Everyone I work with would tell you that I’m a huge believer that picture books are for everyone, not just little kids, not just primary schools, not even just schools! These days there are picture books for any age, interest or style preference. In this month’s blog I’m thrilled to share with you two very different, but equally delightful, picture books, along with the second book in a wonderful highly illustrated junior novel series – let’s hear it for the multi-modal texts!
In Billie’s Buzz we meet Billie, who is smart, agile, adorable… and a bee! She’s also quite determined, finding herself a human so she can enter the pet show. Together Billie and the boy train hard, and on the big day they are ready to win! But the boy has one final piece of advice for Billie – don’t use your wings because some people are funny about bees. As the pet show progresses, Billie is wowing the judges and winning all of the categories… until the obstacle race forces Billie to unleash her wings. After pandemonium breaks out when the audience realises she’s a bee, the boy comes to Billie’s rescue by pointing out we have bees to thank for much of the food and flowers humans enjoy. This lovely story has lots of important messages, both about the importance of bees and of being yourself, but is also just a lot of fun.
The second book in the Murray and Bun! series, Murray the Knight, continues the adventures of Murray the cat, Bun the bun/bunny and their somewhat unpredictable magical cat-flap. This time they find themselves in a castle where Murray is challenged to a jousting competition by Sir Nasty for the hand of Princess Rubytoes, who seems less than enthusiastic at the prospect of marrying either one of them! While Murray and Bun aren’t really sure what jousting is – maybe something to do with trampolining and funny hats? – let alone how to win at it, they are very good at causing mayhem that may just help Princess Rubytoes marry the man she does love, and bring Sir Nasty down a peg or two! Emerging readers will delight at the antics of Murray and Bun as skilfully told through engaging prose and Stower’s masterful use of visual techniques.
On the one hand, Spider in the Well reminds me of ‘classic’ picture books from my childhood; it’s a morality tale told using illustrations reminiscent of early European printing. On the other hand, Spider in the Well is a darkly funny fable about the danger of exploiting others and the deep satisfaction that can come from executing much-deserved revenge! When the townspeople of Bad Göodsburg discover the well is broken, they are extremely upset; how will their worthy good wishes of health and happiness for all come true now? So the newsboy – also the chimney sweep, shoe shiner and milkman – is tasked with fixing the well. Upon arriving at the well, the newsboy discovers a spider in the well, a spider who reveals the less-than-altruistic wishes of the townspeople, as well as having quite the secret of his own. The newsboy decides it’s time to enact a little justice on them all! Illustrated with a limited colour palette, this sophisticated and subversive story will be enjoyed as much (if not more) by adults as children and would be wonderful for study with secondary classes.
