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I had a brilliant time at Foyles in Birmingham doing a reading HOW TO FIND GOLD and then drawing a massive picture with everyone...in the end it turned into an impromptu book! Here it is.
So there you go, now you've met Crocodile's LARGE FAMILY and seen some strange omens in the upside down world, and you know that there's fine cake to be had by the Dream Lake of the Nose Sharks.
but managed to leave it on the train. Amazingly, I was provided by the excellent people at Foyles with a replacement roll and some paint, and it all worked out just fine. THANK YOU, EXCELLENT PEOPLE!!!! Especially Matt who last minute brought new paint and paper and Andi who organised it all brilliaintly and let me glue a massive book together in the middle of the shop. And also especially everyone who drew this.
0 Comments on ANNA AND CROCODILE find ADVENTURE in Birmingham, in Foyles. as of 8/15/2016 5:20:00 PM
Yes, I know it’s not Easter, but I have two lovely egg themed books that deserve to be read NOW, not only in 9 months time so please go and scrabble in the back of your kitchen cupboards to find that secret stash of chocolate I won’t tell anyone about, break off a piece and enjoy whilst I tell about these two egg-tastic picture books.
Croc and Bird by Alexis Deacon explores how very different two friends can be (so different they come from quite separate species), and yet, how they can still be the best of friends if they listen to their own hearts, and are not forced into conformity by others. If you like, it’s a reworking of the themes explored in Stellaluna by Janell Cannon, but this time with a crocodile instead of a bat.
It asks questions about who your family is. Can long lasting ties only be based on shared customs and cultures, or can friendship and love transcend such differences?
Deacon’s illustrations have a magical and somewhat mysterious air about them; indeed they reminded me of William Blake‘s paintings. Unlike Deacon’s earlier Beegu, the characters in this book are not so cute. The young bird is as ugly as they come – and this too says something about friendship and brotherly love.
Croc and Bird is not a sugary, all sweetness-and-light picture book. I think its themes and images are somewhat more challenging and thought provoking than you’ll find in many books on the kids’ bestseller list, but its is not without humour and it’s certainly full of hope.
In this wordless story Chicken entrusts the care of her Egg to Fox (it is clear they have set up home together), whilst Chicken goes off to bring food home for them all. The fishing trip referred to in the title turns out to be a rather hair-raising, risky experience, but
0 Comments on I know it’s not Easter, but indulge me in some eggy goodness… as of 1/1/1900
I really don’t know how it is that I only recently discovered the gorgeous work of Rebecca Cobb. She’s an illustrator with a lovely fresh look, full of colour and a real knack for perfect observation, capturing emotion and feeling with just the tiniest strokes of her pencil or paintbrush. We’ll soon be hearing lots and lots more about her, as she has a book with Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson due out this autumn, but don’t wait that long to discover her lovely books and art. Start now with Lunchtime, a delightful story about being simply too busy to to do what your parents want you to do. I know two children for whom this is true most days, and I bet you do too!
Lunchtime opens with a young girl busily being creative, painting and cutting and gluing. When her mum calls her for lunch, she’s too busy to stop what’s she’s doing. When cross words drive her to the lunch time table, a friend or two come to help clear her plate; the animals she’s been painting step out off the paper and save the day. Mum returns, and is delighted to see the plate clear. So far so good… but as well all know skipping lunch does have its consequences, and later in the day it’s not the growling of the girl’s bear we hear but rather that of her own tummy.
I don’t know if Cobb has children of her own, but she has captured several moments of parenthood/childhood very perceptively in this short tale; from the total absorption kids can experience when they are doing something they love (an immersion that really can bring to life imagined friends), to the parents exasperation when kids don’t eat their food (and – to my shame, because it does happen in my home – the kids being left alone to eat their food whilst Mum gets on with something no doubt “more important” like tidying up). These moments are so authentic, and they are matched with illustrations that are equally spot on with observation. The facial expressions of the animals, the body language of the little girl – it all rings true, and rings with glorious colour and texture; Cobb uses a variety of techniques in her illustrations which zing off their clean white backgrounds.
The endpapers of Lunchtime are a rich treat, totally covered in watercolour rainbow rings. The girls wanted to try to replicate this so of course I was happy for us to give it a go.
We used sponges to dampen our watercolour paper…
and then we started by putting “blobs” of one colour all over our sheets. Gradually we built up circles around our blogs, giving our paper a peacock look.
4 Comments on On being too busy having fun to do anything else, last added: 7/12/2012
3.75 stars From back cover: When pineapple cheesecakes start disappearing from the world’s only Pineapple Cheesecake Factory across town, Crosley, a zany red crocodile, enlists the help of young John Degraffenreidt to straighten things out. The unlikely pair sneaks out of John’s house by becoming invisible, thanks to the I-ain’t-here doodad Crowsley uses from the [...]
Thanks Deb. This is something I wrote at a picture book workshop I ran at the Cliff House Writer's Retreat a few years ago.
By the time I brought in the coffee and dessert everyone else had chosen their picture book genre to create a new story. I was left with cumulative tale.
I have an admission to make….
…..I’ve got a soft spot for crocodiles!
Apparently one of my first words was “crocodile” (well… something more like “tot-la-die-loo” if I’m precise), and if a book has a crocodile in it, I’ll always give it a second look. Little Croc’s Purse by Lizzie Finlay is full of cute crocodiles so I was more than happy to read it to M and J when we discovered it recently.
Little Croc is out playing one day with his friends when he finds a purse. The crocodiles soon discover it is full of money, and all but Little Croc start talking about what they will buy with the purse’s contents. Little Croc, however, is determined to take the purse to the police station in an attempt to find its rightful owner.
Despite the jeering from his friends and various temptations laid before him Little Croc sticks to his guns and his honesty is then rewarded; the owner of the purse is so pleased to be reunited with a locket none of the crocodiles had realised was hidden in the purse, that Little Croc is given the purse and the money by way of thanks. Being a good sort of crocodile Little Croc splits his reward three ways – he spends some, he shares some (by buying gifts for his friends) and he saves the rest. Everyone ends up happy and Little Croc has shown his friends that honesty really is the best policy.
M and J have enjoyed this book. The illustrations are bright and cheerful and the crocodiles are just charming. I personally found the storyline a little
didactic; the “moral” of the story is laid out in such a way as to leave little room for personal reflection or drawing one’s own conclusions (which is surely a far more powerful way to learn from something). And whilst I of course applaud Little Croc’s actions, and would want my kids to do the same I couldn’t stop thinking about my own experience of once handing in a bunch of keys I’d found to the police station – the officer on duty looked at me almost with disdain and all but said he had better things to be doing with his time that looking after lost property… a true but sorry story.
Despite all this, Little Croc’s generosity is heart-warming (he goes out of his way to give a gift to one of the crocodiles who had been particularly horrible to him, and this selfless act of kindness, you sense, ensures that the previously unpleasant crocodile will be much nicer in the future) and although the main message of the story is a little starkly put for my liking, several other themes are introduced with a lightness of touch, such as not giving in to bullying, still being liked and respected by others even when opinions on the best course of action differ, a discussion of what gives an object value, and a rather sensible approach to financial management which could make this a good book to read if you are about to start giving your kids pocket money.
All this all adds up to create a story that has given M and me plenty to talk to each other about – and a book that creates conversations long after the covers have been closed is always a winner.
Our immediate crafty reaction to this book was to use some of the boxes that have been
4 Comments on Honesty’s the best policy, last added: 2/1/2010
What a fantastic crocodile you three made! My girls would love to pretend to swim with a croc they’d made. We just rediscovered Tomie dePaola’s Bill and Pete books about Bill, the young crocodile, and Pete, the bird who is his toothbrush and best friend.
Kristine said, on 1/31/2010 10:19:00 PM
It’s fitting that a dino obsessed daughter has a croc lover for a mum! That model looks great on that scale.
Do you know the song about the lady with the Aligator Purse?
Zoe @ Playing by the book said, on 1/31/2010 11:37:00 PM
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for the Tomie dePaola tip!
Hi Kristine,
I’d completely forgotten that song – but I’m so glad you’ve reminded me of it. It was a song we sang regularly when I was a kid, and now I shall have to start singing it with M and J. In case others don’t know/recognise the song here’s a version of The Lady with the Alligator Purse by Johnette Downing
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4 Comments on On being too busy having fun to do anything else, last added: 7/12/2012
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How glorious! This is a new title for me too… Can’t wait to check it out!
Stacey recently posted..Point of View
Thanks Stacey, we had lots of fun creating our art/banner.
Ah Library Mice, you’ll be fab! I’m curious to know what’s inspired the felting…
No inspiration, just helping out one of our textiles teachers (it’s activities week)!
Library Mice recently posted..Shrinking Violet