We'll probably be accused of some hideous bias in including two books by Michelle Vinall in our #Booky100Keepers list - after all this extremely talented artist illustrated our current blog header for us.

But there's something about Michelle's two self-published books that still has us waiting (hopefully not in vain) for her final book in the unconnected trilogy.

We used to regularly dip in to independently published titles from time to time, way back when we had so much more time - running a successful "Indie Pen-Dance" (terrible pun) Day, and delving into the huge sprawl of self published work available on digital platforms.

Michelle's "Hurricane Lane" is such a sublime piece of work. A young girl is tasked with a piece of homework - to think about the 7 ancient wonders of the world, then describe the seven wonders of her own modern world.

No easy task, even for a kid, but she embraces this project with gusto - and embarks on a journey of discovery, and a sense of wonder at just how amazing the world we live in can be.

Michelle uses her awesome illustrative skills and storytelling props to tell the story of how you are never really alone if you have an imagination, and your world can easily be shaped by the real and the surreal.

We also really loved "256 Postcards Ago" by Michelle...

Again this story centres on the imagination of a child, emarking on an amazing quest alongside his besties - the Anubis-like Ludo, a fluffy-cloud-elephant named Ollie and a cute green bug called Digit.

Together the four friends whistle through the town exploring, and their story unfolds gently with a minimum word count - letting Michelle's excellent anime-like illustrations take over, and of course allowing your imagination to join in and make the story anything you want it to be.

Michelle has mostly turned her attention to videogame art over the last few years but we secretly hope that one day she'll pick up her pen or stylus and polish off her children's book trilogy. We'll be there to read it, no matter what!

Original review links: 

Indie Pen-Dance Wednesday. Come with us on a journey through your imagination with "256 Postcards Ago" by Michelle Vinall (Amazon Self Publishing)

Indie Pen-Dance Thursday Part 2: Hurricane Lane by Michelle Vinall (Self-Published!)

Indie Pen-Dance Wednesday - An interview with super-talented Michelle Vinall, self-published author and illustrator of "Hurricane Lane" and "256 Postcards Ago"

 Michelle Vinall's "Hurricane Lane" iPhone / iPad story app launches today!

Unveiling our awesome new Blog Header image courtesy of Michelle Vinall!

Our Chapter Book of the Week this week is something that I'd had my eye on for a while, and picked up on a whim as a way of trying to explain to C why "Daddy" used to be completely obsessed with a cranky, often unreliable piece of gaming tech that became a huge, huge reason why a lot of folk my age ended up working in some form of computer-based job.

"Speccy Nation" by veteran games journalist and comic author Dan Whitehead might well have a few choice moments that you might want to filter out for your own kids, but it does give a rather personal view of what it was like back in the heyday of British gaming, when an entire cottage industry sprang up around geeky folk who could somehow make the Sinclair ZX Spectrum do some truly amazing things when it came to videogames.

Across the pond while Americans were still obsessing over the Atari 2600 and the NES, we were getting our teeth into typing out wobbly bits of game code from the back of magazines, or listening to the electronic screech of games loading into the black and rubbery machine via cassette tape.

Dan has drawn up an initial list of 50 games that truly defined that microcomputing era of greatness, ranging from the utterly sublime and surreal Manic Miner (a game that C has got mildly obsessed with beating, but can't seem to get past the Solar Power Generator - HAH!) through to the greats from game studios such as Ultimate Play the Game and Imagine Software.

Dan's anecdotal writing about these games mirrors my own experience of a lot of these titles, and his memories sound an awful lot like my own as well (and I'm pretty sure there'll be a lot of 50-somethings out there who will feel the same way). What I wasn't quite expecting was that C would find this book as fascinating as I did, though there were an awful lot of moments where she would shoot me the side-eye and call me an old saddo when I got that misty faraway look in my eye from remembering just how tough the phanton biker was to beat in "Wheelie" by Microsphere.

"Speccy Nation" might not be a historical book full of blow-by-blow accounts of how these games came to be, but it (and its follow up volume Speccy Nation 2) do bring back happy memories of a time when it felt like your imagination could blissfully fill in the sensorial gaps that modern games try and fill in for you, all courtesy of a machine cooked up by a true British eccentric in every sense of the word.

"Speccy Nation" by Dan Whitehead is out now. Self published (self purchased, not provided for review). 

The Seven Wonders of the Everyday World in "Hurricane Lane" (Image © Michelle Vinall)

As you now know, we're doubling up our indie pen-dance days and rolling over into Thursday too!

We hope you've been keeping up with our guest features on Michelle Vinall's fantastic children's picture books. We're reviewing things slightly out of order (you know us, we're crazy like that) so "Hurricane Lane" was actually Michelle's first book, part of an intended trilogy (you've already seen our review of "256 Postcards Ago" and the third as-yet untitled book is well on the way too!)

"Hurricane Lane" features an inquisitive, curious little girl at its heart. Her homework from school is to think about the seven wonders of the ancient world, and describe the seven wonders of HER world. That's quite a tough piece of homework, but when your imagination is free and you see wonder in the ordinary and everyday, it's not such a tough assignment.

The girl describes her journey home with Dad and Little Brother - Michelle's rhymes are tightly woven here, and this is a joy to read aloud. Each scene in the book shows a different aspect of the girl's life. We're slightly envious because it's pretty far removed from our arrival home after a busy day at work and school. Kid brother plays in puddles (the mucky little scamp!) and Dad plays the piano, weaving a soundscape that the girl chooses as one of her wonders. Shadows are another as she makes a beautiful butterfly to entertain her brother, using just her hands.

Michelle's first book is a seriously nice piece of work. Her art is glorious and the story gives children scope to let their own imaginations run riot.

Available via Michelle's "Hurricane Lane" website, the book is about to go digital too - so watch out for a release date of 4th April for the e-book!

When you use your imagination, even the everyday and mundane world can be wondrous (Image © Michelle Vinall)

Charlotte's best bit: Little brother sitting in a puddle in his cute little dino suit!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A great idea at its core, encouraging children to explore the wonders of their own world. Delicate rhymes and Michelle's trademark gorgeous artwork make this essential reading!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Michelle Vinall)

We had so many fabulous self published and independently published books this week that we're spreading them over a couple of days. So welcome to Indie Pen-Dance Thursday!

Here's a fabulous self-published book from debut author Chris Marsh, that has a solid message behind it. "Zips Goes Wandering" is part of Chris's "Savannah Tales" series, and each tale features lots of lovely animals in the wild. Zips is a curious little Zebra who loves to wander the plains, but doesn't always listen to good advice from his family and friends. One day Zips goes wandering - despite being warned of the dangers.

The savannah is an amazing beautiful place but it can also be dangerous too, and soon young Zips finds that Lions and Crocodiles lurk around the corner, just waiting for the chance to enjoy a juicy Zebra steak! Eeks!

Luckily Zips is fast on his hooves, but soon finds himself lost and alone - far from his herd.

Perhaps the other animals on the Savannah can help! It's time to call in a few favours and see who can help Zips find home.

Zips gets a bit of a telling off!

Chris's book is nicely written and fun, doesn't hammer home its moral tale too hard, and children will love spotting their favourite animals cropping up in the tale alongside Zips.

Find Chris's Book "Zips Goes Wandering" on Amazon

About Chris Marsh:



Chris Marsh grew up in the heart of the English Countryside surrounded by pets and fields of animals. He spent many sunny days going on wild adventures and long expeditions, with his mother constantly reminding him to be careful. On rainy days, he’d read, paint or draw, creating stories about his adventures. Years later it was Chris’ turn to remind his nieces and nephews how to be safe on their adventures. He drew on his creative skills and love for animals and the story of Zips was born.

Charlotte's best bit: Snappy crocodile and naughty lion fancying a Zebra steak!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A nice little moral tale with some groovy art and lots of lovely animals.

(Very kindly sent to us for review by Chris March)

Comics and graphic novels for kids are once again rising up to defeat naysayers who still have a skewed view of their worth when it comes to engaging children with exciting stories. Comics are such a natural fit for children, visual storytelling is like nectar to kids who want to progress from picture books to something a little meatier.

We've previously featured Vince Kamp and "Robotslayer" on last week's indie-pen dance slot, to spotlight Vince's vision and creative processes and how he pushed the envelope for what self-published author illustrators usually do to engage readers with their work.

Creating a graphic novel (the first of many, we hope) called Robotslayer, Vince has put together an exciting and fast paced story that will excite and delight boys and girls in equal measure.

Life in Robotolis is idyllic at first...(all images © Vince Kamp)

We pick up the story as a genius professor called Professor Robotolis creates robots to assist and serve, and eventually to create a sprawling robot metropolis in his own name.

Working with his partner Dr Grububble, the professor's robots are amazing - stepping into jobs and roles that humans no longer want, and ensuring that people never want for anything, have acres of free time, and can enjoy life to the full.

Eventually Dr Grububble and Prof. Robotolis part company seemingly amicably. But during the annual "Robotfest" talent contest one year, Professor Robotolis' robots win again and again, while Dr Grububble's robots trail behind. This is the final straw for Dr Grububble. Accusing the Professor of cheating, things take a nasty turn and just as the police arrive to stop an assassination attempt, Dr Grububble is rescued by one of his own creations and goes into hiding.

A talent contest goes sour. Simon Cowell, be warned! (Images © Vince Kamp)

Soon afterwards, robot behaviour across the city becomes increasingly erratic. Robots start to malfunction, and soon turn to crime and vandalism. A virus seems responsible, but Professor Robotolis is powerless to prevent it spreading to every robot in the city bar one.

The Professor's young grandson Leo and his robot 'brother' Benny (the only robot unaffected by the virus) become the central characters in a fight to find out the source of the virus, and thwart the evil Dr Grububble's nefarious plans.

We won't give away too much of the plot, we really want you to read the story yourself - so you can find out what happens to the Professor, Benny and Leo.

We love that granny! (Images © Vince Kamp)

Vince's storytelling and artwork are fantastic, and putting the children (based on his own kids) front and centre in the plot is an extremely good move. Children can more readily identify with stories and heroes if they are fairly ordinary everyday kids themselves - and we've seen this again and again in the best loved children's stories that have consistently bagged awards and big sales.

Between the excitement and adventure, there are subtle shouts out to things we love. The value of teaching is described within the plot, versus the value of simply consuming information (or being programmed with it). We love the subtle thumbs up to groovy grandparents (Opa - Professor Robotolis is the sort of gadget-obsessed grandad we all wish we had!) and of course the relationship between Benny and Leo - looking out for each other and believing in each other when it comes to the crunch.

It's an inspirational graphic novel, beautifully produced and printed and available at a very reasonable price (£7.99 RRP) so if you're a parent who wants something brilliant as their child's first foray into comics, this is very much a fantastic place to start.

"Robotslayer" can be obtained from:

Amazon

Waterstones in Dorking, Surrey

Orbital Comics (London)

Gosh! Comics

Or the fab and groovy Nobrow Press Shop

Here's a trailer for the book too!



...and don't forget to drop by the Robotslayer Website


Charlotte's best bit: Loving all the different types of robot at the start of the book (the chef one was her fave)

Daddy's Favourite bit: A thumpingly good fast-paced and exciting graphic novel for kids. Brilliant, more please soon!

We love indies and self published authors and illustrators but sometimes we're completely swamped by submissions (you really are a passionate and creative lot!)

So we've come up with a plan. Every week, we'll aim to cover at least one indie title on our new "Indie Pen-Dance Day" Wednesday slot. We'll choose an independently published or self-published book to cover in the slot, and hopefully tell you a bit more about the talented folk behind them too.

So to kick off this new slot, we've been in touch with Ariele Nolla, author and illustrator of "Penelope's Toothache" - a zany tale with a serious message, brush your teeth and keep your dazzling smile - and beware of the sugar bugs.

Penelope's family love vegetables, and brush their teeth diligently. But Penelope loves her Aunt Loveona, the most wonderful chocolate maker. Aunt Loveona always makes sure Penelope has plenty of sugary and chocolatey treats for a midnight feast.

One day though, sure enough, Penelope wakes up to find that her biggest and bestest tooth is aching, and soon the (slightly terrifying) family dentist, Miss Flossie Floss confirms Penelope's worst fears - that tooth is going to have to come out!

(squeamish children and adults - like us - might want to quickly skip past the bits with the HUGE NEEDLES! EEEK!)

All is not lost - Penelope can grow back her lost tooth, but the dentist tells her that the secret to a dazzling white smile, and keeping your teeth in your head rather than in a jar by the side of your bed, is to brush and floss and don't indulge in all those sugary sweet treats.

Ariele Nolla came up with the story first, and struggled to source an illustrator to do her book justice. So she painstakingly taught herself Photoshop, and dreamed up Penelope and her family, and the whacky world they live in.

You can pick up "Penelope's Toothache" for Kindle via Amazon.

Stop by Ariele Nolla's author page on Facebook for more on Penelope's Toothache and other book projects too!

Charlotte's best bit: Aunt Loveona, the best chocolatier in town!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Seriously impressed that Ariele taught herself Photoshop to design the illustrations for her book (and they're great fun too!)

(Kindly sent to us for review by Ariele Nolla)

Is it too late (or too early, even) for an extra-christmassy and fun book? Of course it isn't, particularly when we get to sneak a look at what the great man himself does during his downtime. Daniel Stosich got in touch with us at ReadItDaddy to let us know all about his brilliant little self-published book "Santa's Hobbies". We are champions of self-published books, particularly when they're great quality so the colourful and funny artwork in "Santa's Hobbies" instantly caught Charlotte's eye.

Did you know, for instance, that Santa is actually an accomplished Ballerina? Or that he rides a mean Harley Davison around when he's not driving a sledge?

Each page in Daniel's book contains a star to count and we loved the ethos of the book - to remind children what Christmas is all about.

Available in e-formats as well as in print, 'Santa's Hobbies' might be too late to sneak into your stocking for Christmas 2012 but if (like us) you're already missing the festive season and jolly Saint Nick, dive into this brilliant little book.

Charlotte's best bit: Santa as a Ballerina. So CUTE!

Daddy's favourite bit: Superb illustrations a real notch above most self-published books, and a whole truckload of christmas cheer. We love it!

Grab Daniel's book from the following sources:

Amazon (Print) (Kindle)

CreateSpace (With the chance to win an iPad 3 for the 5000th person to buy the print version!)

It should also be coming soon to the iTunes store so we'll add a link in for that when it does.