James Joyce, Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, Mary Shelly, Leo Tolstoy and Oscar Wilde.

THINK… think of a time when both war and peace abound; a time when Dorian Gray meets with Frankenstein and Huckleberry Finn under a lighthouse to discuss the portrait of an artist as a young man whilst listening to the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock…

Such a time is bullsh*t… or perhaps the makings of an M. Night Shyamalan horror film… thing.

But seriously, the aforementioned authors and poets do have something in common (other than the obvious) – although famous for some of literature’s most brilliant adult word art, they are also writers of some pretty interesting children’s fiction.

In a fab article entitled 7 Obscure Children’s Books by Authors of Grown-Up Literature, Maria Popova introduces little-known children’s books by beloved authors of literature for grown-ups.

If you’re a lover of all things literary, be sure to read Maria’s article. In the meantime, to whet your appetite, check out these awesome pics:

The Cat and the Devil (James Joyce)

Advice to little girls (Mark Twain)

The Widow and the Parrot (Virginia
Woolf)

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (T.S Eliot)

Maurice, or The Fisher’s Cot (Mary Shelley)

Classic Tales and Fables for Children (Leo Tolstoy)

The Happy Prince and other Tales (Oscar Wilde)

Seven British children’s writers are in the Top 10 most borrowed Authors in UK libraries. They are:

• (2nd) Daisy Meadows (Rainbow Magic)
• (4th) Jacqueline Wilson
• (5th) Francesca Simon (Horrid Henry)
• (6th) Mick Inkpen
• (7th) Julia Donaldson
• (9th) Lauren Child
• (10th) Terry Deary (Horrible Histories)

This is the highest number of children’s writers to appear in the most borrowed Authors Top 10 since Public Lending Right records began over twenty years ago. The PLR says almost 80% of 5-10 year olds are now using our public libraries.

Children’s writer, Julia Donaldson, author of the Most Borrowed Children’s Title, The
Gruffalo, says of the latest data:

This just shows how much children need, and are entitled to, libraries and librarians. It’s how they find out which books they like best and develop a love of reading.

Source: Public Lending Right

A book about a crazy dude living on the moon was always going to appeal to my sense of humour. So let me share the love…

Loon on the Moon is a story about a Loon who lives on the Moon (go figure) and is responsible for sucking up all the dreams that leak from children’s ears, which are used to fuel an engine that makes the Moon light up. But what happens when all the dreams dry up? Poor Moon-Loon has to find a way to keep the Moon aglow. And that’s where the adventure starts! Moon-Loon visits the Moptops from Mercury, the Noodles from Neptune, the Vimtingles from Venus, Yoohoos from Uranus, the Sindings from Saturn, the Minimoos from Mars, the Jiffles from Jupiter and the Pollywollyplumpkins from Pluto, for an answer. Can someone help Moon-Loon? Perhaps? Perhaps not?

The book is a fun read and once you have twisted your tongue around the names of the otherworldly creatures from each planet, you will have great fun animating the story for your child. The illustrations are imaginative and beautifully colourful, and a book about planets always doubles up as educational as well as entertaining. On that note…

I was reading Loon on the Moon to my toddler one day and as I was explaining the solar system and the nine planets to her, my husband rudely interjected with an FYI; Pluto is no longer a planet. So… apparently in a book about mythical Moon men, I am required by the laws of logic? to explain the solar system in truth. Sarcasm aside, hubby happens to be correct. Here’s the low down on Pluto;

A convention of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided that there should be a formal definition for the word ‘planet’. To be a planet, a celestial body needs to possess certain characteristics. Unfortunately for Pluto, it did not get the pass marks in all the required criteria and was consequently relegated to ‘dwarf planet’ status, which is not the same as a PLANET.

At the moment, my fourteen-month-old cannot even say Pluto but I know that one day Loon on the Moon will provide the perfect gateway for a celestial discussion but until that day it’s just pure, uncomplicated fun!

I don’t think that anyone on this planet needs an introduction to Roald Dahl, and his genius certainly needs no substantiation. The man was blessed with the gift of the gab and I know for certain that his marvellous stories are like medicine for the soul – enriching and uplifting. So, I am starting my Roald Dahl indoctrination project as of yesterday. For thirteen months, our daughter has been gazing up at a Roald Dahl book box set that sits patiently on the top of her bookshelf. In the meantime, I pique her curiosity with the hilarity of Revolting Rhymes and Dirty Beasts.

I love a good parody and Revolting Rhymes offers a brilliant re-imagining of six of the traditional folk tales that we came to know so well as children. Expect to be bowled over backwards by a gun-wielding Red Riding Hood, a depraved Prince and a dirty little boy who thieves from a giant. Dahl’s tales reverberate a modern society and the social commentary is an accurate and witty reflection of gender relationships in today’s world. Of course, my toddler just likes the pictures at this stage in the game. And mommy’s ridiculous vocal expression and unparalleled enthusiasm are also pretty entertaining.

Dirty Beasts contains nine comic verses that describe some rather interesting animals, including a toad who jumps to France, a pig who ponders the meaning of life, an anteater who gets the wrong end of the stick and my most favourite is a rhyme about a vile crocodile called Crocky-Wock. I read “The Crocodile” to Amelia the other night and I think my husband, listening in to my rendition, gained more pleasure from Crocky’s “shining teeth and greedy smile” than me or my daughter. Check it out:

The Crocodile

Go lock the door and fetch my gun!
Go on child, hurry! Quickly run!
No stop! Stand back! He’s coming in!
Oh, look, that greasy greenish skin!
The shining teeth, the greedy smile!
It’s Crocky–Wock, the Crocodile!

One of the reasons that this rhyme is so awesome is because of the name ‘Crocky-Wock’. I think about Crocky-Wock all the time; as I walk down the street, as I sit in the bath and as I lie in bed at night. Crocky-Wock permeates my thoughts… “Crocky-Wock the crocodile” – I just can’t stop saying it.

And if the crocodile’s name alone is not enought to sell this book to you then I have done a poor job in writing this review!

I have it in my head that alphabet books are an essential for small children. Teaching letters in association with words forms the groundwork for learning to read, and rhyming words are a great tool for helping children learn the art of speech. My 13-month-old currently has two alphabet books on her shelf and both are equally awesome.

Dr Seuss’ ABC uses repetition, rhythm, rhyme and a large dose of insanity to emphasise letters. The alphabet characters are beautifully bonkers and the Dr’s sense of humour contagious. My favourite page in the book describes the letter Z, and reads like this:

BIG Z
little z
What begins with Z?

I do.
I am a
Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz
as you can
plainly see.

Duh! A Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz – I live next door to one. Get with the programme.
I love it!

Jeepers Creepers A Monstrous ABC is another really fun alphabet book that my daughter Amelia simply adores. The illustrations are bright and fun, and the content is comically captivating. The book provides an alphabetical list of monsters, who are non-scary and really curious. I think that it is a great idea to demythologise that which is considered mysterious so that children are able to enjoy the creativity and imagination associated with the fantastical. Lara Leuck’s book does just that…

Oliver has vulture wings.
Peggy has a thumb that stings.
Quentin’s eyebrows tend to crawl.
Rob looks like a basketball.

The book’s ending is a clever reversal of the monster idea. The crazy creatures …

…spot a REALLY freaky one -
with blinking eyes, a bumpless chin,
roundish ears and furless skin,
a tiny tongue, a weird hairdo
and such a silly body, too!

And when the animals all turn to stare at Amelia, she squeals with anticipatory delight as a multiplicity of big eyes stare back at her from the page.

I am a fan of the absurd. And Edward Lear’s The Owl and the Pussycat is right up my alley. The tale of an Owl and a Pussycat who set sail at sea in a beautiful pea-green boat is a rhyme that I rattled off as a child without considering what exactly I was rattling off. I recently acquired a copy of Louise Voce’s illustrated version of ‘The Owl’ and as I read it to my one-year-old daughter for the first time, I chuckled most of the way through. Lance is famous for his nonsense rhymes and The Owl and the Pussycat is surely his best known story. It goes like this:

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
‘O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!’

‘Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?’ Said the Piggy, ‘I will.’
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

An owl serenading a pussycat, a nose cum wedding ring on the paw of a cat, a Reverend Turkey, a runcible (what a delicious word) spoon, mince and quince as a wedding dinner, a moonlight dance on the island of the Bong-tree… it is just too delightful!

Care Bears: Lucky Day is so retro that it defines the meaning of retro. Why have I chosen to review this specific Care Bears book? Because it is the only one I own. I scouted it out at a Charity shop and paid a staggering 49p for a trip down memory lane.

As a toddler growing up in the ’80s, I definitely watched Care Bears on television but I didn’t have any Care Bears books. So now that I have my own daughter I get to relive my childhood through her – the possibilities are endless.

Care Bears: Lucky Day is a cute story about a teddybears’ picnic. The pictures are cartoonishly cute and the message is cute. In other words, not a genius work of children’s fiction but it is a Care Bears book and so can be forgiven for a bit of sentimentality. That said, Care Bears: Lucky Day will be perfect for a young child to practice reading on and the book’s message is also based on a fab idiomatic expression, which involves some fun explaining and lateral thinking. And my daughter digs it, which counts bucket loads.

Smelly Bill reminds me of a one of my brother’s childhood friends. My bro told me that one day when he was visiting this friend, said friend’s mom asked him to have a bath and friend replied “but mom, I swam last week.” For my brother, who wasn’t a big fan of bathing, to notice that this lack of cleanliness was a tad out of the ordinary… well, it says a great deal.

Every time I pick up Daniel Postgate’s Smelly Bill Stinks Again I can’t help but chuckle to myself as I remember the boy who bathed in the pool. Smelly Bill Stinks Again is the hilarious story of a stinky dog:

Bill loved to climb in rubbish bins
And so he smelt of many things
And I can tell you none of those
Was very pleasant on the nose

Smelly Bill revels in his own filth until his family goes on holiday and the dreaded Great Aunt Bleach comes round to doggy-sit. Bill and his gang of loyal hounds; Stagnant Stan, Putrid Pete, Filthy Fred and Rancid Ron (with pong so strong that they could smell him in Hong Kong), are in for a big, and very clean, surprise.

Anthony Browne is an award winning author and illustrator who has written more than forty books. Inherent in Browne’s illustrations is a sensitivity and empathy that oozes from the colours of his magnificently detailed, photo realistic pictures, which enhance the fantastical nature of his beautifully written narratives. I own two of Anthony Browne’s books; Gorilla and The Tunnel and my daughter adores them. Amelia’s 11 month old mind is utterly mesmerised by the faces of the gorillas and other primates that appear in Gorilla. She will turn the pages of the book and draw her face as close to the image on the page as she possibly can – often her nose ends up touching the page as she contemplates what she sees in front of her. It is very funny but quite beautiful at the same time.

Anthony Browne usually writes of lonely and sensitive child protagonists (both human and ape), and gorillas feature in many of his books. Of gorillas the author says, “I am fascinated by them and the contrast they represent – their huge strength and gentleness. They’re thought of as being very fierce creatures and they’re not.” I cannot wait for Amelia to understand Browne’s words and the message behind each of his stories – and I cannot wait to add more of Anthony Browne’s books to Amelia’s bookshelf.

Gorilla is the story of a lonely girl named Hannah who feels ignored by her dad because he is often busy at work. Hannah loves gorillas and when her birthday arrives she asks her father for a special gift. Hannah receives an unexpected guest who whisks her away on a lovely adventure, and her dad surprises her.

Gorilla is the winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Kurt Maschler Award.

The Tunnel tells the tale of a brother and a sister who rekindle their sibling bond after crawling through a dark tunnel and discovering a new, scary, world. Big brother learns that perhaps annoying little sisters are not so bad to have around after all.

When I discover something new I get totally excited and the best way to channel my fanaticism is to share. So today I am sharing Chris Riddell. Mr Riddell is a British illustrator (and occasional writer) of children’s literature, and a political cartoonist. He has won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice and the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize seven times.

Yesterday I came across, and now own, two of his books; Wendel’s Workshop and Emperor of Absurdia. I have fallen head over heels for Riddell’s illustrations – they are just beautiful. It is definitely worth keeping a look out for any books with this magnificent illustrator’s name written on them. Below are a couple of pics I managed to scratch up on the net with the help of my faithful friend Google:

Taken from Emperor of Absurdia

Taken from The Graveyard Book – a children’s fantasy novel by English author Neil Gaiman.