Good morning my lovelies! How would you like to be completely and utterly emotionally destroyed by a children's picture book today? No? Are you sure?

You see "Fox and Goldfish" by Nils Pieters and Frith Williams is the perfect excuse to do your best ugly crying, in a story that's beautiful in every respect. Beautiful message, beautiful execution of that message, and stunningly beautiful to look at.

Fox's best friend is goldfish, but poor Goldie isn't feeling too well. In fact it's obvious to Fox that the poor flippery thing is on its last legs...er...sorry fins.

So it's time to do the bucket list, as Fox and Goldfish embark on one last final massive journey to do all the things and see all the things that they've always wanted to.

Children's books that deal sensitively with the subject of loss and grief are rarely done well, but when they are, they speak volumes about our ability to cope with death, our ability to take something joyful and positive away from it, particularly when it's woven into a story as touching as this one.

I mean look at it. Just look at it.


Deep breath, more please...!

Awww!

Oh gawd!

The book imparts its tale with a minimalist word count yet you'll still be in floods of tears by the end, unless you have some sort of a granite lump in place of your heart. Book Island's books are a genuine pleasure to behold, and this is easily one of the most impressive of their gorgeous catalogue of blissfully brilliant children's books. Be warned though, it will ruin your makeup.

Original Review Link: 

ReadItDaddy's Second Book of the Week - Week Ending 29th July 2016 - "Fox and Goldfish" by Nils Pieters (Book Island)

Oh my oh my, this is something rather special indeed, in fact this is the sort of picture book that keeps us writing about picture books.

Our Picture Book of the Week is the utterly sublime "The Garden of Inside-Outside" by Chiara Mezzalama, Regis Lejonc and Sarah Ardizzone.

Imagine being uprooted from your comfortable life to go and live as the daughter of an Italian ambassador to a war-torn foreign country. We've seen many books about migration and the plight of children amidst war-torn countries, but so far I can't recall one where the whole aspect of what happens when civil unrest breaks out as seen from the perspective of an 'outsider' before.

Chiara's semi-autobiographical tale, gloriously illustrated by Regis Lejonc in a crisp clear graphic novel style, and subtly but expertly translated by Sarah Ardizzone maps out the life of young Chiara and her brother as they join their father in a palatial residence that almost feels like a protective bubble - as the scenes outside of their high garden walls and gates are scenes of unrest and devastation.

One day while playing in the garden Chiara spies a young boy peering through the railings. He's brave enough to hop the fence and come into their protected garden, and though they share no common language, Chiara and the boy strike up a friendship.

Chiara's brother urges her to tell their parents about the boy, but Massoud - her new friend - becomes the keeper of secrets, and their garden becomes his sanctuary from the cruelty happening outside.

It's exquisitely crafted this, and richly descriptive - though Sarah's translation does a truly amazing job of capturing Chiara's "voice" and her child-like view of her situation, as the story of her and Massoud's friendship unfolds, taking an unexpected twist or two along the way.

This deserves a truckload of awards, one of the most impressive books about the many facets of war and the way it affects everyday lives, no matter what side you're on.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A truly unique picture book, wrought in graphic novel style but with a beautiful yet simple message conveyed about hope and sanctuary amidst a country in upheaval, and a blossoming friendship between two children on opposite sides of the garden wall.

"The Garden of Inside-Outside" by Chiara Mezzalama, Regis Lejonc and Sarah Ardizzone is out now, published by Book Island (kindly supplied for review). 

This is a book that spoke to me - probably a tad more than it spoke to my daughter as she's grown up in a household where artistic endeavours are positively encouraged.

But in "The Bird Within Me" by Sara Lundberg, we find out what it must have been like for Berta Hansson - a swedish artist growing up - with her mother slowly dying and only a paternal figure, a farmer who did not understand her longing and yearning to express herself through beauty and art.

Berta longed to break away from the farm, and sought the bravery and inspiration to live her own truth, follow her own path and push back against her father's wishes to follow his farming life.

The main reason this spoke so strongly to me was for a similar reason, growing up with little or no encouragement to be a daydreamer, an imagineer, someone whose mind is too busy to undertake fairly menial and unimaginative pursuits so there's a bittersweet feeling of admiration tempered with a tiny touch of jealousy for Berta and the way her story ends (which I'm obviously not going to spoil, but she's well worth looking up - her work is incredible!)



Sum this book up in a sentence: A superbly inspirational book for anyone who feels like they have to justify having an active and expressive imagination that doesn't 'fit' with their world.

"The Bird Within Me" by Sara Lundberg is out now, published by Book Island (kindly supplied for review)

Oof, this week's first Book of the Week is another emotional whump in the guts, but a beautifully simple and extremely sensitively handled story about loss and grief.

"Mum's Jumper" by Jayde Perkin takes up the story of a young girl whose mum goes into hospital, but sadly never returns.

As the story unfolds, using very simple language but strikingly effective illustrations, Jayde helps to describe what children feel like when they lose someone close to them.

The feeling doesn't go away, it follows them around like a cloud, and sometimes they feel like they want to scream, cry, get angry, or just curl up into a ball - all at the same time.

Sometimes though, memories are like a jumper that you can cuddle and wear. In the story, the little girl wears her Mum’s jumper as a way to keep her close, bringing back memories both happy and sad. 

Time for yet another "WOW" book from those lovely folk over at Book Island, again combining the considerable talents of Anna Castagnoli and Carll Cneut (with translation by Laura Watkinson).

"The Golden Cage" is exactly the sort of brilliant tale we want to see more of in children's picture books, one that doesn't slather on the moral message at its heart like too much butter on too little bread - but one that weaves a story world that is enticing, captivating and draws you straight in (again, largely thanks to Anna's utterly amazing writing style and Carll's truly sumptuous and luxurious illustrations.

The story centres around Valentina, the Emperor's daughter who is a rather spoiled and over-privileged girl. She wants for nothing, yet sends her servants off around the world to collect all manner of birds of all shapes and sizes, colours and hues.

Despite her amazing collection one type of bird completely eludes her grasp.  A bird that talks.

Her long-suffering servants search far and wide to fulfill her impossible quest - and she beheads those who fail.

In Valentina’s palace, heads roll every day! Will the golden cage ever be filled?

We won't spoil the end, suffice to say that Valentina might just learn her lesson. If you adored Carll's illustrations for the gorgeous "The Witch Fairy" (written by Brigitte Minne) you know what to expect with the amazingly details panels in "The Golden Cage" - truly a feast of a book.

I rather liked the description from Sarah Ardizzone of this one. "A Fine Bromance!"

We can instantly relate to the titular character in this fantastic book from Book Island. A book loving wolf!

To all the parents prepping their kids for going to nursery or 'big school' for the first time, we salute you...!

Book Island really do have the most amazing and gorgeous range of books for younger readers who demand a little bit more from their picture books...

Book Island are definitely renowned for publishing some of the most beautiful books on the planet, but it's not just the visuals that impress - as you'll find out in this fantastic story of differences and friendships...

If you're not instantly drawn into this book with one glance of that amazing cover, then we're really going to have to talk, aren't we?

He may be small but he has a huge heart, and a huge responsibility too! Let's join the mail route because "Here Comes Mr Postmouse!"

Our second book of the week is one of the most touching, bittersweet and beautiful books we've seen this year...

What is the significance of the little blue bird in this tale? Dive into this amazing story to find out in "Azizi and the Little Blue Bird"...

A wonderful story of changing seasons and friendships, reprinted and rebound by Book Island. Here's "The Lion and the Bird"

We've championed many wordless picture books and have seen some real beauties over the last few years. It's a tricky format to get 'just right' and it must be a really tough challenge to script, illustrate and tell a story knowing that your young reader may need a guiding hand.
Or will they? You see the flip-side of why we love children's wordless picture books is because you can leave absolutely everything open to the interpretation of the child - letting them let loose their imagination to tell YOU the story in THEIR own way. So that's exactly what we did when 'reading' and reviewing "The Umbrella" by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert, a lavish new book from Book Island.

The tale opens right in the end papers with a dog discovering a bright red umbrella. It's the beginning of an aerial adventure as the intrepid pooch is lifted aloft by a gust of wind, high above the streets and houses, fields and forests and off to distant lands.

The doggy adventurer has near misses in Africa (watch out for those nasty crocodiles!), cruises underneath the waves in the ocean's briny depths, and narrowly avoids a nasty incident with some spear-throwing Amazonian warriors.

We took it in turns to tell the tale, and it was very revealing that while I adopted a fairy straight-laced retelling of the tale as I saw it, Charlotte really let loose her imagination and told a story more of the relationship between the dog (who was a big show off) and the cat who initially watches his 'friend' lifted aloft before embarking on his own perilous trip as the book comes to a close.

Books like this are vital and important for emerging readers, allowing them to develop their own storytelling dialogue and their own ways of interpreting what they're seeing. Hooray for wordless picture books and hooray for Ingrid and Dieter Schubert for coming up with such a brilliant adventure!

Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte loved the bit where the dog is rescued by a baby elephant and his mum, before being unceremoniously hurled off a cliff to resume his journey. Charming!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A luxurious and wonderfully presented story that leaves you and your children free to let your imagination soar, just like that intrepid little dog on his red umbrella. Lovely!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Book Island)

Have you ever got to the very end of a book and wished that you could leap right back to the start and read it all again? Well here's a challenge for you. Get to the very end of "Follow the Firefly", an entertaining romp through a busy jungle and city, to find out what happens to a tenacious little glowbug on his quest to track down a flashing light. He meets lots of odd characters who helpfully point the way, but children will spot all the other things going on in each scene. Like, for instance, a jumping jackrabbit.

You see when you reach the end of the Firefly's adventure, the book urges you to work in reverse and unpick the tale of that rabbit, as he runs away from a gnashing dog in the other direction!

It's a neat idea and we've not seen anything like this before. Bernardo Carvalho's largely wordless story is perfect for little ones who have an eye for detail and love the fast pace of this story. There's no time to get bored as we chase there and back! Love it!

Charlotte's best bit: The big grumpy gorilla doesn't take too kindly to naughty dogs chasing his friend rabbit!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Love that cute moment at the end of the Firefly story as he meets his paramour!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Book Island)

We love New Zealand and New Zealanders too, and we particularly love Book Island's fantastic and diverse range of children's books all the way from the other side of the world. Books of fabulous originality, stunning in both story and illustration and "The Rabbit and the Shadow" by Melanie Rutten is no exception.

The series of delicately interlocking stories comes in a gorgeously presented hardback book, as we learn about a young rabbit (who has a lot of growing up to do), a soldier, a fatherly stag, a mischievous cat, a book with a yearning for learning and the mysterious shadow who is eventually revealed further into the stories.

Each of the character's stories combine as the characters meet, embarking on a quest to confront their fears by climbing a volcano (which sounds like a very grand, if crazily dangerous mission!)

The stories hold subtle and hidden delights as well as elements that will tug at your heartstrings. Beautifully written moments like finding out that the brave and bullish soldier has a secret, and the melancholy description by the soldier of 'mummy and daddy living in two houses rather than one' which needed a little gentle and thoughtful explanation to Charlotte.

The book speaks of love in the sort of terms that will make you feel a little tearful. You see, the rabbit asks the sort of awkward questions that parents secretly dread. "Will you be here forever? Will we be together forever?" There are moments where you feel like your heart is going to explode as you see the impact on Stag when Rabbit disappears off into the big wide world to fend for himself.

I have a tendency to over-analyse children's books but the bear struck me as the most interesting character. Looking at the book's allegorical characters and how they describe emotions, stages of life and the way we interact with our world and each other, Bear's character is definitely the one worth more than a second glance and I'd really be interested to hear your thoughts on the characters, the stories and the whole book if you'd like to drop a comment in the box below.

It's stunning though, and we're so entranced by this, it's dreamy and surreal at times, allegorical and clever. It's also powerful storytelling that will have children completely wrapped up in its strong and gentle tale. Utterly lovely!

Charlotte's best bit: The soldier's secret reveal which caused a gasp of delight.

Daddy's Favourite bit: A gloriously presented story, beautifully written and extremely subtle and clever in the way it describes its characters. Definitely something for everyone to identify with in here.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Book Island)

One of the reasons we really love Book Island is their tendency not to shy away from publishing longer children's picture books. Charlotte often gets quite annoyed if we cuddle up for a bedtime read, and the book we've chosen is over in five minutes flat.

No such worries with "The Big Question" which is a big, beautiful hardback book with a story that's more than long enough to get your teeth into.

It's the annual meeting of all the characters and animals that live in a magical blissful land. Turtle usually chairs the meetings, but turtle is ill so delegates chairmanship to wise Ant.

It's a daunting task, because each year the meetings ask big and difficult question - and this year's question is a doozy!

"What is love?"

As you'd expect, everyone in the story has an opinion. Snow White describes what love feels like when her prince kisses her. Others describe that feeling of overwhelming well being that comes with true love. Even the rocks describe what it's like when the one they love is next to them.

Ant listens patiently, as the tale weaves a wondrous combination of story and illustration that touches on the sublimely surreal. Reading it aloud, it feels poetic and dreamy. Ant brings us back down to earth with a thump though, as we get the impression that Ant really doesn't understand despite the amazing explanations from everyone gathered around. As they make their way home, Ant is left alone, none the wiser...

A modern fable with a really fantastic core message, "The Big Question" is touching heartfelt storytelling. Here's a challenge for you, ask your little one that big question and see what they come back with. It may well surprise you!

Charlotte's best bit: As Snow White is one of her favourite Disney characters, she was delighted to see her making an appearance in this story.

Daddy's Favourite bit: Like a modern-day Aesop's Fable, "The Big Question" doesn't shy away from a huge discussion topic of mighty importance. We absolutely loved the way the story evolves and the sublime artwork from Kaatje Vermeire helps to underpin the poetic tale perfectly

(Kindly sent to us for review by Book Island)

Legendary Polish poet and children's author Julian Tuwim wasn't a name I was familiar with until Book Island's reprint of one of his best-loved children's poems hit my doormat. Julian Tuwim was predominantly known for sharp and humorous satirical poetry, but he was also a very well loved children's author who had a knack for tapping kids on the funny bone.

Winner of the Golden Laurel of the Polish Academy of Literature, Tuwim's "Mr Miniscule and the Whale" has now been translated and reprinted with fantastic illustrations by Bohdan Butenko.

Mr Miniscule by name, Mr Miniscule by nature - but our hero's aspirations are gigantic. Mr Miniscule has done many things in his life, but above all else, he wants to see a whale. Face to face, nose to nose, Mr Miniscule sets out in a tiny walnut boat, packed to the gills with all his explorer trappings.

The sea is wide and deep, and it's not long before the tiny Mr Miniscule realises the scale of his expedition. Will he ever achieve his ambition?

Fetching up on a mysterious (blue) island, Mr Miniscule gets more than he bargained for!

Tuwim's verse (even translated) flows and is fun and witty. Butenko's detailed linework is fabulous, effective. This is a real treat of a book from a publisher who is fast gaining a reputation for publishing and re-introducing the most fabulous stories.


Charlotte's best bit: Mr Miniscule's fabulous explorer equipment. Everything except the kitchen sink is packed into his gorgeous little boat

Daddy's Favourite bit: A really fabulous story, wonderfully reproduced, making me want to go off and discover more of Tuwim's work. Another winner from Book Island!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Book Island)