TV and books can work!

Tags

Children's picture books, children's television, storytelling

Are you a fan of Bookaboo ? If not, why ever not?! It’s a children’s TV show that airs on ITV in the UK and CBC in Canada. What on earth does it have to do with children’s literature you ask? Well, it features a rock puppy who just can’t perform unless he hears a story. Aimed at 3-6 year olds, it aired new shows last weekend and I’m a big fan.

The series will feature 14 picture books in total read by celebrities who read them aloud to Rock Puppy so that he can perform on stage in his rock band. I love it because it’s fun, engaging and it’s sole purpose is to feature fabulous stories that children will engage with and enjoy. To be honest, I’m not sure they really need celebrities to turn up each week for the reading-actors maybe as they have more ability (hopefully) to put interest into the reading, but I’m nit picking.

Rock Puppy is a brilliant creation and they feature some lovely books. One of which is on my all time favourites list ‘Aliens Love Underpants‘. A genius of a picture book. Written in rhyme and accompanied by lovely illustrations, it tells the story of what happens to those mysteriously disappearing underpants from your washing line-yes, it’s the aliens that love to have them. They wear them on their heads and use them as trampolines, apparently.

A wonderfully warm and funny tale that is lovely to read aloud and perfect for sharing. If the Bookaboo series introduces more people to this story then I’m all for it! This is one occasion where TV and traditional story books combine to bring the joys of reading to a whole new audience. If you have a moment to spare and enjoy picture books why not check out both the book and the programme? If you’re not the proud (yet tired) parent of young children, you may want to record it as it airs at 7.25am over the weekend!!

The Illustration Machine sources a Children’s Illustrator That Is For Keeps!

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books for keeps, illustration, jackie morris

The Illustration Machine has a new ally; they don’t know this yet but it won’t be long before they do!

Books for Keeps is one of the coolest magazines going and anyone who is involved in any way with children’s books whether that’s writing or illustrating, designing or promoting should read it.
I first came across the magazine many years ago; it actually began in 1980 and I became an avid reader about ten years later. I was lucky enough to work at a school which had the money for such subscriptions and there used to be a fight for ‘first read’ when the librarian notified us the latest copy was in.

Books for Keeps reviews hundreds of children’s books every year and it is there I first learned about Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Lemony Snicket novels.
In fact, if you can believe such a thing I even managed to get Terry Pratchett to make a visit to the school and he even stayed at my house! No one ever believes my son when he says he had breakfast with Mr Pratchett, who did actually remove his black hat, it has to be said!
Of course, Books for Keeps doesn’t just review books, although it is wonderful at it. You will also find in depth articles about all aspects of children’s literature and they feature top illustrators as well as authors.
They manage to source and attract the very best commentators, scholars and just about any of the glitterati associated with the world of children’s fiction and have therefore become a fabulous resource and archive.

In the current issue, an interview with the illustrator Jackie Morris, caught my eye specifically as she talks about her latest book East of The Sun, West of Moon.

East of The Sun, West of Moon. Jackie Morris

She is a water colourist predominantly and has eschewed tradition to develop a very distinct style of her own. She admits to not mixing colours and says it has been a long journey fulfilled by time and patience. These qualities have allowed her to reach her specific destination.
Morris talks of how creating covers is so testing and how, of course, a book can live or die by what is on the front of it. She discusses how covers really need to give an insight, a flavour, a texture of what lies within and of course must catch the eye first and foremost.
Her latest book cover was extremely challenging and took about a month of sketching, thinking and planning. The illustrator managed to produce two paintings but rejected them as she felt they were weak.
Morris is self-critical of her work for the cover of East of the Sun, saying it was to steeped in narrative rather than being mysterious or intriguing. This title, is in fact, her first novel and therefore the pressure really was on. Morris has much to say about the quality of the illustrations and likens them to having decorative qualities that act like points of punctuation. As this particularly book is not contained within chapters she says it is like a play with separate acts.
Not only are there punctuation pieces but the full bleed double page spreads are intense and dramatic and contrast perfectly to the cover. Morris states that she sees these as highly descriptive illustrations like the writing and they are very much part of the book’s internal scenery. She feels they have been created and designed to carry the narrative, augment actual description and strengthen the sense of place within the book.

We look forward to featuring the writing and illustration of all the Illustration Machine’s roster and if you would like to be interviewed please contact marketing@theillustrationmachine.com

East of the Sun, West of Moon is published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Books for Keeps website: http://booksforkeeps.co.uk

Vivienne Neale is a children’s author and her latest book The Cashpoint Kid will be published soon. She is the director of a writing retreat in Portugal www.awritingretreatportugal.com

Celebrate Harry Potter’s 15th Birthday!

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books, Children's literature, Harry Potter, JK Rowling, reading, The Philosopher's Stone, The Sorcerer's Stone

Did you know that it’s almost 15 years since reader’s in the U.S. first encountered the wizarding world of Harry Potter and travelled with him on his adventures to Hogwarts?

I can’t quite believe it, mostly because I remember a trip my husband and I took to New England before we were married which seems like only yesterday. Whilst there, we were approached by a young boy. Realising that we were from the UK, he wanted to know if we knew someone called Joanne Rowling? We’d never heard of her at that point, but this young boy’s enthusiastic description of the first Harry Potter book really piqued our interest. We were hooked from that moment on! As soon as we got home we went out to discover more. In fact, Harry Potter has featured a great deal in our lives since then-I read ‘Order of the Phoenix’ on our honeymoon during our lazy beach days (I’m a quick reader!) and now our children are big fans-my 6 year old believes she IS Harry and is trying to read ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’ on her own, whilst my 2 year old keeps picking up sticks and pretending they’re wands!

To encourage new readers in the U.S. to discover this magical world a brand new cover has been designed for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (the Philosopher’s Stone for UK readers) which was revealed by Scholastic last week. All seven will be re-released eventually with new covers.

The art work is by Kazuhiro Kibuishi who created the graphic novel series Amulet. Kazuhiro was inspired by the idea of paying homage to great literature by creating something that would befit a classic series.

One of the driving factors behind the new designs has been the desire to engage new readers with the books who may have only ever seen the stories portrayed on film.

As far as I’m concerned, these stories are just almost perfect literature and any attempt to engage a new generation in reading the books before watching the films is a great idea. I have to say, that I insist that my children will read the books first before watching the films and we’ll take our time doing it too to prolong the enjoyment!

World Book Day

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books, children, Children's literature, family, learning, March 7 2013, story telling

We have always had books in our home, right from the day our children were born. The first books were the touch and feel books and then it became picture books with a few more words. For my daughter, she became really interested in story picture books quite quickly and is now trying to read Harry Potter on her own at the age of 6 (it’s a tricky book to read at that age, but she’s determined!) It’s never too early to foster a love of books is what I say. My daughter’s collection now includes plenty of non fiction books, especially about animals and big cats, plus the odd dinosaur and planets book. The downside to this is I can see storage becoming an issue very very soon!

My toddler son is more interested in books that he can physically get involved with, although interestingly he still likes them to have a story or description. He likes pulling flaps, looking behind doors or listening to musical accompaniment. Both love books, but it’s fascinating to see the different ways in which they interact with them. The other morning, I came in to my son’s room to discover his entire bookshelf all over the floor with him in the middle like a small island!

Anyway, as it’s World Book Day on March 7 and one of the books they are featuring is Giraffes Can’t Dance which is one of our family favourites I thought I’d give the event a shout as well as the book.

This is a great book to share. It’s written in rhyme and is very easy to read aloud, plus the illustrations are wonderful and provide plenty of talking points.

The story is about Gerald the giraffe who just can’t dance and how the other animals laugh unkindly at him. He desperately wants to join in but is embarrassed by his gangly legs. However, Gerald gets a little inspiration from a friend and finds himself dancing, to the awe of his fellow animal friends.

It’s a fun story, well written and beautifully illustrated.

Why not take a look at some of the other featured books for World Book Day as there’s something for all ages to share and enjoy. There’s now also a dedicated section for YA reader’s too. I wonder when this ‘term’ was coined? That’s a whole other post all of it’s own I should imagine!

The Illustration Machine Scares Itself To Death! Arthur Rackham’s Illustration Is As Powerful As It Was A Century Ago

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arthur rackham, drawing, fantasy, illustration, imagination

Children’s illustration very much reflects the tastes and social morays of the time. Anyone who has seen the endless pastiches of the original Janet and John series will know how anachronistic the vision of family depicted appears today.

I still have one or two Ladybird books on my bookshelves and they have become historic documents in themselves showing a world that has all but disappeared: streets with no cars parked either side being one very obvious difference. The Illustration Machine loves the variety, experimentation and opportunism contemporary illustrators use and is proud to promote so many talented practitioners.

We know children’s literature which accentuates contemporary experience is wonderful and I have enjoyed books which tackle difficult subjects in a no nonsense way with fine pictures to underscore the point. The only thing is I also like the fantastical element associated with some artists and the one who had a massive impact on my own drawing style and imagination has been Arthur Rackham.

Even now I am typing this with a page of images open on the internet and I want to stop and study each one. The element of otherworldliness imbued in these pictures is intensely portrayed; one expects things to happen when you gaze into each illustration. Take this one for example; it is thrilling and is enough to give any child nightmares. It almost looks like a photographic reproduction but it is very much a pen and India ink picture complete with multiple washes which almost appear translucent in the finished picture.

The muted palette which has bleached the sky looks malevolent as if a storm is brewing and night will fall shortly. Pathetic fallacy is redolent in this picture and we anticipate the worst. The fairy’s costume echoes the tree roots, she is so close she may well become entangled and trapped forever.

Our caricatured villain with his supernatural air and gnarled appearance is the embodiment of a child’s fear and looking at this picture would engender the same feeling as the scariest fairground ride complete with excitement, dread and desire. The same intensity I experienced when watching ‘the Singing Ringing Tree’ on television many years ago which also captured that northern European Nordic style. This is actually much beloved of heavy metal bands like Cradle of Filth and Rammstein which lean towards this kind of imagery. Yes, another passion of mine!

The detail draws the viewer’s eye, look at the veins and warts on the goblin’s hands, which are picked up on the tree bark and the face. Claw-like finger nails and the tiny insects which fly around; the brittle branches which also look dangerous, ‘all the better to snag you with!’ all intensify the air of menace.

Of course you might write a thesis on the fairy with her perfect skin and blonde hair, air of innocence and naïve curiosity but not here. I am just fascinated by the image. Arthur Rackham is probably one of the greatest illustrators of the early twentieth century in what is often termed ‘The Golden Age’. He was working at a time when there was a real market for quality and Rackham was often published within limited editions and bound in vellum. The appetite for these books diminished at the onset of World War I but Rackham’s work is in high demand the world over.

Let’s hope books published by the Illustration Machine will stand the test of time too!

The Boy That Books Built! When Should You Start To Read With Your Child? The Illustration Machine Investigates

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author, children's books, each peach pear plum, miff, philip pullman, raymond briggs, reading, vivienne neale, where's spot

‘Once upon a time in a faraway land, dearly beloved, where they did not have the internet……’

‘They didn’t have the internet?’

‘No dear one, they did not have the internet.’

‘Oh, how did they manage?’

‘Well dearly beloved that is another story but now give me leave to continue…’

Once upon a time in a faraway land there was a woman who had a baby. He was a very sleepy baby and could only stay awake for around half an hour before snuggling back into his cot for the next nap. His mother was really worried he would not have enough stimulation, so at five days old she started to read to him.’

Yes, that was me some twenty plus years ago and my son’s first exposure to books happened when he was just 120 hours old! I introduced him first to the Miffy series by Dick Bruna! You see, I wasn’t very good at baby conversation and thought it was much easier to concentrate on the books than do anything else.

In a very short time he was watching everything and the whole family seemed to take on board the idea that this boy was going to read. Within a few short months we were knee deep in every kind of book imaginable and I too was introduced to some classic illustrators and story tellers which I still have an affection for.

As a reading partnership we quickly moved on from simple picture books to Eric Hill’s Where’s Spot, The Hungry Caterpillar, Nicola Bayley’s Charming Cat series, then Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s Peepo, Funny Bones, Each Peach Pear, Plum and The Jolly Postman too. We loved Mog by Judith Kerr and devoured all of those in every form and even had a copy we could read in the bath. I was sad when Kerr finally killed the cat off in the last book. (How could she ?!!!)

Soon we were making our first steps towards stories with whole pages of words like The Owl Who Was Afraid of The Dark by Jill Tomlinson and The Railway Cat by Edith Nesbit and of course the comic style of Raymond Briggs, whether it was Fungus The Bogeyman or Father Christmas in his swimming shorts. I seem to remember Where’s wally featured in their too.

I was sorry when our picture book days were abandoned having lapped up The Snowman and The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsberg, Kit Williams’ Masquerade and so many beautiful volumes which have been given away for others to enjoy.

It wasn’t long until I too was semi –redundant as a story teller and post bedtime story would be replaced by talking books on a Fisher Price cassette player which lived by the bed. In no time at all, my son was telling me his teacher had spelled elephant incorrectly because she should have used an ‘f’ not ‘ph’!

We wrote stories together, illustrated them, made little books and then the hunt was on to find books that would keep an adolescent boy engaged – now there’s a challenge. I read Francis Spufford’s book a little while back entitled The Boy That Books Built with interest and I don’t know whether my choice of paperbacks had such an impression. Our list went something like this: Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging, Northern Lights Philip Pullman and Mortal Engines Phillip Reeve (they were lean years!) until we landed at Ben Elton! What an odd journey.

Ironically my son is not much of a reader (perhaps he felt he did a life’s worth before he reached the age of 10!. Nowadays he earns his living as a professional drummer and travels the world but what has remained with him is a passion for language and if there is a pun to be made or a joke to be cracked then this is what he does. His Facebook post this morning was:

‘I love my step ladder but I prefer my real ladder.’ Oh dear!

Should I have taught him to read and write? Hmnn the jury is out on that one!

Mind you, he has also just sent me a copy of his first children’s story so, you never know when your kids will acknowledge their influences.

It’s never too early to read to children I say!

 

Author Bio

Vivienne Neale is the author of The Cashpoint Kid and director of a writing retreat in Portugal. Catch up with her blog at www.awritingretreatportugal.com

Celebrating 100 Years!

Tags

books, Children's literature, reading

Pollyanna by Eleanor H Porter was first published in 1913. That makes it a pretty impressive 100 years old. If you’re not familiar with the story, it’s about an orphaned little girl who has to go to live with her rather austere aunt. On her arrival, she manages to infect the local people with her constant cheerfulness and endless positivity and changes the life of her lonely aunt, despite her aunts best efforts. It has been made into a play for Broadway and a musical by Disney (starring Hayley Mills) over the years.

Yes, it’s obviously a story from a completely different generation and some of the words and phrasing will be tricky for young readers to get their heads around. But the reason it’s still in print is a good one-it’s a classic story that’s well told. Pollyanna is a remorselessly cheerful little girl and what’s not to like about that?

If reading this type of story feels slightly off putting to you and seems difficult to read aloud or read alone for children, searching around opened me up to the opportunity to try out audio versions of the book which we can listen to instead. I find these can work as they are adapted and therefore are almost dramatised-so you feel like your listening to a play, rather than the straight story. They can be a great introduction to classic stories. One of our favourites to work in this way is The Railway Children by E Nesbit.

Why not try to get yourself a copy, whether paper, ebook or audio and discover a classic tale.

Here’s one of my favourite quotes from the book to wet your appetite:

“For the third time since Pollyanna’s arrival, Miss Polly was punishing Pollyanna—and for the third time she was being confronted with the amazing fact that her punishment was being taken as a special reward of merit”

Excerpt From: Eleanor Hodgman Porter. “Pollyanna.” iBooks.

The Illustration Machine Explores How the Imagination Is Unlocked. Some Images Stay with Us For Ever!

Tags

children, chimney sweep, fairytales, illustration, imagination, little mermaid, paul durand, princess and the pea, puss in boots

In 1964 my father went to The Ideal Home Exhibition – well, at least that is my memory but who knows if this is entirely correct. Whatever the truth I remember him coming home wearing brown leather gloves with fur inside and handing me a book of fairy tales. It is just bigger than A4 but not quite A3 and looks very different 49 years later!

Yes Puss in Boots and other stories was a Golden Pleasure Book published by Paul Hamlyn and it is next to me as I write this blog. The reason I am writing about is the illustrations are burned into my mind like an etching and if you asked me I could draw the pictures as they are so striking.

The book was translated from the French and was originally written by Perrault and Andersen. There is nothing particularly special about the texts. Puss in Boots is followed by The Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, The Princess and The Pea and finally The Shepherdess and The Chimney Sweep.

Paul Durand

So what is it about this book which means it has travelled all over with me? It is the illustrations of Paul Durand which make this volume something so very haunting. The story of the Little Mermaid taught me so much about being careful what we wish for, of betraying our true self, the tyranny of unrequited love and the pain of being female in a patriarchal society. Not that I thought like that in 1964 of course!

I was lost in the magic of an enchanted forest which sprung up outside the castle where Sleeping Beauty lay undisturbed for 100 years. The illustrations are beautiful and Durand’s evocation of the prince gazing on the castle and then tiptoeing up an enormous curved staircase where guards were sleeping and a candle still burned prompted my imagination to walk alongside the prince.

The book is not glossy but even now the colours are vivid but very much of their time. Paul Durand was born on the French Island Bréhat in1925 and died in Guerville ( Yvelines )in 1977. He began his career by producing drawings for Femina, Woman Chic back in 1946. He then went on to design posters for Renault. But once photographs started to replace illustrations in newspapers, he turned his attention to children ‘s literature where he found considerable success. By 1975 Durand’s name was known all over Europe and General de Gaulle chose his compatriote as illustrator for his Christmas message to the children of France.

Durand’s books have been published all over the world and even now you can check out his legacy on the website dedicated to his work www.pauldurandillustrateur.fr.

Perhaps he might have been surprised to know Puss In Boots and Other Stories book is still a treasured possession. I guess it just goes to prove just how important illustration can be in the minds of children and may well have a life long impact.

by Vivienne Neale 

Love Books? Celebrate International Book Giving Day!

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books, Children's literature, international book giving day

If the thought of February 14th doesn’t necessarily fill you with a warm glow of pleasure and anticipation, fear not. You are definitely not alone and there’s something else to focus your mind on that day instead-International Book Giving Day. What a great idea it is too. Spread the love and joy of books to children around the world by giving away a book. It doesn’t have to be new, it can be used too, and it’s so easy to do.

International Book Giving Day is all about spreading the love and joy of books to as many children as possible throughout the world. Specifically, it’s about sharing books with those children who find it most difficult to access them. But it’s also just a fabulous way of sharing the magic and wonder to each every child.

There are several ways in which you can get involved;

1.Give a new or used book to a young person you know, whether they’re a friend, relative or neighbour.

2.Leave a good book in a waiting room or reception-somewhere that children have to spend time waiting round, like a doctor’s or dentist’s surgery for example. The idea of the day is to inspire young minds, so be inventive with your choices!

3.Donate some of those books your own children have grown out of and give them to a local library, hospital, or your local thrift shop.

Maybe you can come up with your own idea of how to celebrate the day-the more unique the better. Perhaps new authors might consider some welcome opportunities to share their books with children for free by donating them to a local school or children’s organisation?

If you love reading and love books, share the joy on February 14th in any way you can. By the way, if you’re a budding or experienced children’s illustrator, why not check out the opportunities open to you to create book templates which can be stuck inside a donated book.

Iona Burchell is a freelance writer. Find her at her blog or tweet me @Redpeffer.

The Book Is Dead, Long Live The Book!!

Tags

books, children's books, e-books, illustration, kindle, print, publishing, typography

I have always been what is termed ‘an early adopter’ and I distinctly remember unwrapping my object of desire which was an early 40g i-pod. What a delicious piece of design it was and the box itself was a triumph. I embraced the idea of the MP3 and had absolutely no problem dispensing with CDS and beginning my love affair with music on the move.

So explain to me if you can, why I have not been able to bring myself to buy a Kindle? No matter how many times I have perused them, checked out all the details there’s a part of me that is not convinced. I think it’s because I am waiting for something better, don’t ask me what, but something.

Therefore I was interested to read in a Sunday newspaper that conventional books are actually bouncing back. I thought this was fascinating and read on. After all it was only a couple of years ago that the digital writing was on the screen (yes, a clumsy update of wall, I know!) Publishers were gearing themselves up to say goodbye and in fact everywhere you went, everyone was clutching an e-reader (except me of course).

So, surprise, surprise, both in the UK and the US sales of e-books are levelling off and even those who possess an e-readers, still read print. In fact Nook, the e-reader developed by Barnes and Noble which attracted investment from Microsoft, no less, found that its Christmas sales were down just over 12%; oh dear.

What is going on you may ask? I think users are beginning to see the flaw of reading the old ‘scroll’ method which we abandoned just a few years back! The problem is although you can bookmark, you can’t flick back a couple of pages. Call me prejudiced but I just don’t want to read on screen; I do it all day, every day and just don’t fancy it for pleasure.

According to research carried out by Leicester University, we also absorb more when reading in print than on screen. Ha! I knew it! I have to confess right now that I skim read all the time on screen. Hey, as a guest blogger we have all developed techniques to accommodate this like using bullet points, headers and short paragraphs as if we have all lost the power to concentrate.

So does that mean, grownups read print? I am joking, but what I mean is, that if you want a full reading experience choose print. After all, where is the space for typography? e-books just aren’t sexy enough (not talking 50 Shades of Grey here) you know what I mean. Call me old fashioned but I love holding a brand new book in my hand. I love to see its dimensions, the cover, the font, its whole design and smell. I once went to an exhibition of bespoke editions of Booker Prize shortlists where these utterly beautiful books were, well excuse me, orgasmic and I had to be lead away! Yes, yes, perhaps I should ‘see’ someone!

Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill

Which brings me to my point; sorry it has taken almost 500 words. Are children missing anything from the reading experience by reading digitally? How would Where’s Spot by Eric Hill, Jan Pienkowski’s Haunted House, The Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle and other pop up books work on screen? Well they don’t. I think of the games of hide and seek that went on when I read board books with my son, the joy of unfolding the letters in The Jolly Postman and the pack of cards which magically flew up at the end of our edition of Alice in Wonderland are just two of the books we loved.

Haunted House

The Jolly Postman

Of course there is a place for an e-reader but illustrators old and young will not be confined to this medium and I am so glad. As Stephen Page of Faber and Faber said, it’s all about upping the product away from the mass market, cheap as chips formula. There has been an emergence of coloured end papers and more hard backs for sale and who knows even the return of illustrations in adult books?

I’m saying nothing…….

Vivienne Neale is a children’s writer.
Her novel The Cashpoint Kid will be published shortly, with a real cover, designed by Josef Hill and everything!