The first title in Luke Pearson’s Hildafolk series Introduces Hilda, an adventurous young girl who lives in an idyllic mountainous wilderness with her mother and deerfox companion, Twig. In her first outing, she encounters the enigmatic Wood Man and discovers a rock shaped suspiciously like a troll
Amazingly inventive characters and striking graphics ensure that this graphic novel appeals to all ages. Luke Pearson is an illustrator and comic artist and Hildafolk is just one of his comic creations – Hilda has now been into an animated series on Netflix
The third title in Luke Pearson’s Hildafolk series follows the blue-haired heroine’s difficult transition from her idyllic mountain home to less than ideal city living….that is until she meets an amnesiac talking Raven and discovers that Trolberg isn’t quite like any other city, but one that harbours ferocious Salt Lions and stone trolls, amongst other weird and wonderful characters.
Amazingly inventive characters and striking graphics ensure that this graphic novel appeals to all ages. Luke Pearson is an illustrator and comic artist and Hildafolk is just one of his comic creations – he has also written and story-boarded a number of episodes for the amazing Adventure Time TV series.
The fourth and latest instalment of the hugely popular Hildafolk series by Luke Pearson finds Hilda discovering a new and fantastic species within the city of Trolberg: the mischievous Nisse as described by Flying Eye are a “bunch of misfits who occupy a world beside – but, also somehow within – our own”. Hilda sets out to try and help a Nisse that has been driven out of his home and yet ends up being pulled into a greater mystery involving a large black hound who is inconveniently haunting and eating the inhabitants of Trolberg. Sounds like a complicated place to live.
Amazingly inventive characters and striking graphics ensure that this graphic novel appeals to all ages. Luke Pearson is an illustrator and comic artist – Hildafolk is just one of his comic creations. He has also written and story-boarded a number of episodes for the amazing Adventure Time TV series.
This beautifully printed hardback edition is published by the wonderful Flying Eye Books.
Books! is a book about books, of course. Murray McCain explains what a book is and why it is, what books can be used for, why they are useful, why they are fun. He lists words that are hard like “antidisestablishmentarianism” and words that are happy like “Greensleeves” and he helpfully informs us that goats are not allowed in libraries, because they can’t read and think that books are for eating.
John Alcorn’s fluorescent colour palette and inventive typography are a perfect match for engaging children with the wonder of language, making this homage to books one to truly be treasured.
Originally published in 1962 this has been re published by AMMO for the first time in a large format. We applaud the inner sleeve note “Get Books! – Keep Books! – Give Books!”.
Can someone be good and bad? How long is a minute? Can your memory become full? These are some of the tricky questions posed by the Onion during its great escape from the frying pan. Designed as an experience, The Onion’s Great Escape is a unique activity book that breaks all the rules: reading through the pages you are invited to write in your answers, draw pictures and pop out the slices of onion from every page, liberating the 3D paper onion from the core of the book whilst the remainder of the book stays intact for future reads.
Born in Florence and based in London, illustrator Sara Fanelli has won several international awards. Most notably in 2006 she was the first female illustrator to receive an Honorary Royal Designer for Industry fellowship from the Royal Society of Arts.
Curious to know whether Santa is real or not a little girl creeps downstairs on Christmas eve, she try’s her hardest to stay awake but is soon fast asleep by the fireplace. As snow falls outside and shooting stars sparkle in the night sky Santa comes to rest his sleigh on the roof of the little girls house, she wakes as he bursts out of the fireplace filling the room with magic.
Carol Ann Duffy’s reworking of the classic poem “twas the night before Christmas” makes for a magical read combined with Rob Ryan’s beautiful illustrations in black and gold print, this book is the perfect bed time story for Christmas eve..
“For the best gift of all is to truly believe, In the wonderful night that we call Christmas Eve”
“What are words?” asks Ann Rand as she takes us on a magical exploration of words and their purpose, using rhythm and harmony to create a dialogue that is easy to read and connects instantly with the strikingly colourful artwork of her husband Paul Rand.
A book that has been inspiring children to play with language and image since it was first published in 1957 has been reproduced by Chronicle books. Paul Rand was one of the most ground-breaking graphic designers of the 20th Century. Ann Rand wrote five children’s books, four of which were illustrated by her husband.
The book is dedicated to all children who like ice cream
The Mellops are off adventuring again after Mr Mellop finds a dusty old trunk in the attic containing some pictures, papers and letters. One of the letters is from an ancestor who had been in the French Navy and wrote to his wife about an enemy ship they had sunk, handily leaving co-ordinate details whilst lamenting the loss of the ship’s treasure to the bottom of the sea. Of course Mr Mellop can’t ignore an opportunity to take his sons on an adventure… Along the way they meet a Merpig who plays beautiful music and a dangerous Octopus who is guarding the treasure, their ship sinks, they get stranded on a dessert island, are rescued and make it home in time for mother’s splendid cream cake. Phew.
Tomi Ungerer created this family of pigs more than fifty years ago and they became instant bestsellers. Thankfully Phaidon have reissued them for a new generation of children to delight in their fanciful tales.
Tomi Ungerer was awarded the Hans Christian Anderson Award in 1998 for illustration. The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children’s books.
Jenny’s big day has come and all the cats in the cat club are ready to celebrate. Pickles the Fire Cat picks up everyone in his fire truck, not forgetting Jenny’s old friend Florio who wears an Indian feather in honour of the birthday cat. After a feast in the park Jenny is granted the birthday cat wish, to do whatever she likes best, “I’d love to dance” Jenny answers shyly so they all dance the sailor’s hornpipe in the moonlit park.
Esther Averill’s striking illustrations of Jenny and her friends in their New York City landscape makes for a stunning book loved by children and adults alike…It’s a firm personal favourite as it was bought for me as my birthday book!
Jenny Linksy is a shy black cat who lives in Greenwich Village with Captain Tinker. This book is one of a series of tales about her adventures and is beautifully written and illustrated by Esther Averill. First published in the 1950s these lovely stories still feel contemporary for today’s audience.
This is one of The New York Review Children’s Collection books, created in 2003 to re-introduce classic children’s titles to a new audience.
An old man with a red beard and red slippers sits at a table eating junket out of a big red bowl. He eats and he eats and he eats, in fact he eats for so long that people start to form a crowd to watch him. More and more people come until all the people in the world are there. The old man offers them something nice if they can guess what he’s thinking about as he’s eating, and he helpfully offers three things that he is NOT thinking about it, just to make it easier. He is not thinking about:
a walrus with an apple on his back
a one year old lion blowing out the candle on his lovely birthday cake
a cow with her head in a bag
So should be easy then?
Funny and bizarre in equal measures this book will add fuel to the fire of any young imagination, although it may also lead to them licking the bowl…sorry!
Written and Illustrated by Dorothy Kunhardt, Junket is Nice was first published in 1932 and is one of The New York Review Children’s Collection books, created in 2003 to re-introduce classic children’s titles to a new audience.
“The first crossing of the Antarctic continent, from sea to sea, via the Pole, apart from its historic value, will be a journey of great scientific importance.” Ernest Shackleton.
On 8 August 1914 Shackleton and his crew set out to tackle the last great challenge of the Antarctic, facing perilous conditions and uncharted mountains to cross its frozen heart. When their dreams of success are shattered by the ship Endurance becoming trapped in ice, the true spirit of courage and endurance comes to the fore as they battle to survive the hostile conditions of the Antarctic.
This famous expedition is beautifully documented by William Grill, full of inspiration for future explorers, the book outlines the planned exploration and its resultant rescue, with a double page spread dedicated to the 69 canine crew members!!
Inspirational in its simplicity “round, round and square” takes you on a journey into the imaginary world of a circle and a square who, through playing together show you how they’re able to make so many different shapes and pictures. The mix of bright colours and bold design will capture the imagination of any child. Written and designed by Fredun Shapur in 1965 it has been reissued for today’s young folk by Tate publishing.
Fredun Shapur studied at St Martin’s and the RCA in the 1950s, and worked as a designer for advertising agencies and design studios in London and Prague. He is best known for his work designing educational children’s toys for Naef in Switzerland, Galt Toys in the UK and Creative Playthings in the US.