A little girl sails her raft across a sea of words, arriving at the house of a small boy and calling him away on an adventure. Through forests of fairy tales and across mountains of make-believe, the two travel together on a fantastical journey that unlocks the boy’s imagination. Now a lifetime of magic and adventure lies ahead of him... but who will be next?
Today we are thrilled to be partnering with Waterstones to reveal the trailer forA Child of Books, the stunning new picture book from New York bestselling author-illustrator Oliver Jeffers and fine artist Sam Winston.A Child of Booksis a lyrical picture book and a homage to the power of stories that will inspire readers of all ages to create, to question, to explore, and to imagine.
Combining elegant images and typographical landscapes, shaped from excerpts of children’s classics and lullabies,A Child of Booksis a stunning prose poem on the rewards of reading and sharing stories. It's an immersive and unforgettable reading experience that readers will want to pass on to others. We are delighted to share the trailer with you all!
In honor of the paperback publication and the CILIP Kate Greenaway shortlisting of Footpath Flowers we took a moment to ponder wordless picture books.
Beautiful, interpretive and fluid, wordless stories invite readers to work together to discover new worlds. They are delightfully free from rules and can be read again and again.
Aaron Becker, author of Journey, Quest and Return, reckons it's best to think about the process as a discovery. Highlighting the importance of dialogue and interpretation, he starts with the cover and asks his readers questions.
Aaron repeats this formula with each page, stressing to the adult not to rush, to enjoy asking questions and listening to the answers. For him, the joy is in hearing an interpretation you would never have thought of before. Footpath Flowers does a beautiful job of mimicking this process when the character notices something interesting in the sleeping man, and places a flower in his shoe. This exchange is completely lost on Dad who is preoccupied with his journey home.
Another blog on wordless picture books, by Tracy Lowe, Senior Early Years Trainer at the Scottish Book Trust, offers key tips with detailed explanations. Like Aaron, she puts a focus on asking questions, describing what you see, pointing things out. Our fave tip is to go beyond the story and try and find a different narrative each time you read it. There are so many stories to be found inside Footpath Flowers, from an adventure in the city, to learning about nature, the importance of family, paying attention to the little things, the joy of colour...
Our last source, book blogger My Little Bookcase, has loads of ideas to make reading wordless picture books interactive and engaging for everyone. Our fave idea is the suggestion of brainstorming key words that suit each page and building your own story out of those words. It's like being a story detective!
Alongside the Kate Greenaway, Footpath Flowers has been recognized across an impressive list of awards and publications including being a Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2015, ALA Notable Picture Book for 2016, Publishers Weekly Notable Picture Book for 2016 and the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book for 2015. We've collected together some of the review highlights below.
'This is [a] book to look at over [and over] again - there are new discoveries every time.'
Independent Bookshop Week supplement, The Guardian
'This is an anthem for kindness, for beauty in unlikely places and for the things a child seas that adults don't.'
Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times
'Footpath Flowers, cleverly and beautifully illustrated in monotones with only the occasional splashes of colour, effectively and evocatively leads the reader to explore messages and inferences from the simple story of a child's capacity for finding joy in small things.'
Congratulations to Petr Horáček who has been nominated for the IBW Children's Book award for his new title, The Mouse Who Reached for the Sky. The winners will be announced in June.
We are especially excited about this as this month is also Little Mouses' paperback publication! To learn more and WIN a copy of the book, signed print and sticker sheets click here.
In celebration of such a wonderful, mouse-led month, we've put together our fave Little Mouse activity sheets, just for you!
Make your own Little Mouse mask
Practice your drawing skills with these step by step tips to draw Little Mouse
You can download all of these activity sheets and more here.
It was an exciting weekend for talented Walker Books authors and illustrators, Alexis Deacon (author, I Am Henry Finch), Viviane Schwarz (illustrator, I am Henry Finch) and Kate Beaton (The Princess and the Pony), all three of whom have snapped up prestigious publishing awards!
I Am Henry Finch, Alexis Deacon, Viviane Schwarz
Winner:Little Rebels Children's Book Award 2016
'It's an absolute gem of a picture book. It deploys the simplest of graphics and text to ponder vast questions about our humanity.'
Don’t miss Peter Glanville’s
fantastic adaptation of Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury's picture book classic, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, showing at Little Angel Theatre in Islington running from now until June 2016.
With music and lyrics by renowned singer-songwriter, Barb Jungr, the adaptation
is a funny, thrilling and memorable day out for parents and kids!
“Brilliant, funny and utterly engaging for kids and adults alike.”
“The
story that we all know and love is transformed before our eyes into an
adventure for us all. It appeals to the big kid in us all and leaves a lasting
impression on all lucky enough to see it. It's going to be an annual trip in
our household. Truly the perfect family outing.”
“Wonderful, funny and engaging show with beautiful music which we
listened to nearly every day ever since. We are going back for seconds!”
Little Mouse sees something red and shiny hanging from a tree and thinks it’s a marble, but Mole is sure it’s a balloon and Rabbit says it’s a ball! None of them can reach it by themselves, so how will they discover what it really is?
The Mouse Who Reached the Skyperfectly captures the sweet mix-ups children make when they are small, in a charming lift-the-flap storybook.
"Petr Horacek is one funny guy, as well as a natural-born teacher and a whizz with a paintbrush. Put him down as the thinking tot's Eric Carle."
- Washington Post
"The Mouse Who Reached the Sky by Petr Horacek is the perfect story to introduce the principles of sharing and working together."
In celebration of Little Mouse’s new adventure, Petr came to visit us at Walker. After copious amounts of cake and tea (of course!) we were delighted to film a unique illustration masterclass all about how Petr creates Little Mouse.
To learn how to draw Little Mouse yourself click here.
