Last week, the Kings Road in Chelsea was abloom with wildness. Around every corner crocodiles crouched, cheetahs stalked, lions snarled and giraffes towered... all made from flowers, leaves and pampas grass.
Last week too, the list of UK illustrators for the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB) for 2017 was announced at the IBBY AGM. Fifteen names in all. Congratulations all... with Laura Carlin's win in 2015, its great to see UK illustration making inroads.
Noticeably in many of the books – the natural world came through in total abundance. This connection to 'the wild' in picture books, is refreshing when more and more children are stuck in front of screens. I’ve chosen a few from the list – some for their sheer joy and others for the art teacher in me on the look-out for line, texture, form and colour. Here are some of my personal best ‘wild at heart’ ones in alphabetical order.
Noticeably in many of the books – the natural world came through in total abundance. This connection to 'the wild' in picture books, is refreshing when more and more children are stuck in front of screens. I’ve chosen a few from the list – some for their sheer joy and others for the art teacher in me on the look-out for line, texture, form and colour. Here are some of my personal best ‘wild at heart’ ones in alphabetical order.
CHRISTOPHER CORR Deep in the Woods (Frances Lincoln, 2015)
WILLIAM GRILL The Wolves of Currampaw (Flying Eye, 2016)
NEIL LAYTON The tree (Walker, 2016)
JACKIE MORRIS The quiet music of gently falling snow (Graffeg 2016)
YUVAL ZOMMER The Big Book of Bugs (Thames and Hudson 2016)
PS Thinking ‘Wild at Heart’? Anyone wanting to
‘monkey’ about on Father’s Day? Please join Carol Thompson and me at the
Omnibus Theatre, Old Town Clapham with My Daddy is a Silly Monkey on Sunday 18 June,
at 10.30 for some snarling tigers and gnashing crocodiles. Entrance is free
and fathers are invited to join in and be celebrated! Suitable for children
from 3 years upward. If you can't make Clapham, a similar workshop is also on at The Alligator's Mouth in Richmond on Sat 10th at 11.30.
The last word comes from a monkey seen in the Kings Road with a tummy of pincushion proteas. Join us for some 'wild at heart' fun on Father's Day.
twitter: @dihofmeyr
6 comments:
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
I second that! Beautiful!
Wonderful!
Thanks Joan, Savita and Sue!
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