My interview with the illustrator of The Gruffalo and other books by Julia Donaldson could not be reproduced in full in StarMag today because of the lack of space (books don't get many pages and I think that's not just in Malaysia).
Anyway, it's just as well that this blog exists.
Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo and other picture books like Room on the Broom, Monkey Puzzle and the Tales from Acorn Wood series was in town for a week (12th to 19th June) as the guest of the Goethe-Institut.
Scheffler was invited to launch the Contemporary Picturebook Illustrations in Germany Exhibition, held in Kuching on the 14th (it has now moved to Miri), and to speak at a seminar.
On 18th June Scheffler held a workshop at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in Kuala Lumpur.
In Tots to Teens today, I linked Fuse #8's final entry for her Hot Men of Children's Lit series. I'm starting my own list on this blog and choose Oliver Jeffers as my first Hot Man :-D!
Jeffers is an artist, designer and illustrator. He has written and illustrated four picture books: How to Catch a Star (2004), Lost and Found (2005), The Incredible Book Eating Boy (2006) and The Way Back Home (2007).
Jeffers is also a founder-member of the art collective OAR, along with Rory Jeffers, Mac Premo and Duke Riley. OAR's exhibitions so far include 9 Days in Belfast, book and the award winning BUILDING.
Jeffers was the official World Book Day illustrator for 2007.
He is from Northern Ireland and has a degree in visual communication from the University of Ulster. He lives in Belfast.
Tots to Teens
By DAPHNE LEE
Pictures That Tell the Best Stories
PICTURE books work as gifts
for children of all ages. And then there are illustrated novels, like
Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic Press,
544 pages, ISBN: 978-0439813785), which is on The New York Times'
list of the 10 best illustrated children's books for 2007.
Hugo Cabret was also been nominated in the young people literature
category of The National Book awards. (Sherman Alexie won for The
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - more about this book
in the near future.)
Reading his poems in public isn't Shahril Nizam's favourite thing to do, but he's making more of an effort to be seen and heard now that he has published his first book (of illustrated poems).
Even before the book (If Only), Shahril had a following thanks to his blog on which he posted his work, (he recently wiped the site clean for reasons even he isn’t entirely clear about, but thinks he’ll start posting again soon), but he tended to avoid poetry readings. He’s reading quite regularly now – most recently at WayangKata IV, No Black Tie’s regular poetry gig.
I've owned this book, Crab Village, by Julia Clark, for a few years now, but only got around to reading it this past week.
It's a charming, slightly surreal story set in a seaside village. Fact and fantasy mingle seamlessly and the magical is described in such a matter-of-fact fashion that it becomes quite a natural thing to expect and enjoy.
I was drawn to the book by its illustrations, by Bernard Brett, which are black ink, with lots of details done in simple lines.
Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes (first published in 1936) was illustrated by Ruth Gervis.
When Gervis was asked to illustrate the book, the publishers had no idea that she was Streatfeild's sister.
There is a bit in The Vicarage Family, which is based on Streatfeild's girlhood, where Isobel (the Ruth Gervis character) talks about illustrating Vicky's (Noel Streatfeild) books when they are adults.
June 2007
NO, DAVID!
By David Shannon
Publisher: Scholastic, 32 pages
David is a little boy who behaves like a little monster, and David Shannon's vibrantly hued illustrations make him look like one too! Actually, David is just a regular kid. Like all children (most anyway) he gets into a whole lot of mischief.
I can relate to this book (or, rather, the mother in this book) because goodness knows I'm always crying, "No!" and "Stop it this instant!" and "Be silent! Now!" to my children.
David's sins include trying to empty the gold fish out of its bowl ("It was an accident! Honest!"), running naked out of the house (this is acceptable in some cultures and countries), picking his nose (this is acceptable in some households) and playing baseball in the living room (is this better or worse than trying to turn the bathroom into a swimming pool?).
But at the end of the day, no matter what he's done, his mum loves David all the same. And that's the way it should be!
As Dogger by Shirley Hughes has won the public's vote for all-time favourite Kate Greenaway medalist, I thought I would feature illustrations by her, from Another Lucky Dip, a collection of short stories by Ruth Ainsworth.
Michael Rosen is Britain's new children's laureate.
And, starting next year, the US will also have a similar representative and champion of children's books, called the national ambassador for young people's literature.
Who will it be? I'm guessing (and hoping) Maurice Sendak.
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June 2008: Jenny Wagner (Author) & Ron Brooks (Illustrator): John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat
John Brown is an old English sheep dog. He belongs to Rose, an old widow, and is a deeply devoted companion. Says Rose, "We are all right, John Brown. Just the two of us. You and me." But one night, Rose notices a cat in the garden. A midnight cat. She is fascinated by the cat. John Brown doesn't approve. He tells the cat to leave. But Rose wants the cat. She longs for it. She leaves it milk in a bowl, which John Brown tips over. Finally, Rose takes to her bed and declares that she might stay there forever. John Brown is sad and decides that, because he loves Rose so much, he will put up with the midnight cat. This is a strange picture book - quite gloomy and sombre. The midnight cat is slightly sinister - could it be a symbol of death? When John Brown finally allows the cat into the cottage, is he really accepting Rose's death? Perhaps being a true friend includes being able to let go.
