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Chatterbox by Margaret Wild and Deborah Niland Analysis
Unfortunately for everyone, Chatterbox by Margaret Wild and Deborah Niland isn’t the only children’s book in existence called Chatterbox. This isn’t the creepiest children’s book image I’ve ever seen but it’s up there. The Australian, contemporary picture book called Chatterbox is a very satisfying book to read aloud and my kid just loves it. Deborah […]
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The Story About Ping Picture Book Study Analysis
Despite the Chinese setting, the author of The Story About Ping (1933) is American, born on Long Island, in fact. I’m reminded of the work of Margaret Wise Brown in that both Wise Brown and Marjorie Flack had the uncanny knack of including the most unlikely details, which they somehow knew would appeal to young children. […]
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The Two Promises Of Picturebooks
According to Nancy Kress (author of the writing book Beginnings, Middles & Ends), every story makes two promises to the reader: 1. THE EMOTIONAL PROMISE Read this and you’ll be: Entertained Thrilled Scared Titillated Saddened Nostalgic Uplifted But always absorbed 2. THE INTELLECTUAL PROMISE Read this and you’ll see the world from a different perspective […]
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Madeline In London by Ludwig Bemelman
Madeline In London (1961) is another carnivalesque story from Ludwig Bemelmans, who may or may not have shot a waiter and been forced to emigrate to America. This probably doesn’t have much to do with anything, except I can’t look at the tea and crumpets scene in this story without wondering about that. Bemelmans’ Madeline […]
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This Book Just Ate My Dog by Richard Byrne (2014) Analysis
This Book Just Ate My Dog is a great example of both. Part way through the story the reader is yanked out of it, reminded in no uncertain terms that this thing they’re holding… yeah, it’s a book. It’s a physical object. **SPOILER ALERT** The dog disappears into the gutter. I have seen little kids find […]
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Clifford The Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell Analysis
Clifford The Big Red Dog is a picture book series by Norman Bridwell. This is an enormous franchise of children’s books which covers every generic, American childhood event you could imagine: Clifford’s First Christmas, The Big Sleepover, Clifford’s First School Day and so on. Bridwell died fairly recently, in 2014 at the age of 86. […]
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Jack and the Baked Beanstalk by Colin Stimpson (2012) Analysis
As you can see from the cover art, this picture book has been illustrated by someone with a lot of experience in digital art — as a coffee table book of illustrations this stands alone as an exhibition of beautiful colour, wonderfully composed perspective drawings and interesting character design. The O.G. Jack And The Beanstalk […]
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The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers (2007) Analysis
First published in 2007, The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers has a carnivalesque/tall tale plot but with the slow, reflective mood of Jeffers’ later work, for example The Heart And The Bottle. STORY STRUCTURE OF THE WAY BACK HOME WEAKNESS IN THE WAY BACK HOME “Once there was a boy.” This is a generic child and […]
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The Biggest Sandwich Ever Analysis
The Biggest Sandwich Ever is a book from 1980. It was my first “Lucky Book Club” purchase, and I loved it. (I don’t agree with my husband either, who says there should also be an “Unlucky Book Club”.) What makes it great? It’s not especially original, but it does follow a successful formula. Although the […]
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Which Witch’s Wand Works by Poly Bernatene Analysis
Which Witch’s Wand Works? is a 2004 carnivalesque picture book in which two sister witches are the stand-ins for children. Alliteration features strongly in this story — not only do we have the title of the book (and of the fictional TV show they argue over), but also the names of the main characters, Rattle, […]
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Works to Compare and Contrast with Hilda Bewildered
Hilda Bewildered is an illustrated short story book app published by Slap Happy Larry. Here are some other stories to compare and contrast. Non-fiction: Short: Walking Tall When You’re Not Tall At All Kids of all genders are highly rewarded for conforming to — and exaggerating — our own masculinities and femininities. For women that means: curvaceous […]
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The Do-Something Day by Joe Lasker (1982) Analysis
The Do-something Day is one of those didactic stories in which the parental figures are too busy working to play with their precious little children. In such stories, the child usually goes out and has their own adventure, or an elderly neighbour/grandparent steps in to fill the psychological need, which is loneliness/boredom. And that’s what […]
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The Day Patch Stood Guard by Elizabeth Laird and Colin Reeder (1990) Analysis
The Day Patch Stood Guard is a New Zealand farming picture book from the 1980s which is, at its heart, a man and his dog story. Notice anything a bit different about the cover of The Day Patch Stood Guard? The usual convention is to credit the writer first and the illustrator second. Here the […]
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Mr Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham Analysis
Mr Gumpy’s Outing is a picture book for young readers who are still learning English — a variety of verbs are introduced in a way that will help toddlers to remember them.
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Duck Cakes For Sale by Janet Lunn and Kim LaFave Analysis
STORY STRUCTURE OF DUCK CAKES FOR SALE Duck Cakes For Sale from 1989 is an example of the circular story, in which the picture book ends, but we suspect exactly the same thing is going to happen again, because the main character hasn’t had a anagnorisis. Like a Chekhovian short story, picture books often elicit the […]