Grandad's Island by Benji Davies

Three cheers for wonderful  Benji Davies on the publication of his second author / Illustrated picture book 

Grandad's Island.

'Syd loves Grandad, Grandad loves Syd. 

And that will never change.'

I am a huge fan of picture books which feature strong and positive representations of the treasured bond between children and their grandparents, it is truly a unique and special relationship and one which should be celebrated just like this. 

Syd is a delightfully endearing little chap and his Grandpa whom fortunately he spends a great deal of time with is full of life and joy and an utterly unquenchable a taste for adventure. 

Syd and his beloved Grandpa embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure together as his house magically transforms into a tall ship! 

The mischievous pair find themselves washed up on on a mystical tropical island inhabited by vibrant wildlife and a very 'Handy-about-the-house' Orangutan. 

Many happy hours are spent exploring and larking about, from renovating an abandoned shack to, sharing quiet moments enjoying the wildlife - The complete joy shared by the two and the fun and tenderness in their friendship pours from every page. 

The subtle observations of these precious moments and this special relationship are observed so beautifully by Davies that you become utterly absorbed in the island and all it has to hold. 

As with all good stories there must come an end .. there will be tears by the time you reach this utterly heart wrenching illustration... 

No bookshelf should be without a copy of this poignant and utterly breath-taking picture book. 

As touching and poignant as the last hug between the boy and the Snowman by Raymond Briggs 

You can buy it here!  

FOLLOW BENJI ON TWITTER 

& visit his website here!

Here is a small selection of other beautiful and sensitive books about coping with loss...

By Giles Paley-Phillips and Iris Deppe 

By Susan Varley 

By Britta Teckentrup 

By John Burningham 

On Sudden Hill - An interview with it's creators Linda Sarah and Benji Davies

Ethereal and nostalgic in 'box' loads Benji and Sarah have created a magical environment set to ignite imaginations big and small...

On Sudden Hill is 'Stand By Me' for pre-schoolers, filled with emotion and stark scenery the reader is magnetically drawn to the three small boys and the intricacies of their beguiling friendship. The poetic lyrical text weaves a tender tale of innocence and explores the limitless nature of a child's imagination.

We are beyond thrilled to welcome the creators of
On Sudden Hill to Book Sniffer Towers to tell us a little more about the creation and development of the lead characters in this book, how they came to be and how Benji so deftly put a face to their names. 

Linda Sarah Author :

Hello Book Sniffer (I love your blog name by the way), thank you for having me here!

The names for the boys just tumbled out with the story - when that happens, I love it and usually they feel right - like the characters have been there all along, just waiting for the right moment to appear and say: Howdy - I've got something to tell you! 

It was originally written as a story for older readers, the boys were young teenagers - a much fiercer story, but when sifting through my chaotic piles of notebooks with ideas and story fragments, I thought it could maybe work for younger people as well - the idea of feeling left out, but also having nowhere to express those feelings, no one who is interested etc., - and re-writing it seemed simple and easy, which is a good sign I think.

I honestly can't remember how I first pictured Birt, Etho and Shu, but when I started to see Benji's sketches of them, I had a huge feeling of "Yes!" and I adore how he has brought them to life - they are totally as they should be (and so much better!). Their feelings, evoked by his tender expressions, gestures, reflected in surroundings etc. - just perfect and magical.

Benji Davies Illustrator :

                         

Characters I think are one of the hardest parts of illustrating a book.

The main characters, the starring roles of the book, need to be able to carry the story, to tell the story through their actions. And to do that they need to be believable, they need to hold within them some truth about the story. This all starts in the way that they look.

Of course each illustrator can come up with a vastly different character to the same text, so its by no means set in concrete by the words. That's where as the illustrator you get to tell the story how you see it, you get to shape the characters and the settings, design the place inside which the story unfolds.

First of all you need to know the function of the character, how do they relate to the other characters and elements in the story. In a well written text I think this just pops out at you and perhaps gets easier the more books you illustrate, as you hopefully get better at it.

You have to take their most important characteristics and make them embody those ideas. Are they vulnerable? Make them small. Do they need to be physically big enough to do something specific in the story, to reach on top of a wall perhaps? Make them tall. Or give them long arms. This sounds quite simple but actually can be quite a complex process of unravelling the text to get the right feel for the character. Its a bit like finding a missing piece of jigsaw that fits perfectly in the hole. All these choices have to feel right for the story. Even if they feel random I think there is something subconscious at work, guiding the choices - hair colour, posture, costume. All of these choices will be reflected in the atmosphere and tone of the book. 

For On Sudden Hill I felt that it was such an emotional text, that I couldn’t see the characters without visualising their world first. I thought it needed a more organic approach, to see the bigger picture and then start pulling the characters out.

First of all I started to draw silhouettes of some of the scenes in the text, or moments that I felt would evoke the atmosphere of the book. In animation they call these kind of sketches and drawings the ‘beats’.

 

These beats really helped me to start shaping the story, getting into the sense of place and the interaction between the three boys.

I then sort of hoped that their characters would start to filter through. I made more further sketches.

I was starting to get an idea of how a couple of them might look, very roughly. I think some of them were a bit too old looking, but that wasn’t important for this stage. It was better to just get something down than worry about specifics.  I would have loved to have been able to keep more of these silhouettes in the final book but I think it might have been too dark and moody.

Then I made some more detailed character sketches and also a design for the box-cart which I based on my previous silhouette drawings.

As I started to artwork, their individual personalities started to take shape. They still needed to be younger though, and I gave them more appeal by making their clothes brighter and more detailed.

Then at a late stage, we (my art director, editor and myself) realised that it wasn’t really working as well as it could. One of the characters was stealing the limelight - the wrong one! But rather than start the characters from scratch they suggested a straight swap of two of the characters. So Birt became Shu and Shu, Birt. It was completely contrary to how I had been thinking but the characters worked but it made complete sense. 

I think it shows that you can never be entirely sure what the right solution for a character is, but that when you get it right everything falls into place.

Vists Benji's website here 

Buy the book HERE

Follow Benji (Benji_Davies) 

& Sarah (@travelandsing) on Twitter

With HUGE thanks to the team at Simon and Schuster  (especially Jade)
for inviting us to kick off this blog tour!

Make sure you pop over to Wondrous Reads tomorrow for the next installment of the On Sudden Hill blog tour! 

Toodle Pip! 

A Yuletide Bonanza!

‘The Yuletide season is almost upon us dear chums, the perfect time for sharing a picture book under a huge cosy quilt so here for your delectation and delight are a selection of absolute Christmas Picture Book Crackers.‘

Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan

Published by Hodder Children’s Books

A mesmeric addition to Shaun Tan’s eclectic array of thoughtful and surreal picture books.

Two brothers explore the boundaries of their relationship in a breath taking landscape inhabited by a menagerie of make-believe creatures. This book grows more sublime with every brush stroke and each turn of the page.

Herman’s Letter  by Tom Percival 

Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

The best depiction of friendship since Bert and Ernie, Herman (the bear) and Henry (the raccoon) are best of friends but when Henry moves away Herman has trouble dealing with his own company and feeling jealous of Henry’s new life.

Herman decides to embark on an epic and at times hilarious journey to find his best friend.  A perfect book for sharing with someone you love.

Ernest and Celestine - Merry Christmas 

By Gabrielle Vincent

Published by Catnip distributed by Bounce Marketing

Dear old bear and little mouse are back in a beautiful classic, Using ingenuity and love Ernest organizes a wonderful Christmas party for Celestine and her friends. A wonderful traditional tale with a supremely relevant message about the joys of a homemade Christmas and sharing it with those you love. Home really is where the heart is with Ernest and Celestine, this book is as warming and comforting as an afternoon by a log fire with a cup of hot chocolate.

Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space 

By Dr Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman 

Published by Flying Eye Books

Flying Eye Books are trailing a dazzling blaze with this utterly visually arresting book - Professor Astro Cat guides our intrepid space explorers on an amazing interstellar adventure – Ben's artwork is eye boggling, cool and cutting edge and compliments perfectly the fact filled text in a unique and engaging way. Complete with a fact file at the back and cheese stealing aliens – What’s not to love. 

A beautifully produced book which will leap off the shelves.

Princess Penelope and the Runaway Kitten 

By Alison Murray 

Published by Nosy Crow

A perfectly pink rhyming ‘tail’ about a mischievous kitten and a ball of magical pink wool. 

Penelope has the run of a most marvelous palace as she chases a playful kitten tumbling and skipping through the grounds of her home. With a wonderful vibrant pink glittery trail to follow on each page. Completely delicious .

The Story of Stars – By Neal Layton 

Published by Hodder Children’s Books

The third in the ‘Story of…’ series , The Story of Stars contains millions of stars and the rest of the cosmos squashed into 10 pop-up pages.. that’s all!!!!!

You will gasp and gawp at the incredible pop-up’s which spring, shoot and unfurl from the pages of this book. A chronological journey through the discovery of stars with Neal’s hilarious mad cap style and numerous funny details to spot  - this book will be shared over and over for millions of years to come.  

Stars the universe and EVERYTHING – what more could one ask for? Also a special mention to in mind boggling background research undertaken by Captain Layton – He certainly deserves a sit down and a cup of tea.

PERFECT STOCKING FILLER:

A Letter for Bear – By David Lucas 

Published by Flying Eye Books

A glistening gem of a book – a small hardback printed in the colours of frosted ginger bread this story tells the wintery tale of an earnest post man bear and how a cockle warming cosy Christmas cave party with his forest friends came to be.

CLASSICS TO COVET:

Alice Through The Looking Glass

By Emma Chichester-Clark 

Published by Harper Collins:

A beautiful re-imagining of the lesser known Alice tale including all of your favorite characters to spot.  

This version will engage and enthrall readers of all ages and make an enviable addition to any home library. 

Emma’s vibrant pallet and ability to create movement and character make this particular version a true treasure.

The Babar Collection – By Jean De Brunhoff 

Published by Egmont

An exquisite slipcased edition of a much-loved collection of stories featuring a regal family of elephants. 

With a beautiful mix of 5 classic stories including Babar and Father Christmas, fans of Babar new and old will relish this wonderful book.

This timeless collection would make a wonderful gift.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea – Special Edition

By Judith Kerr – Published by Harper Collins

A delectable celebration edition of what must be one of the most iconic picture books of recent generations. With vibrant technicolor illustrations which will transport you instantly into Sophie’s world. 

First created in 1968 this tale of an imaginary tiger and the implications of having one over to tea will continue to appeal to young readers for many many years to come.

Pug’s Picks of the year: 

A special mention for some of my 

particular highlights of 2013

I have been extremely lucky this year to have received an absolute abundance of wonderful picture books, but if I was pushed and HAD to choose 4 which I just KNOW you will love then these are the one's I'd pick.

The Storm Whale – By Benji Davies (@Benji_Davies)

Published by Simon and Schuster - Review here

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam

By Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton  (@TraceyCorderoy and @2dScrumptious)

Published by Nosy Crow - Review here

Primrose by Alex T Smith (@Alex_T_Smith)

Published by Scholastic - Review here

Bubble & Squeak by James Mayhew and Clara Vulliamy (@mayhewjames and @ClaraVulliamy)

Published by Orchard Books - Review here

Happy Reading Sniffers – See you next year! TOOT TOOT!

Please don't forget to follow me on Twitter this Christmas season @maybeswabey and join our fabulous Facebook page here

An interview with - Benji Davies

We have decided to further celebrate the launch of Benji's latest gigantic picture book triumph 'The Storm Whale'  with a salty seafaring interview conducted entirely via the medium of messages in bottles. (you can read our full book review here)

Introducing inimitably talented illustrator...

Message in a bottle 1 - 
Do you develop ideas and concepts in sketchbooks or is it more of an organic process? 

I tend to scribble things down haphazardly, and then have scraps of ideas on envelopes, loose sheets of paper. This helps cement something from my head on to the paper. Then if the idea persists, if I like it the next time I look at it, the next time I pick up my sketch book I have somewhere to start.

Its hard to come up with ideas when confronted by a blank sketchbook unless you have already started the seeds in your head, the day before, last week, last year even. That said sometimes you might come up with an idea while sketching something else, for another project even, and an idea just creeps in.

The Storm Whale is a development of a story that I made as a short film when I was at uni in 2002. It was essentially the same, although some elements have been removed, others enhanced, to give it more readability as a book for children. But the core idea is still the same. I have always loved the sea and so using it as a backdrop to a story seemed very natural.

Its sort of odd to look at the film now, it looks so clumsy and badly animated ! 

Message in a bottle 2 -

Tell us about a book from your childhood which was particularly special to you. 

I still have quite a few of my books from childhood - Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad stories spring to mind. 

They stayed with me, simple elemental things like the idea of spring being around the next corner. Simple life affirming, universal ideas are strongest i think for picture books.

I always loved the Tiger Who Came To Tea. 

I love the idea of the this big animal who shouldn't be there, suddenly is in your house. I thought about that when I was writing this story,  back when I was making the short film.

I think it is the imagery or concepts of things that I remember most, something that resonated with me at that age, captured my imagination.

The whale I realised recently is almost identical in shape, the silhouette of its body and flippers and the curve of its back, to a stuffed toy seal that my mum used to have. I think this 3D form is imprinted in my head from childhood and eked its way out when I designing the whale for this story. 

You can see the main characters as they were when I first sketched them over a decade ago - they are more refined now ( I hope!)  but you can see they kept their essence.

Message in a bottle 3 -

Where else might we see you work other than sitting comfortably in a children's book? 

I recently worked on a rug design for Chris Haughton's 
Made By Node project. That was fun to do and I now have one of the rugs on my wall! It was made by the same people in Kathmandu who produced the knitted toy for The Storm Whale.

They're called Kumbeshwar and they employ local women to knit and weave, its a really great Fair Trade system that also supports their own school and orphanage. I'd like to do more in that vein in the future, making physical things, especially with crafts people, either linked to a book project or something stand alone.

I have also worked as an animation director for several years, making animated commercials and music promos as well as short films. I enjoy it, and love to see things come to life on the screen, but I also think the angle of my work is well suited to children's publishing. Primarily I just like drawing - its what I loved doing when I was younger and what I still love now. 

Message in a bottle 4 -
As a fan of all things coastal what your favourite fish dish

I love seafood.. really anything fish, actually  - moules mariniere, yes! 

Message in a bottle 5 -

Where do you find inspiration? 

I feel inspired (I'm not just saying this because of this book) when I'm near the sea. My wife Nina and I love the coast, particularly in Norfolk where we have spent a lot of holidays.

Top tip for you is to go to Wells-Next-The-Sea where if you're lucky The Albatross will be moored up. Its an old dutch sailing ship that is a pub-come-pancake restaurant - that's all they serve, good beer and pancakes. Its a must. 

But really I think inspiration can start anywhere, you just have to be in a receptive mode. Victorian chimney pots, old shacks and nature often set me whirring.

Message in a bottle 6 -

Do you think social media is important in promoting a book?  

Social media I think is really good for connecting illustrators and authors to each other and the people who buy their books. I think its really important now to be involved or I think perhaps you could become too obscure and hidden from the chatter.

Its still quite experimental though - a balance between telling people what you're up to and possibly boring them with the same old Storm Whale news… ahem.

(You can follow Benji on Twitter @Benji_Davies)

Message in a bottle 7 -
Which is your favourite spread from The Storm Whale?  

My favourite spread is possibly the one that kick started the whole thing, which was recognised by my art director, Nia at Simon&Schuster as potential book material, (with Noi's house on the beach, the opening spread). I think the whole story is in this image, even though the whale is yet to turn up.

Message in a bottle 7 -

If you were stranded on a desolate beach who would you like to sit next to the campfire with? 

I think some old sea dogs would be good company in the light of the campfire, to tell a few tales of the deep.

Message in a bottle 8 -
You have a well documented and successful background in animation do you think this feeds through in the way in which you develop and create your picture books in terms of style and narrative? 

I think it must do. its one of the reasons I wanted to study animation over illustration, because I felt it would give me a better understanding of movement and storytelling in my work.

Message in a bottle 9 -

Three men in a boat - If you were abandoned at sea in a small fishing boat with two other illustrators who would you choose?

If I was out at sea with a couple of illustrators in a boat…  I'm not sure about this, I think we'd all go mad! 

Maybe we'd get swallowed by Moby Dick.. 

I'd take a Gustaf and a Gustav.

Gustaf Tenggren, he did the backgrounds & concepts on Pinnochio for Disney, the underwater pics and inside of the whale are brilliant.

And then Gustav Dore. He made incredible engravings of sea monsters like this one..

Message in a bottle 10 -
With the onslaught of e-books and enhanced picture books is there a future in REAL books?

Oh yes I definitely think there is a future for real picture books. I think its something you can't take away from them, they are the real deal, the digital counterpart doesn't feel the same. But maybe there is some nostalgia attached to that.

Me Books are really interesting, by adding sound and voice over, they help create something that might spread the books audience, maybe children who find it difficult to engage with traditional books. I think this is important as children are being bombarded by digital media, and distracted by it more and more, this could help draw them into real books, bridging the gap.  But I don't think this competes at all with the real version - it just provides an alternative way of enjoying a story and hopefully its reach and appeal is then wider. Getting interested in reading and finding access points to books is the most important thing.

THANK YOU to Benji Davies for his thoughtful and insightful answers, always a gent! - we can't wait to see what he's got up his sleeve for his next picture book and Three cheers to Simon & Schuster who are creating great waves with their imaginative and enviably stylish new picture book list! HURRAH 

The Storm Whale is available to buy in all good book shops 

TOOT TOOT Book Sniffers - more eye-boggling picture books reviewed later this week! EXCITING on a book shaped stick.