

The story is very simple but there’s lots to point out to children within the pictures and children will be longing for their own snow days. SNOW is available to buy in all good bookshops and online.

Stormy Night

Stormy Night

By Salina Yoon
Published by Bloomsbury

 

If you or your little ones are scared by thunder and storms, then this little book is a lovely way to help ease their worries. And if you're familiar with Bear and Floppy from Found by Salina Yoon, then you’ll enjoy being reunited with this little Bear and his bunny.

 

 

It’s one stormy night and Bear cannot sleep, what with all the wind whirring and trees crackling. He sings to Floppy, his toy bunny which makes him feel better but then the thunder rumbles and startles Bear. Bear’s Mama and Papa come to check on him but they’re also both scared by the storm. Bear kisses Mama’s nose to comfort her and tickles Papa’s ear to make him laugh, which helps Bear feel better and forget about the storm that's raging outside. He even reads a book to Floppy to make sure Floppy isn’t scared but then…BOOM!, a loud sound of thunder reminds Bear about the storm and it’s his Mama and Papa who help ease his worries and sing him a song. And it isn’t long before they’re all fast asleep. 

 

 

Salina Yoon is the author and illustrator of nearly two hundred innovative novelty books for young children and as you can see in Stormy Night, her style is bold, bright and energetic with the bear characters being big and filling the pages allowing young children to easily focus on them. This is a very simple but lovely tale showing the love and thoughtfulness of a little bear, who himself is very scared, but wants to make sure that his Mama, Papa and friend are all okay first. Stormy Night will make a lovely bed time story as it shows that even storms need their sleep and so do little bears. 

 

Stormy Night comes out on the 15th January but can be pre-ordered from Bloomsbury direct.

Happy New Year!

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Bookworm Baby! The last few weeks have truly flown by and mostly filled by family wanting to see our little one who is now almost 7 and a half months. Where has the time gone? Lots of books to review this January, so I’m starting off with some winter themed picture books.

Stay tuned for some snow and stormy weather …Brrr x

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.

Charlotte Voake interview

I got the chance to interview the splendid Charlotte Voake, an illustrator that you will find on most children's bookshelves. She has illustrated over 50 books, many of which have become household favourites.

Born and raised in Wales, Charlotte says that book illustration is “the only thing I ever wanted to do” and she certainly has made a brilliant career of it. Skipping formal training in art, she studied art history at London University and worked at an art gallery before embarking on a freelance career in illustration. Charlotte lives in Surrey, England, with her husband and two children.

BWB: You worked on The Owl and the Pussy-cat not so long ago. What was it like working with Julia Donaldson?

CV: Julia is lovely to work with - I think she is very interested in how her texts are illustrated - and from an illustrator's point of view she is a visual writer, by which I mean she gives lots of visual clues  to get your teeth into!


BWB: The Owl and the Pussy-cat has seen many illustrators produce their versions of the famous characters. What attracted you to the project and what did you set out to do differently?

CV: Actually I illustrated  Julia's first, then Puffin asked me to illustrate the original version as a pair to The Further Adventures.I might have approached the original quite differently if it has been stand-alone - perhaps!


BWB: You both returned to the Owl and the Pussy-Cat with 'The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy-cat'.As this was new text, did you feel more comfortable making your mark on such a well known tale? 

CV: There is quite a bit more text in Julia's sequel, and she has woven in many more characters from Lear's Nonsense Rhymes, including Aunt Jobiska and her cat with crimson whiskers. It was fun developing them. Edward Lear's original is a shorter poem with very little text on each page. I used a number of characters from Julia's story to make a sub-text in pictures. So it was a bit topsy -turvy  doing the second one first and the first one second, but I particularly enjoyed the jigsaw aspect of working that way.


BWB: Has the way you work changed from when you first started in the book industry?

CV: Not the way I work, which is still on  paper using a pen and watercolour, but computers make a huge difference to the way a book is designed once I deliver the illustrations. It's still a very labour intensive process but so much easier to manipulate images on a screen. And if I make a  bad mistake on a drawing it can be photoshopped out.Wonderful!


BWB: Do you use computer software for any stage in your illustration process?

CV: No, I don't use a computer at all except to do research. It makes a huge difference to be able to look things up easily - for example the candelabra on the Pobble's table!


BWB: Which book are you most proud of?

CV: I think I like Aesop's Fables the best.


BWB: Your career pans over 35 years. What stands out as the biggest highlight for you?

CV: One of the biggest highlights has been meeting Julia!


BWB: Can you tell us what your working day is like?  

CV: I work at home in a nice white room which is often horribly untidy.
I go for a 2 mile walk most mornings with a friend and have breakfast when I get home. We have some hens so I quite often have a boiled egg.
I have recently found out how to make proper frothy milk for a cappucino so I  am going through a phase of having one or two of those at 11am.
Sometimes I work really hard, and late, which is fine unless I am having a real tussle with a drawing. Sometimes I make soup and practise my violin for a change!


BWB: Any plans for another Ginger book? 

CV: I would really like to do a Ginger counting book.


Many thanks to Charlotte for taking the time to answer my questions and huge thanks to Laura for putting me in touch with her.

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!