Drawn in by Carll Cneut’s glorious artwork and the prospect of a ‘deliciously dark European picture book’, I backed this book on Kickstarter earlier this year. It is due for release this month. The Golden Cage is a wonderfully unique picture book. First, its size: At 340 x 260 mm, it is larger than most … Continue reading The Golden Cage
Felix After the Rain: A Forthcoming Picture Book from Slovenia
As part of my mini-series on Slovenian picture books, I invited Delaram Ghanimifard, co-founder and publisher of Tiny Owl Publishing, to tell us more about forthcoming picture book Felix After the Rain. Written and illustrated by Dunja Jogan, this title is currently being translated from the Slovenian by Olivia Hellewell. What first attracted you … Continue reading Felix After the Rain: A Forthcoming Picture Book from Slovenia
Along the River
The river is the place to be! It bustles with energy and life as a flotilla of brightly coloured boats travels through the seasons towards the sea. Ships, boats, canoes carrying people, animals, fruits, plants, flowers, smiles and laughter. Along the River is a book with a relaxed and positive vibe. It isn’t just the peace … Continue reading Along the River
Don’t Cross the Line!
This is a sublimely quirky picture book! Don’t Cross the Line could be mistaken for a child’s drawing book, with its bright felt-tip colours, cartoon-like drawings, and dialogue written entirely in speech bubbles. Unusually, the story starts on the title page, with a ferocious general on horseback making it clear to an unfortunate guard that he, … Continue reading Don’t Cross the Line!
Five Picture Books That Surprise and Delight
As I was editing yesterday’s post on Feather, I started to think about picture books I have recently read that have held surprises, either in their format or artwork – or both. At its simplest, the surprise can be the way a book opens: Horizontally or vertically? A magnificent example is A Lion in Paris … Continue reading Five Picture Books That Surprise and Delight
Feather
Feather is on a quest to find the bird she belongs to, but it is no easy journey. She is at the mercy of the elements, blown this way and that by the wind and, on calm days, forced to lie where she has fallen. The strong gusts bring her into contact with a wide … Continue reading Feather
On a Magical Do-Nothing Day
Beatrice Alemagna has written so many brilliant picture books! My personal favourites include The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty and A Lion in Paris, and this one: On a Magical Do-Nothing Day. The theme of technology vs. nature, in particular, really strikes a chord with me. The storyline is simple: It’s a rainy day and a young boy and his mother … Continue reading On a Magical Do-Nothing Day
World Back-to-School Books
In many parts of the world, the summer holidays are over. September marks the beginning of a new term and the first day of primary school for a whole intake of young children. It can be a daunting and exciting time for new pupils. And for their parents and caregivers too! Books can be a … Continue reading World Back-to-School Books
Slovenian Picture Books
As I mentioned in my introductory post, I am currently researching, reading and reviewing picture books from every country in the world. When I am looking for titles from a new destination, I often find a wealth of interesting material about the children’s publishing scene in that country. Most of this information is online and … Continue reading Slovenian Picture Books
Valdemar’s Peas
Valdemar is a young wolf who absolutely hates peas. The problem is his papa won’t give him an ice cream until he’s eaten them. What will he do? Yuck! Peas ‘taste so green and round and pointless’. Valdemar may hate peas with a passion, but he loves fish fingers; he wolfs them down – whole … Continue reading Valdemar’s Peas
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 