A sulking boy and his busy mother arrive at their holiday home in the rain. Our narrator is sent outside to play and on his journey loses his games console. From this, Beatrice Alemagna weaves the story of a child’s reconnection with his natural environment.
In this unique introduction to some of New York’s most renowned buildings, parks and sights, Ami Shin takes us on a journey through a city run by mice. Instead of watching people flock to these sights, we see tiny mice toasting champagne in the Chrysler Building, driving subway trains under Central Park, and sailing past the Statue of Liberty.
The Fox on the Swing, with its shimmering stars on the cover, is a wonderfully written and delightfully illustrated treat of a picturebook. The story, which begins with a tree, is a bit mad cap but is incredibly entertaining. It follows a very observant boy, Paul, who lives on the edge of a pretty park in a treehouse with his mother, a potter, and his father, a helicopter pilot.
Based on their bestselling A History of Pictures, artist David Hockney and art critic Martin Gayford discuss the development of pictures from cave paintings to the computer screen. Hockney’s voice is that of an artist reflecting on how artists created their work, while Gayford supplies plenty of solid information about the development of visual media over millennia. Throughout the book, the reader is reminded that art is a continuum: an artist is influenced by what earlier artists have done and how they did it.
Harold Phillip – to give him his full title – Snipperpot is about to turn seven years old and he isn’t looking forward to his birthday. Harold’s parents are extremely unhappy – they never laugh together or hug each other or smile. And they don’t believe in birthday parties. But this year, they notice how sad Harold is and decide to organise a birthday party. Or, as it turns out, a disaster!
Kari Herbert has published a bold manifesto for young and old. She declares that there are no rules in art and she demands that the artist be brave, stand tall and make their mark. She goes on to celebrate the power of creativity by showcasing the work of fifteen remarkable international artists.
Written by award-winning black British children’s author Sharna Jackson, Black Artists Shaping the World is an exciting compilation of contemporary black artists from Africa, and of the African diaspora. Turner Prize-winning artists and photographers sit side by side with visual activists and performance artists.
When I presented this book to two young children I know, the eight-year-old exclaimed, ‘That’s weird!’ and laughed. The eleven-year-old said, ‘That’s weird. I love it!’ – and indeed, The Ear is rather curious.
A father and his son go through the family’s portrait gallery, each painting a reminder of the brave deeds and extraordinary lives of their ancestors. Between Uncle Scooter and Aunt Frida, Pup seems to be last in a line made of formidable fire dogs, running champions and talented artists, and as inspiring as those stories are, they also light up a flicker of self-doubt – alongside a great deal of eagerness – in the young protagonist: what will he achieve or become? Can he live up to his family’s history?
3.2.1 GO! is like no other counting book for young children around just now. In this animal Olympics, we see 5 pandas practising martial arts, a fox on the tennis court with 16 spare sweatbands and 8 monkeys doing what they do best – swinging between the rings in the gymnasium. From 1 up to 20 and all the way back down again, it’s almost exhausting trying to keep up with this lively bunch!
