Tag Archives: picture books

Children’s Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling by Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles My rating: 4 of 5 stars A revised edition of their original 2012 text, Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles ‘Children Picturebooks : The Art of Visual Storytelling‘ (2019) occupies a space somewhere between academia and coffee table. It offers a general introductionContinue reading “Children’s Picturebooks : The Art of Visual Storytelling by Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles”

ow Still by Holly Surplice is a charming and cleanly told story, perfect for sharing on a wintery day.

Julian sees a mermaid at the pool, he wishes to be one, and I shall not spoil the payoff but I shall say that it is a payoff to hold to yourself like gold for a brief, beautiful moment, before sharing it with everybody that you know.

You’re Not a Proper Pirate, Sidney Green! by Ruth Quayle My rating: 4 of 5 stars You’re Not A Proper Pirate, Sidney Green! is a lot of fun. I can’t imagine things not looking up after a read of this. It really is genuine, exuberant, ‘drop it all at once and have an adventure’ fun.Continue reading “You’re Not A Proper Pirate, Sidney Green! by Ruth Quayle and Deborah Allwright”

Mary and Frankenstein by Linda Bailey My rating: 5 of 5 stars It has been a long time since I have read something so perfect as this, and if it doesn’t win the Kate Greenaway Medal this year, or at the very least make the shortlist, then I’ll hand in my badge. I’m not sureContinue reading “Mary And Frankenstein by Linda Bailey and Júlia Sardà”

What Does An Anteater Eat? by Ross Collins My rating: 4 of 5 stars Picture books are a performative thing. Every book is, in a sense, but picture books are perhaps more performative than others. They are made to be shared and talked about and enjoyed by multitudes of readers. They are made to beContinue reading “What Does An Anteater Eat? : Ross Collins”

Wave by Suzy Lee My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a remarkable and show-stopping thing, let down only by the printing format itself. Lee’s art is a delicious joy, telling the story of a girl on a visit to the beach. It’s wordless throughout and delivered in a simple, clean palette of blacksContinue reading “Wave : Suzy Lee”

The Weaver by Qian Shi My rating: 4 of 5 stars There’s a lot to love in this debut picture book from Qian Shi, not in the least her fine and delicate artwork that sings of heart and love. The titular weaver is Stanley the spider who collects things and keeps them in his web.Continue reading “The Weaver : Qian Shi”

Poo Bum by Stephanie Blake My rating: 5 of 5 stars I get books recommended to me a lot. Poo Bum has been on my ‘to read’ list for a while; but when a lovely librarian friend of mine told me that it got the “best reaction she’d ever had” at story time, it slidContinue reading “Poo Bum : Stephanie Blake”

I Dare You by Reece Wykes My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a picture book and honestly? I get a little twitchy when I’m away from them. I get a little nervous, as though a part of me is missing and it’s a part that can only beContinue reading “I Dare You : Reece Wykes”

Wild Animals of the North by Dieter Braun My rating: 5 of 5 stars The latest step on my Carnegie / Kate Greenaway catch up is Wild Animals of the North by Dieter Braun. Genuinely a little bit breathtaking, this is something rather special.The conceit is simple and easy to grasp: Braun lists a selectionContinue reading “Wild Animals of the North : Dieter Braun”

Horrible Bear! by Ame Dyckman My rating: 4 of 5 stars There’s a lot to love about this vibrant and carefully pitched picture book. Horrible Bear! is the story of a girl who is out flying her kite one day. The string snaps and the kite falls into the cave of a very big andContinue reading “Horrible Bear! : Ame Dyckman & Zachariah OHora”

The Journey by Francesca Sanna My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Journey is something rather special and painfully beautiful; it’s a picture book which retells the journey of a nameless family of refugees. Told in a mixture of calm double page spreads, and singular pages, the family have to leave their home after theContinue reading “The Journey : Francesca Sanna”

The Riddlemaster by Kevin Crossley-Holland My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was intrigued to receive this review copy from the publisher; Kevin Crossley-Holland is an author I’ve had a strange relationship with. I admire his writing, greatly, yet often feel quite distanced from it when reading. When spoken though, or performed, I would wedContinue reading “The Riddlemaster : Kevin Crossley-Holland & Stéphane Jorisch”

Nara and the Island by Dan Ungureanu My rating: 4 of 5 stars Think of a bright blue sky. Think of a blue that’s so dense you could almost walk on it. Think of a sky that’s so full of this thick, dense blue that there’s no clouds, nothing else but this blue. Think ofContinue reading “Nara and the Island : Dan Ungureanu”

All Aboard for the Bobo Road by Stephen Davies My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s been too long since I reviewed a picture book, and so I am indebted to Andersen Press for this review copy of ‘All aboard for the Bobo Road’. Written from the author’s own experience of life in Burkina Faso,Continue reading “All aboard the Bobo Road : Stephen Davies & Christopher Corr”

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat My rating: 5 of 5 stars Picture books are complex, complex spaces that speak of something quite vibrant and distinct when they’re done right. They’re slim, ineffably potent things that tell story as though it is pared from their very heart; each word laden withContinue reading “The Adventures of Beekle – The Unimaginary Friend : Dan Santat”

  The Vasa Piglet by Björn Bergenholtz My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’m distinctly conscious that the books I review tend to fit a particular canon of authors, style and language. Whilst some of that is perfectly understandable and self-explanatory (*cough*bit of a fan of the school story *cough cough*), there’s a point whereContinue reading “The Vasa Piglet : Björn Bergenholtz”

Chicken Clicking is a picture book from the amazing pairing of Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross. The back catalogue of these two authors is a solidly joyous thing, so I was very pleased to receive this from Andersen Press for review. It’s a joy, really. I like wallowing in picture books. I like it when they’reContinue reading “Chicken Clicking : Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross”

The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Julia Donaldson’s one of the big names of picture books, and I was excited to see The Paper Dolls where she teams up with the estimable Rebecca Cobb. If you don’t know Cobb’s work, it’s lovely. I’m a big fan of her styleContinue reading “The Paper Dolls – Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb”

Claude on the Slopes by Alex T Smith My rating: 5 of 5 stars I adore these books, I truly do. The witty, warm illustrations coupled with a mischievous dog and his best friend – Sir Bobblysock – combine to make beautiful books. Claude on the Slopes is no exception. I love the round richnessContinue reading “Claude on the Slopes : Alex T Smith”

Missing Mummy by Rebecca Cobb My rating: 5 of 5 stars Books about bereavement are a big interest to me and I collate ones that I come across in a reading list. I am such a fan of Rebecca Cobb’s work and this book is beautiful.One of the things I think Cobb does really wellContinue reading “Missing Mummy – Rebecca Cobb”

I have been aching to do another picture book in depth post for a while now. Whilst I know picture books aren’t the main focus of this blog, they are one of my great and genuine joys and they are something very, very important. Picture books are our introduction to literacy. They’re read by usContinue reading “Interplay in ‘the yes’ by Sarah Bee and Satoshi Kitamura”

The King of Space by Jonny Duddle My rating: 5 of 5 stars Well, this is adorable. Jonny Duddle’s perhaps best known for his Pirates books, and indeed that’s where I know his name from. My library didn’t have those in but they did have this. And this is ace. The King of Space isContinue reading “The King Of Space : Jonny Duddle”

This is my first Nosy Crow book. I’ve come across the work of Nosy Book a lot already, what with loving their blog and their books when I’ve seen them (and, er, borrowed them) from the hands of my friends and relatives children. And the thing about them, the standard brilliant thing about them, isContinue reading “Weasels : Elys Dolan”

Dixie O’Day: In The Fast Lane by Shirley Hughes My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s books like this that make me remember why I enjoy children’s literature so. I’ve spoken before about my love for Hughes and Vulliamy; the bold, generous, reader-centred nature of their writing and artwork, and so came to Dixie withContinue reading “Dixie O’Day In The Fast Lane : Shirley Hughes & Clara Vulliamy”

Rabbityness by Jo Empson My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have several children’s literature reading lists on my blog, one of which is titles which feature bereavement / grieving / loss. You can view the actual list here (and it’s crowd-editable, so please feel free to add to it!). One of the titles whichContinue reading “Rabbityness : Jo Empson”

Azzi in Between by Sarah Garland My rating: 4 of 5 stars Azzi In Between first came to my attention following it winning the inaugural Little Rebels Children’s Book Award . This, coupled with the review it got over at Playing By The Book meant that it was one book that was very much onContinue reading “Azzi in Between : Sarah Garland”

The Island by Armin Greder My rating: 5 of 5 stars There’s a difficulty sometimes when considering picture books and that difficulty is this: they are inescapable. There’s always a level of semiotic interpretation that occurs with a sign, be that sign a word or an image, but I think that the breadth of interpretationContinue reading “The Island : Armin Greder”

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen My rating: 5 of 5 stars There are moments when I am dazzled by the wonder of picture books. It happened with Martha and the Bunny Brothers by Clara Vulliamy and it has happened here again. Klassen’s masterful story is perfection. And I love it so. ItContinue reading “I want my hat back : Jon Klassen”

I’ve been wanting to do a slightly more in-depth review of a picture book for a while, and when I came across the very gorgeous Martha and the Bunny Brothers by Clara Vulliamy it felt like the perfect opportunity. What I want this post to do is give you a bit of background on how I readContinue reading “Martha and the Bunny Brothers : Clara Vulliamy”

Alfie Gets in First by Shirley Hughes My rating: 5 of 5 stars We all know and love Alfie right? I do. He’s an iconic character, created by the equally iconic Shirley Hughes, and this is one of my favourite titles starring him and his younger sister Annie Rose. But, before I talk about this,Continue reading “Alfie gets in first : Shirley Hughes”

There Are Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwarz My rating: 5 of 5 stars Sometimes when a picture book works really well, it’s a delight regardless of what age you are. The best ones work at a level accessible to everyone, bringing different levels of nuance and meaning to an apparently simplistic concept. TheyContinue reading “There are cats in this book : Viviane Schwarz”

The Little Bird by Dick Bruna My rating: 5 of 5 stars So. Dick Bruna. My beloved god of felt-tip pen bluntness, and vivid colour. Is it too hyperbolic to say that this moved me to tears at the end of it? I think maybe, it is, and yet, it did. So it stands. BrunaContinue reading “The Little Bird : Dick Bruna”

This book, oh this gloriously wicked and funny book, is one of my greatest pleasures. Kay Thompson was godmother to Liza (Lizaaa!) Minelli and wrote the Eloise series inspired by both the antics of Liza, and the experiences that Thompson herself had as living at the Plaza. And it is glorious. Eloise is a furiouslyContinue reading “Eloise : Kay Thompson”

Dogs’ Night by Meredith Hooper My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is such a lovely book. Set in the National Gallery, London, the dogs of the paintings come out once a year on Dogs’ Night. This year there’s a party in the gallery and all of the dogs are waiting until the party guestsContinue reading “Dogs’ Night : Meredith Hooper”

There’s Going to Be a Baby by John Burningham My rating: 5 of 5 stars There’s Going To Be A Baby is a quietly lovely little book. There’s a gorgeous intimacy about it which envelops the reader from the front cover image of parent and child trustingly holding each other. I loved this. It’s justContinue reading “A trio of picture book reviews”