Next month the new picture book by Anna Walker will be released and we are so looking forward to it.
Anna just released this trailer for Peggy this morning…
Peggy will be officially launched at an event at The Little Bookroom in Melbourne on the 1st of September, more information here.
One of the reasons we’ve been offline for so long is this little poppet…
This is our little girl, Mira, 7 weeks old. I can’t wait to share another wonderful reading journey with her, as I have with her two big brothers.
Among her many beautiful gifts have been a couple of lovely books. One of them is this book, Pom Pom Where Are You? written by Natalie Jane Prior and illustrated by Cheryl Orsini.
The perfect book for anyone who loves Paris, this is a romp through the iconic sites of my favourite city through a dogs-eye view. Pom Pom lives in Paris and longs for adventure, which is exactly what he gets one day when he loses his owner while out on their daily walk. The premise reminds me a little of Harry the Dirty Dog, except that where Harry collects dirt, Pom Pom collects new friends and experiences – a restaurant lunch, a trip on a bateau mouche, a visit to Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens – and at every place he finds a new friend.
Like all good picture books, the illustrations in this story are much more than a straightforward expression of the text – and Cheryl Orsini’s artwork offers a rich and comical sub-text. Characters from one illustration and carried through to the next, and if you look very carefully you find that Pom Pom’s loving owner is really not that far behind him…
And there are so many authentic details included, making this wonderful Penguin Australia production feel very, very French. You can read more about what author Natalie Jane Prior thinks of the book here, and of naming Pom Pom’s owner, Henriette, after her own grandmother… Cheryl Orsini also has a beautiful website and blog.
This book was even more perfectly appropriate for Mira than my dear friend who chose it even knew. For not only does her mama love all things French, but lucky little Mira will herself get the chance to visit Paris later this year. And so this book will be doubly special in our house – as an intro to our travels it will be well read by her brothers before we go and as a wonderful keepsake for Mira to celebrate her first travel experience!
We have been spending a lot of time in the garden lately. We have set up a vegie patch, planted some flowers in pots and have been enjoying the feeling of satisfaction that comes from having things grow.
I was delighted to come across the Yates May Gibbs Sweet Pea Fairy seeds and think I will have to spread some of these around. Although they won’t come up until Spring I can’t think of anything more gorgeous than a whole tribe of little Sweet Pea Fairies in the backyard.
I think this is such a wonderful idea by Yates and the funds raised from the seeds go towards charities; the Northcott Society for Crippled Children and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. And what a lovely way to combine reading an Australian classic and learning about nature.
One of the most beautiful self published books I have seen has arrived in our store. I Hear Two Birds is a counting book and a work of art written and illustrated by Brisbane local Kathy Panton.
Kathy has a Bachelor of Visual Art, and has recently given up her job as a special education teacher to be a fulltime artist. She told us … ‘I really believe in following your passion and that is why I am an artist.’
‘I can’t say I have any specific influences, but I have long studied the work of other artists who illustrate children’s books. A lot of people say my work is like Eric Carle’s, and that is a great compliment, as I think he was a real innovator in children’s book illustration.’
Kathy actually paints first and then cuts up her work which she uses in a collage technique to make her exquisit pictures. We are so lucky to have these photos of Kathy’s studio to share…
You can see here where she keeps her cut up paintings for use in her pictures…
I believe that Kathy has really captured the essence of what all the great, classic children’s books have. I Hear Two Birds works on so many different levels, it has beautiful flowing, rhythmic text, counting, recognition of colour, shape and everyday objects including animals and nature. It truly is a stunning book and we are very proud to have it.
Kathy also sells her beautiful prints, which are perfect art for a child’s room, from her Etsy store here.
Our great friend Nicci directed us towards this hilarious clip on Youtube…
The Terrible Plop is definitely one of my favourite picture books this year.
This beautiful picture is called On Books and is by Melbourne artist and illustrator Charlotte Lance. Charlotte has illustrated many children’s books and you can see more of her art on her website here.
Her art is whimsical, graceful, warm and expressive.
Charlotte illustrated one of my favorite intermediate novels Wiggy and Boa by Anna Fienberg. I also love her children’s t-shirt range called BOYGIRL which is available in selected stores in Melbourne – you can find out more here.
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