Packed with perky Dr Seuss-esque rhyme, Spots by Helen Ward (Spots in a Box in the US) is a very funny exploration of one guinea fowl’s quest for his missing spots.
His plumage is not like the others so he sends off for dotty supplies: he wants to fit in by matching his friends. Boxes of all sorts arrive, filled with spots of different colour and size, but will any of them be spot on and what he thought he needed?
This is an amazingly illustrated, stunningly produced book about how one guinea fowl’s quest to be like all the others leads him to discover that we don’t all need to be the same to get along; smiles, not colour of spots, is what brings us together.
Helen Ward’s text is a delight to read aloud, full of bouncing, lively word play. Her illustrations, detailed and finely painted, zing off uncluttered white backgrounds, giving them a real sense of impact with each page turn. Not only beautiful to look at, they are also funny! From the guinea fowl with a box on his head to his dancing as he wears silvery, sparkly spots, there’s something reminiscent of the great black and white comedy heroes like Laurel and Hardy or Buster Keaton in the bird’s characterisation.
With die cut holes, foil and sparkle, this book has been produced with great attention to detail. The pages are such that you will want to explore them with your fingers as well as eyes as you read or listen (there’s even a spread where you’ll want to get out your pencils and make your own mark – the illustration will lure you in).
Humorous and inventive, with a subtle message about diversity and finding out who you are, Spots is a prize-worthy picture book.
We decided to create our own flock of guinea fowl each with their own style of spots. I created a guinea fowl silhouette which we printed and cut out – you can do exactly the same by downloading this left-facing fowl and this right-facing one (in pdf format).
We then let ourselves loose with spotty and dotty ideas, mixing stickers with printing (corks and lids), using the hole puncher to create mini dots to glue on, ink splats, collage circles, buttons, sequins – anything went as long as it was spotty or dotty.
All in all this made for a rather grand flock – imagine how well this could work in a classroom or group setting?!
Whilst decorating our guinea fowl we listened to:
Ladybug Without Spots by Randy Kaplan
Dots and Spots by John Bristow
Dotty Dimples by G.H.Green/arr.Bill Cahn – for three xylophones!
Other activities which would go well with Spots include:
Dressing up with spots. I know my girls would go mad for a box full of dot stickers and permission to cover themselves in them. I think it would look pretty cool too, especially if they were wearing something monochrome. A perfect rainy day activity!
Using left over plastic eggs from Easter and some feathers to make your own toy guinea fowl, using this image as a starting point (just add spots!)
Joining the dots. There’s a dot-to-dot guinea fowl in Spots, but rather than drawing in the book, why not print off some dot-to-dot activity sheets if you and the kids enjoy joining the dots.
Reading Elmer by David McKee; this is another story with a similar tale about being different and yet finding a way to feel happy.
Do you go in more for spots or stripes? What are your favourite picture books about either?
Disclosure: I was sent a free review copy of this book by the publisher.
How will you be celebrating this Saturday February 14th? Some see it as a chance to demonstrate the most romantic of gestures, showering their special ones with gifts of affection. Others only need to show an act of kindness to prove they care. Either way, whether it’s Valentine’s Day, International Book Giving Day or Library […]
I, like many other people, love picture books for their illustrations. The stories are, of course, nice too, but I love to just slowly browse through a picture book, lingering on the pages and finding the little details. I have several "favorite" illustrators (Peter H. Reynolds, John Rocco, Alison Jay, Philip/Erin Stead are a few), but tons of books that I love to just stare at. Here are a few new ones:
I Like Old Clothes by Mary Ann Hoberman and illustrator Patrice Barton
This is an older story, but has been reillustrated...and beautifully so. The story itself is excellent and fits my mindset on hand-me-downs perfectly. Why buy new clothes when there are excellent pieces out there that someone else has already nicely broken in! I hope to pass that idea onto Elliott and the fun illustrations will definitely help to encourage that.
The pages are filled with soft colors, yet a lively pair of children that make this such a cute story. They're excited about their hand-me-downs and the reader gets to enjoy the beauty of the new-to-them clothes right along with them. I think every frugal family could use a copy of this one!
I also loved
Patrice Barton's illustrations in
Rosie Sprout's Time to Shine.
I Like Old ClothesMary Ann Hoberman32 pagesKnopf9780375869518August 2012Review copyHide & Seek by Il Sung Na
Na's illustrations are SO gorgeous. In this particular book they're bright, colorful, and fun to look at, which is probably why Elliott has gravitated right to since it has been on our bookshelves. He loves to look at the pages and actually sits through the entire story!
The simplicity of a game of hide and seek is taken up a notch with the addition of a chameleon. Elephant manages to find all of his other friends, but chameleon is just too good at hiding! It's a cute story that would be great to read with your younger story time groups. And, of course, I can't say enough good things about the illustrations. Love them!
Hide & SeekIl Sung Na32 pagesKnopf9780375870781July 2011Review copyThe Town Mouse and the Country Mouse retold and illustrated by Helen Ward
The illustrations in this book are absolutely phenomenal!! The story of the town mouse and the country mouse, each loving their lives in their respective places, is much the same as I remember from all of the other versions I own, but it's told very simply and without a huge amount of text which is very nice. Much more accessible for younger children.
It's one of my favorite fables and so I've collected a few copies over the years, but Helen Ward's illustrations are, by far, my favorite. They are incredibly rich, both in color and detail, and you'll want to spend lots of time perusing the pages admiring her work. Everything from the pink flowers on the cover to the platter of blue cheese on the last page has this amazing level of detail and beauty. I love it!
I'm getting two copies...one to go on MY shelf to cherish and one for Elliott to enjoy. This would make a beautiful gift for a child or an adult, so in our house, we get two!
The Town Mouse and the Country MouseHelen Ward48 pagesTemplar978076366098September 2012Review copy
Something weird and wonderful. Keep reading… Having seen Marc Craste’s commercial work, Helen Ward set out to write the story of Varmints with him, “I like to think in pictures, so it is very important to me that I know and love the work of the illustrators for whom I write.” Helen tells a story [...]
'Oooh it must be lovely to be a children's illustrator'...yes, it certainly beats mowing graveyards, washing up, cleaning, selling pine furniture and stacking supermarket shelves, all of which I have done in my time until fairly recently. These jobs all have one thing in common - a regular (if not gargantuan) wage. But next time you pick up a picture book, ponder this: for every pretty picture there will have been hours, days or even weeks of brainstorming, rough sketching, too-ing and fro-ing between artist/art director and maybe others, not to mention the final art work. There is the design, the text setting, the layout, the choice of paper/book size, the printing and colour proofing; it often takes about 14 months or so for a book to come to the shelf, and that is on a good day - sometimes it can take years. But not in my case.
It has to be art worked by the second week in July. So, a last minute request from my lovely publishers, to thrash out the first half of the project meant that I found my self travelling (via motorbike and train) to the outskirts of London, and a meeting with my Art Director. If you had to have classes in 'How to be a Brilliant Art Director', she would be the model example. We've known each other for quite a while now, and the first hour or so was spent yakkering about juicy news, all of which made me practically faint with excitement and none of which must pass my lips until it is in the public domain. With the yakkering came a shower of hardback picture books; many of my favourite illustrators work with Templar, including Alison Jay, who creates some of the most gorgeous images, using lush, rich colours; I can lose myself in her work...
Soon I had a comforting stack of bookish treasure to take home, including a limited edition of 'Varmints' signed (SIGNED!!!!) by the wonderful author/illustrator Helen Ward (article link) and Marc Craste.
You know the to-die-for Lloyds Bank adverts? That's him. Stunning work. Invent a new word for it, stunning is not enough.
If you like Shaun Tan's work, you will love this - buy it. Just buy it. It is marvellous.Templar Publishing have relocated from a lovely converted Mill to an equally delightful old Granary, so there was a tour of the new premises and I was introduced to the members of the production team for my small contribution to their new list - the production room being very large and a quiet bustle of designers and creatives working away on numerous titles. Up to the top level, where the art directors roost - and finding a few familiar faces last seen in the wee hours of the morning round a camp fire at the brilliant Templar party, two years ago. Having said that my AD is marvellous, it should be added that Templar, as a company, not only produce some of the finest, most innovative books in the UK, but are a shining light in what can be a pretty cut-throat business. Publishers - especially the very big ones, who are more like corporations - sadly do not always treat their freelancers as well as they could do. There are horror stories...but Templar are wonderfully friendly, inclusive, respectful and all round Good Eggs.
Back down to the senior AD's office, (another familiar face) and more heart-palpitating inside knowledge about future publications (I have now stitched my lips together, so don't even ask!) and finally back to the board room and a highly intense, enjoyable three hour session spent working out the details of the new book. We were so absorbed we lost track of time, and thinking it must be about midday and time for lunch, we were startled to find it was nearly two...
Lunch was an informal but delicious affair at Pizza Express, courtesy of Templar and there was more - much more - chattering. About two hours later we sleepily emerged, full of garlicky carbs, and strolled back through Dorking Center, past the old church with its albino squirrel, to collect my large pile of work-to-do and of course, my books.
The final cherry on what had been a monumental gateaux cake of a day was bumping into one of my all time favourite illustrators - and his agent - Simon Bartram. We shook hands and I went all quiet and shy and went a bit pink; as you do when you meet one of your heroes. (Earlier I had also had the privilege of seeing some of his original artwork for his next book, which was breathtaking).
More Alison Jay: baby board books in a box - absolutely delightful!
Through my little visit, I snagged another toy order; I'm trying to get the needle felting done at night after I've spent a good stint in the studio and I am going to be somewhat absorbed until mid-summer. But yes, on the whole, it IS lovely being a children's illustrator. Toymaker. Card company. Gardener. Head Cake-Maker. Housewife.
"Home! That was what they meant, those caressing appeals, those soft touches wafted through the air, those invisible little hands pulling and tugging, all one way...shabby indeed, and small and poorly furnished, and yet his, the home he had made for himself, the home he had been so happy to get back to after his day's work..."
excerpt, 'Dolce Domum' , Wind in the Willows
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This sounds a really fun book – and what glorious artwork it inspired, as ever!
Thanks Marjorie. My favourite “dots” created by my girls are those from milk bottle tops!
Thanks Catherine. Even though it has been out a little while in both the US and the UK it hasn’t been picked up widely it seems, and I can’t understand that. It’s such delightful book.