Croc and Bird

Title: Croc and Bird

Author: Alexis Deacon

Publisher: Red Fox

Published: 2012

Format: Paperback

Source: My own copy

 

 

Here’s another Alexis Deacon book that have I read and enjoyed. Published in 2012, Croc And Bird is one of his more recent books created by him alone and has the same introspective message and gorgeous artwork as the other stories.

In the story, a crocodile and a bird hatch out of their eggs next to each other and as a result, they mistake each other for brothers. Bonding between them ensues as they begin to share their lifestyles with one another and go on adventures together. The story is very funny and simplistic, but also poignant and heart warming as it explores the themes of brotherhood and friendship. As always, the pictures are beautifully drawn and coloured and we also get to explore, through both the illustrations and the text, the growth of the characters both in age and in personality.

In general, Croc And Bird is a meaningful tale of brotherly love with humour and poignancy blended together seamlessly. The main characters are absolutely lovable which will appeal to children and their parents alike and furthermore, the tale serves as a celebration of siblings everywhere, therefore making it a must-read for whole families.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Author: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Puffin
Published: 2008 (2007 in USA)
Format: Paperback
Source: My own copy

In light of recent comments that Anthony Horowitz made about today’s books, I thought I would re-read the first Diary Of A Wimpy Kid book. In contrast to what Horowitz said, I feel that it is not an example of “dumbed down” literature and there is a lot more to it than might first appear.

The first instalment of the series concentrates on our protagonist Greg Heffley arriving at his new school with his best friend Rowley and the hijinks that he gets up to both there and at home with his blissfully unaware mother, his apathetic father, his grumpy older brother Roderick and his brattish young brother Manny. There are plenty of humorous moments in the book, with the “cheese touch” being a big focus. However, unlike several of the books that have been published in order to capitalize on its success, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid makes no attempts at sentimentalism and instead comes off as a satire of typical school life as well as clichés such as the embarrassing family (there is a strong amount of favouritism going on in the Heffley family that does not appear in other books of the same genre). Greg himself is not always perfect and therefore, he comes across as a flawed yet well-meaning individual that you’ll end up sympathising with. As he is not the type of person who likes to keep in touch with his emotions, the story is written in a straightforward, honest manner that heightens the humour of several scenes. In addition, the cartoons are hilarious and will appeal to anyone, with funny captions and speech bubbles to go along with them.

In my opinion, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid isn’t just a comedy with what people refer to as “boy’s” humour in it. It’s also a brilliant satire of school life as well as the clichés that tend to pop up in other stories. This is what makes it a worthwhile book to read for both boys and girls as well as one of our best comedy books of today.

I Am Henry Finch

Title: I Am Henry Finch
Author: Alexis Deacon
Illustrator: Viviane Schwarz
Publisher:  Walker Books
Published: 2014
Format: Hardback
Source: My own copy

I Am Henry Finch is the third collaboration between Alexis Deacon and Viviane Schwarz, following the books A Place To Call Home and Cheese Belongs To You!

The story follows the plights of a flock of finches who always do the same things and say the same greetings until the titular Henry suddenly gains the power of thought and decides to take on the beast that threatens them on a regular basis. This is a very funny story that also happens to have a philosophical message behind it about the power of individual thinking and spreading that power around. Both the story and the dialogue are very simplistic at first and become more complex as Henry gains more thoughts and passes them on, therefore matching the progression of the finches perfectly. The illustrations are also very cute, with red fingerprints used to create the bodies of the finches and black pen used to create the rest of their features such as their beaks, feet, wings and eyes, which will appeal to young children immensely.

In general, the blend between humour and philosophy makes I Am Henry Finch both a funny and interesting book to read which can be enjoyed by everyone, both young and old. Children and art fans alike will also love the fingerprint illustrations.

The Moomins and the Great Flood

Welcome to my blog. For my first post I thought I should review the book I am holding in my picture.

Title: The Moomins and the Great Flood.
Author: Tove Jansson (translated by David McDuff)
Publisher: Sort of Books
Published in 2012
Format: Hardback
Source: My own copy

Originally published in 1945 in Finland, reprinted in 1991 and finally translated into English in 2012, The Moomins And The Great Flood is what some have described as a “rediscovered gem”. Furthermore, it serves as the first ever instalment of the much-loved Moomins series with the same magical tone to it.

The book introduces us to the lovable Moomintroll and Moominmamma as they head out on the journey to find Moominpappa, who has gone away with the Hattifatteners. On the way, they meet up with the Little Creature, later to be known as Sniff, as well as the beautiful blue-haired Tulippa who they find in a flower used for light. Not only are the familiar characters just as lovable as remembered, but the same applies to the additional characters in the story such as Tulippa herself. The Hattifatteners described here are quite different to the ones that appear in Finn Family Moomintroll, but their personality is the same. The plot essentially appears to be fairytale-inspired, with a few twists here and there, which will appeal to young children and fairytale fans alike. The artwork in the story is beautifully drawn with black ink and sepia watercolours for the larger pictures and in spite of the Moomins looking quite different to how they look for the rest of the series, they still look endearing and cuddly as always.

I would highly recommend The Moomins And The Great Flood to many readers young or old, including fans of the Moomins series and young children who have just discovered the series. The fairytale motifs and characters are appealing and so are the pictures, making the book a worthy addition to any bookshelf.