One of the most classic and important children’s books ever published sung by the author…

Thanks to Youtube and www.henryholtkids.com

One of the things I used to love about working in bookstores was when new boxes arrived from publishers. It was like Christmas every month, the anticipation and the joy of finding out what was inside.

Now I get that feeling when I walk into a bookshop to see what is new on the shelves and also when I’m browsing the internet, checking out other peoples blogs for new and exciting books.

A couple of days a go I came across Suzy Lee on Amazon. The book is Wave and it is wordless.

Suzy Lee is amazing and I must now have Wave on my bookshelf; have a look at her website here to learn more about this very gorgeous artist.

Wordless picture books are of course an art because the whole story must be conveyed convincingly in the illustrations. They are very important in education for prompting children to learn how to interpret stories and also to recognise a beginning, middle and end in story telling. Wordless books are great at home as well; younger children can enjoy explaining what is happening in the illustrations and older children can take it further by imagining alternate endings and additional plot lines. Wordless picture books are rewarding.

weheartbooks top 5 wordless picture books

1. Up and Up (Shirley Hughes)

I love Shirley Hughes and one of my favorite books as a child was Dogger, or David and the Dog as it is known in the USA (I’ll post about that one another time). She is one of the best known children’s author/illustrators in the world. Set out in comic strip style Up and Up consists of black line drawings against a sepia background. The story of a little girl who longs to fly, it is purely magical as you follow her journey: she gets her wish and off she goes up and up. Her personality is infectious and she always makes me smile as she drifts along until she is finally rescued by a man in a hot air balloon. There is so much to look at in this book which makes it a great tool for encouraging children to make up their own stories. It doesn’t even have to be about the main character, you could make up different stories for the others she meets along the way. Ages 3+

2. The Arrival (Shaun Tan)

Well I just think this award winning book is incredible, in fact Shaun Tan is incredible. The Arrival depicts the journey of a man who leaves home for a strange, fantastical land in order to support his family. The hundreds of drawings Tan worked on for this stunning book are partly a reflection of his own father’s journey to Australia and his struggle to fit into an alien culture. More than a book The Arrival is an awe-inspiring artwork; every time I pick it up I find new and amazing elements that I had missed before. Ages 8+

3. The Snowman (Raymond Briggs)

Regarded as a cult classic this picture book tells a story in pictures - 175 frames to be exact - of the one night friendship of a boy and his snowman. The boy lovingly creates the man out of snow and when he looks out of his window that night he discovers the snowman is alive. They take each other on a tour of their worlds, the boy of his house and the snowman of his wintery world. In the morning when the boy wakes up the snowman is gone, he has melted and all that is left are pieces of coal. This book is all about the joy of exploring and discovering new things, it is about new friendships and then the fond memories of those friendships. This book really does give children the opportunity to imagine their own ending to the story. 4+

4. Sunshine and Moonlight (Jan Omerod)

These are favorites of mine from childhood, I can remember borrowing them from the school library numerous times. In the last few years they have been re-published and are just as beautiful as I remember them way back in primary school. Sunshine follows the progression of a little girl’s day as she gets up out of bed and begins her daily routine. My favorite scenes are when she hops into bed with her parents while they read their morning papers; everyone in this house has a routine and they all fit into each other’s. Toddlers can compare their routine in the morning before childcare/preschool with this little girl’s. Jan includes so much detail that this is perfect for beginning discussion with children about their own routines. Sunshine won the Australian Children’s Book of the Year Award in 1982. Moonlight is similar to Sunshine but of course follows the routine on the other end of the day; cleaning teeth, bathtime and bed. Ages 2+

5. Tuesday (David Wiesner)

Reading Tuesday is like watching an M. Night Shyamalan film; it is weird, quirky, funny and enthralling. On this particular Tuesday around 8 in the evening a strange thing begins to happen, suddenly frogs/toads start to invade the town levitating on lily pads and seemingly having a great time. The frogs eventually return to their rightful homes BUT the big surprise is what is going to happen on the following Tuesday? Tuesday won the prestigious Caldecott Medal and Wiesner’s amazing speech is here. I love this quote from that speech

Fortunately, kids know funny when they see it. If, after reading Tuesday one evening before bed, they look out the window and see frogs flying by—well, we should all be so lucky.

Wiesner’s art is incredible and I can guarantee that parents will love this as much as their children. Ages 4+

Although we have used some very classic choices here there is also room for a special mention for the fantastic wordless books by wonderful Australian illustrator Gregory Rogers, The Boy, the Bear, the Baron and the Bard and sequel Midsummer Knight. Ages 6+

Here is a photo of my 20c treasure from Booktown…

Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, Story and Pictures by Virginia Lee Burton.

Mike is an American classic first published in 1939. This copy is a little old Picture Puffin from 1977 that originally cost $1.75. The book ended up in the CFA Nothing Over $5 Sale from Coghill’s Creek Primary School, which is stamped inside the cover.

Mike and his steam shovel Mary Anne are out of work when new petrol and electric machines take over their jobs. Then Mike reads about a town called Popperville that needs a new town hall and they set off to dig the hall a cellar. They promise the town that if they don’t dig the cellar in a day they will not ask for payment. The whole town of Popperville turns out to watch and in the end they come up with an ingenious solution to everyone’s problems. This is a wonderful story about modernisation and how sometimes old is better and still has a place in society. Children who love diggers will really appreciate this picture book and will like the illustrations of the dig dig digging. There is a lot of text in this book though so it would be recommended for 4+.

Virginia Lee Burton also wrote The Little House, which she won the Caldecott Medal for in 1943 and Katy and the Big Snow. Each of these books are similar in theme to Mike Mulligan in that with grit and determination in the face of adversity you can succeed. All three have inanimate objects that have feelings and are befriended by people, which is an interesting concept.

As Katie mentioned in her post yesterday, we had a great time at Booktown and certainly plan to make a weekend of it next year. I too like Katie am envious of all the gorgeous things that other bloggers find at secondhand bookshops, thrift shops and estate sales. But I’m pretty happy with my little copy of Mike Mulligan and I wonder how many littlies have held it and enjoyed it before me.

I stumbled across a really interesting independent publisher in a bookshop the other day, Gecko Press.

I subsequently hopped on their website, and became a Friend of Gecko Press, receiving a lovely hand-written postcard in the mail!

With the mission to publish ‘curiously good children’s books from around the world’, Gecko was established by New Zealander Julia Marshall who returned home after living in Sweden for 12 years. Gecko Press aims to corner an underexplored niche of publishing international children’s authors for the first time in English. While in European countries, some 40 per cent of books are published in translation, only 3 per cent of books in the UK originated in another language. (And the percentage would be comparable in Australia and NZ…) There is a great sense of diversity that can come from reading books from other cultures, and I agree there is some room for more quality international authors to be published in English.

Gecko Press authors hale from Taiwan, Sweden, Germany and many other countries. A couple of my favourites are:

Donkeys (Adelheid Dahimene and Heide Stollinger)

This is the tale of two donkeys, Jack and Jenny, who are planning their silver wedding anniversary. They have exactly the personalities you’d imagine of donkeys – a bit cantankerous and very stubborn. But they are a perfect fit, right down to their bodies, worn from countless hugs – Jenny has a hollow on her neck and Jack has a bump in the very same place. When Jack forgets the anniversary, Jenny leaves in a huff, and both donkeys try to find another match. With illustrations in hues of gray and brown, this isn’t a picture book that would hold the attention of most littlies, but it would certainly amuse older kids, not to mention their mums and dads. Very quirky with lots of word-play (I take my hat off to the translator!). Age 4+

I Am the King (Leo Timmers)

I love Leo Timmer’s illustrations, they have such a bold, clean, graphic quality. In this book the animals of the jungle each vie to be king as they take it in turns to try on the crown. But it turns out, of course, that there is more to being king than wearing a hat… The colours in this book jump off the page. Age 1+

Recent successes of the likes of Nicholas bode well for Gecko. Originally published in France in 1956, Nicholas was re-issued in translation to great success by the uber-cool art publisher Phaidon Press in 2005. Written by the well-known Goscinny (author of the Asterix series) and illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist, Jean-Jacques Sempé, the Phaidon translation edition is gorgeous with hardback linen jacket.(I remember reading a small format orange paperback edition of Nicolas as part of our Year 9 French classes…) The story goes that the re-issue by Phaidon happened almost by accident, when the company’s owner, Richard Schlagman, attended the Frankfurt Book Fair with the intention of acquiring some rights to a book about English artists from a French publisher Denoël. But apparently his eye kept wandering to some images at the back of the booth. They were Sempé drawings, and though Mr. Schlagman barely knew who the artist was, he wound up making an offer for virtually his life’s work.

Phaidon have also published the gorgeous Martin Pebble, also by Sempé, about a childhood friendship between a boy who can’t stop blushing and a boy who can’t stop sneezing… Very cute.
This post is reminding me of all my favourite classic children’s books published in translation. Will post about these shortly…

Back in print and available at bookshops now are Henry’s Bath and Henry’s Bed, aren’t they beautiful? They are now published by Walker Books and have been missing for too long. Illustrated by the incredible Ron Brooks, these pictures books are so warm and cuddly, the perfect picture books for toddlers that have issues with the bath or bedtime.

Brooks also illustrated one of my all time favorite picture books and one that is easily considered a classic in Australian children’s literature; John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat. Written by Jenny Wagner it is a really special story about friendship, devotion and dealing with change, it is beautiful to share with children when they may be experiencing change like a new baby in the family. It was first published in 1977 and won the Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year Award in 1978.

Originally published in 1955, the protagonist of this book is as sassy as they come.
Eloise is six and she lives with her nanny on the top floor of The Plaza Hotel in New York. She is clearly used to adult company and speaks in the most precocious manner: “I live on the top floor, Of course I am apt to be on any floor at any time, And if I want to go anywhere I simply take the elevator … There are absolutely nothing but rooms in The Plaza, Oooooooooooo I absolutely love The Plaza.” I didn’t know Eloise when I was six, but I know that if I had, I would loved this idea – and would have invented all manner of make-believe games around the idea of living in a hotel!

The author was god-mother to Liza Minelli and there was speculation that Eloise was inspired by her. Initially the book was published for adults, but was soon adopted by kids, and became an instant bestseller to be followed by three sequels: Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmastime and Eloise in Moscow. Eloise Takes a Bawth was published post-humously in 2002. According to the book’s website, certain editorial changes have been made over the years to make Eloise more palatable, but if you look closely, a bottle of gin remains in Eloise’s bedroom on pages 20–21!

The pen and ink illustrations compliment the text in the best possible way; simply coloured in black and pink they are so are distinctly of the 1950s era, I love them.

An animated version of the books in the series, Me Eloise, has just finished airing on ABC TV here in Aus. I like this TV-adaption: the illustrative style isn’t as retro, but Oooooo I absolutely love the music. The voiceovers were pretty good too. For a taste, visit the Me Eloise website.

The web is now buzzing with the news that the Spike Jonze film of Where The Wild Things Are has been pulled by Warner Brothers to be now reworked for a release date in October 2009. The film, a mix of Jim Henson puppetry and computer animation, has been judged by test audiences as too confusing (for adults), and too scary (for children). How can they make a film of that book cute and cuddly?

One of the best picture books ever published, it has always been controversial. In 1963, on its publication it was considered scary and weird, and it now seems the movie is being judged the same. It is interesting the Sendak himself has been quoted in The Age as saying that he is “in love” with the current Jonze version, “If Spike and Dave do not do this movie now, I would just as soon not see any version of it ever get made.”

Isn’t it funny that a book that could so concern parents at the time of its publication was, and still is, actually adored by children. I wonder if the same will happen with the film version? It’s probably true that Jonze was not even making the film for children but rather for a generation of 30-somethings that still think Max is the coolest kid on earth.

Speaking of cool, check out the Where The Wild Things Are wall mural on Ohdeedoh.

There are gorgeous Wild Things toys and puppets available, they are made by US toy company Crocodile Creek, who make excellent quality products. I haven’t seen them anywhere in Australia for a while but it looks like Amazon still has them in supply.

Although Where the Wild Things Are is probably his best known work, Sendak has many published works. My favorite is In The Night Kitchen (1970), another controversial picture book that was actually banned for a time because of nudity! The little boy Mickey is nude as he drifts from his bedroom into his dream land of the night kitchen where he begins his amazing journey. It has been widely reported that some librarians even used correction fluid to cover Mikey up in the book!

More recently there is Bears - does that little boy remind you of anyone?

And Brundibar, a beautiful picture book based on the 1938 opera performed by children in a Nazi concentration camp. A confronting subject but a very special book for both children and adults. Brundibar was the winner of a New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award.

I’m not ashamed to say that I was a huge Anne-of-Green-Gables fan. At the age of about 10, I devoured the entire series.

I’ve found out (via Crooked House) that in honour of ‘100 Years of Anne’, an authorised prequel to Anne of Green Gables is being released. Not sure how I feel about this. I kind of like the fact that it’s left to our imaginations what happened before Anne met Marilla and Matthew. Authorised prequels written by a different author never really work, do they?

For die-hard fans (I don’t quite make this category any more…) you can enter a letter writing competition and from the same site you can download a number of bizarre extras (recipe for Raspberry Cordial? Introduction to the Waltz?)

I always thought I’d love to one day to visit the home of LM Montgomery, in Nova Scotia. Having taken the (slightly strange) virtual tour the Green Gables house, I think I’m satisfied for now.

This was one of Ned’s Christmas presents; a Very Hungry Caterpillar hand puppet that we bought from Borders. Many people comment on it because it is so well made, cuddly and looks exactly like the real thing. It’s not often that you can find plush that actually looks like the character and it’s so much fun using the puppet to tell the story. I thought it was quite cheap at $29.95. Borders also had a Beautiful Butterfly hand puppet and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Board Game, they are availabe on Amazon too. Amazon also has this bedding which is way too cute…

One of my favourite bookshops is not far from where we live. It’s one of those shops that I always wonder why I don’t make it there as often as I’d like, but when I walk out the shop door with an armful of books and a credit card that is a little worse for wear, I’m kind of glad that it’s a once-in-a-while visit…

Mockingbird Bookshop must be one of the smallest bookshops in Melbourne, and owner Evelyn must necessarily be selective in her choice of stock. But what an impeccable selection she has. The shop really is a tardis – somehow within just a few square metres, she fits a good selection of adult books, children’s books, a table and chairs, a couch. A pint-sized bookshelf next to the couch houses the board books at child-friendly height and vintage posters and eclectic hanging decorations help give the shop a lovely mood.

For me, it’s the children’s books that are the stand-out: there is a beautiful array of children’s classics, hardback picture books and even a few first editions and signed copies. While it’s obvious you won’t find everything (no Spot books the day I went!), you will find books that you can’t find in most bigger bookshops. I had been trying to track down a copy of Bruno Munari’s Zoo, and I wasn’t disappointed. There it was in gorgeous hardback and Evelyn offered to cover it with clear plastic for me to protect its pristine and creamy matt dust jacket. That’s something else remarkable – most of the stock is in great condition. No sticky fingers or dropped books evident here!

Evelyn is an American by birth, originally from Mississippi, and her selection (not to mention the name of her shop!) evidences this background. She has a special display of Caldecott and Newbury Medal winners, many of them in hardback. She imports numerous special volumes from the US. The day I was there, she had Jumanji and The Story about Ping among others in imported editions. At close to double the price of the paperback edition and a dying breed, these are volumes for collectors but I value the durability of the sewn binding and old-fashioned dust jackets and creamy pages. I like to think that I’ll be able to pass these books down through the generations. And if I needed any further justification, I figure it’s a good time to invest while the Aussie dollar is strong against the US currency!

Evelyn also gives ample spotlight to local authors – classics such as May Gibbs, as well as Children’s Book Council winners and emerging local authors, who participate in Mockingbird events.

Mockingbird is truely a part of the Mont Albert Village (doesn’t that in itself have such a lovely ring?!). The bookshop shares premises with a gift shop, Entice by Design, accessed down a couple of steps. While browsing in the bookshop you can have a coffee, provided by the Country Fare Cafe round the corner. It all helps give the experience of visiting seem more like you are part of a community and less like you are buying into the competitive world of retail. They have an ad in their window for the Foodie’s Guide highlighting the fact that it features another Village favourite, Zimt Patisserie. (Their Egg and Bacon pastries are to-die-for with melt in your mouth butter pastry!)

I’m looking forward to the time when Rowan is old enough to sit still for story time on a Saturday morning, and I can make a coffee at Mockingbird, a pastry at Zimt and an armful of beautiful books a more regular date in my calendar…