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Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer: You don’t have to be useful
Getting Rudolphed is a concept from disability activism with notable crossover in children’s literature… unfortunately for children’s literature.
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Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey Novel Study
Bad Guys is a bestselling Australian early reader by Australian author and illustrator Aaron Blabey. The Bad Guys series is frequently recommended for kids who enjoy Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Treehouse series, stories by David Walliams, Ahn Do Weirdo, the Real Pigeons series, Minecraft Zombie books and other children’s books parents can find…
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Story Opening: Insignificant Events In The Life Of A Cactus by Dusti Bowling
The opening to Dusti Bowling’s middle grade novel, Insignificant Events In The Life Of A Cactus, is notable for its lists.
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Hairy Maclary, Sit by Lynley Dodd Analysis
Hairy Maclary, Sit! (1997) is a carnivalesque rhyming picture book written and illustrated by New Zealand storyteller Lynley Dodd. The story follows on from the immensely popular Hairy Maclary From Donaldson’s Dairy (1983).
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Story Opening: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Detransition, Baby is a contemporary novel that hooked me right away. How did author Torrey Peters do that? Let’s take a closer look.
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Schnitzel von Krumm’s Basketwork by Lynley Dodd Picture Book Analysis
Schnitzel von Krumm’s Basketwork is a children’s picture book by New Zealand author-illustrator Lynley Dodd, first published in 1994. The star and only character of this one is… Schnitzel von Krumm… already familiar from the uber-successful Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy. Schnitzel von Krumm of course puts the reader in mind of crumbed schnitzel, a…
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Opening Sentences: Middle Grade Novels
Let’s take a look at openings to various middle grade novels. How do contemporary storytellers hook young readers?
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Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad: A Case Study In Kindness
Conflict, conflict, conflict. Writers seeking storytelling advice are constantly bombarded with the message: Every story needs conflict; nay, every scene! But is this really true? When advice-givers say ‘conflict’, what are they really talking about? Successful stories don’t need conflict… if conflict means arguing, wrestling and wishing each other dead. Stories need opponents. Here’s the…
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Carnivalesque Plot Type: Visitors Who Outstay Their Welcome
Something feels different about some stories made for children. Not all of them. Just some. Take The Cat In The Hat or The Tiger Who Came To Tea. It’s not easy to find stories for adults with a similar blueprint. In these children’s stories, a visitor arrives in a child’s house and makes merry mischief.…
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The Power of the Dog: How Did Phil Die? and Other Questions
The Power of the Dog is a 2021 film directed by Jane Campion, based on the same-named 1967 novel by Thomas Savage. Like a lyrical short story, this film is designed for a repeat viewing.
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Distorted Houses In Illustration
There’s a style of house, popular in Hallowe’en illustration and in children’s books about witches, which looks distorted and crooked. You know it when you see it. This house is a creepy inversion of The Dream House, so it is always two-storeyed with an attic, and you just know it has a basement as well.…
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The Lost Daughter: Why does Leda steal the doll?
The Lost Daughter is a 2021 film directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, based on the novel by Italian writer Elena Ferrante (2015). This is Gyllenhaal’s debut as feature-length film director. I look forward to seeing what she does next.
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Swimming Pools in Illustration and on Book Covers
Swimming without water: Buckets, bins and bathtubs by Charlotte Bates and Kate Moles, 9th August 2022 Swimming stories by Adele Prince, 9th August 2022 In deep: At one with the water, with all that entails, Rebecca Olive, 9th August 2022 She is peeling off her wet swimsuit when the yummy mummies arrive. Glossy and stick…
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Emma by Wendy Kesselman and Barbara Cooney
Emma is an American picture book (1980) written by Wendy Kesselman and illustrated by Barbara Cooney about an elderly woman who became a painter later in life.
