Thinking about picture book forms

This week I have been so privileged to read the Master's Thesis of a friend entitled "Shapes and forms: Some recent uses of techniques in picture books". This thesis was written in 1990 but it is thrilling to see how many of her selected titles have really stood the test of time and I hope that nearly all of them are still available in your school library.  The thesis explores twenty forms - I won't list all of her choices here, but I have added a couple more of my own so I have a total of fourteen forms you could explore. The more I dip into this topic the more possibilities I have found such as stamping or using stamps (Jarrett and Jarome Pumphrey); dual functioning books (such as The Ribbon Le Ruban a book I long to own); clay sculpture illustrations such as Barbara Reid; photographic illustrations; narrative and illustrated nonfiction; and diorama constructions - try to find books illustrated by Soyeon Kim to see this form.

Here is a video of this book (in French)

I have listed the thesis picture book example first and then examples of my own. This thesis was originally given the title 'innovations in the picture book' but many of the forms/shapes listed are actually very old for example the popup book and the leporello. The book at the top of this post is a leporello! I do love that word (and form). So the thesis author changed her heading to Shapes and Forms.

I also need to think about where to place one of my most shared and most treasured but very obscure books:

1 is for One

1. Wordless

Up and Up by Shirley Hughes

Check out my Pinterest of Wordless Books (IBBY call them Silent books)

I have tons of favourites but I first thought of one special favourite, because it was the first wordless book I ever read, Sunshine by Jan Omerod. Thinking about more recent ones I would list Stormy by GuoJing and The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio. If you haven't discovered Peter Collington try to find his books in a library. My own favourite is The Tooth Fairy.

2. Paper engineering (pop up and die-cut or laser cut)

Haunted House Jan Pienkowski

The die cutting process is a way to create unique shapes in material. It’s often used artistically on covers to cut windows into a book or on interior pages to create flaps, pop-up structures or interesting shapes.

The master of the popup is Robert Sabuda. His paper engineering will amaze you. An older book I marvel over with amazing die cut pages is The Story of Snowflake and Raindrop. This book also fits into the category of a flip over book. More recent examples of die cut pages are found in books by Britta Teckentrup for example her book A Happy Place. You might also look for books by Aaron Becker and Su Blackwell. I recently spied this edition based on Mary Poppins with die cut or laser cut illustrations.

Read more about Hélène Druvert here.

3. Lift the flap

Where's Spot? by Eric Hill

I stumbled on Mouse's Wood by Alice Melvin a couple of years ago and now I see there are sequels. I also love the bird books by Bridget Farmer which have the sturdiest flaps and incredible art. Searching for Treasure by Johanna Bell illustrated by Emma Long made me gasp and you do need to add Who Lives here by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Rebecca Cobb to your collection. All of these books show that flaps are not just for our tiny reading companions but of course every little child does need to see and touch lots of books about Spot.

4. Flip over book (reversable)

Round Trip by Ann Jonas

I cannot cite many examples of these but I do love them. I always think of an old book - And then it Rained by Crescent Dragonwagon. Another example could be Mirror by Jeannie Baker. You don't flip this one over but readers see the action side by side in two different locations simultaneously.  An Australian example is Room on our Rock by Kate and Jol Temple. 

5. Stitching (using textiles)

The Shoemaker and the Elves stitching by C & W Birrer

I find books with illustrations made from embroidery or stitching or fabric patchwork very appealing. One UK illustrator to look for is Rachel Griffin. You could also look for The Whispering Cloth: a refugee's story by Pegi Deitz Shea and illustrated by Anita Riggio. I love the work by US textile artist Salley Mavor. I would love to own her book called My Bed. 

6. Letters in envelopes

The Jolly Postman by Allan Ahlberg (and sequels)

I have so many book forms that I adore but I think the value-added of real letters inside envelopes is one I find the most delightful. AND I thank publishers who are willing to invest money into the production of these. Santa Post by Emma Yarlett; Maisy's Christmas Letters by Lucy Cousins; Letters from Felix: A Little Rabbit on a World Tour by Annette Langen; Meerkat Mail Emily Gravett; and of course The Jolly Christmas postman by Allan Ahlberg.

7. Collage

Where the forest meets the sea by Jeannie Baker

This is an enormous topic. My friend has a terrific Pinterest on this topic and I have one too of illustrators who use collage. Apart from our wonderful Australian illustrator Jeannie Baker,I love the work of Eric Carle; Ed Young; Robin Page; David Wisniewski and Susan L Roth. You may already have a new Australian picture book called Hope is the Thing. And there are so many other names such as Rachel Isadora; Melissa Sweet; Leo Lionni; Ezra Jack Keats; Lois Ehlert; Ellen Stoll Walsh. Another favourite Australian illustrator of mine is Patricia Mullins. I was also delighted to discover this book made with illustrations made from pebbles:

Stepping Stones

8. Reality (illustrations) versus fantasy (text) or illustrations show a fantasy which contrasts with reality.

Drac and the Gremlin by Allan Baillie illustrated by Jane Tanner

Another older example is Kirsty Knows Best illustrated by Anthony Browne. I also thought of Magic Beach by Alison Lester; A House for Wombats by Jane Burrell; Suri's wall by Lucy Estela illustrated by Matt Ottley and When You're Older by Sofie Laguna illustrated by Judy Watson. I recently discovered this old book: Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. There are sure to be lots more for this category. 

9. Page turner (anticipation and a guessing game)

I went walking by Sue Machin illustrated by Julie Vivas

Eyes in the Dark by Kim Dale; An animal guessing game by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page; Who's Next? Guess Who! by Anton Poitier illustrated by Sophia Touliatou; Animalphabet by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Sharon King-Chai; and for older readers a title from many years ago - Guess What? by Mem Fox illustrated by Vivienne Goodman. I also need to mention What's Inside: The alphabet book by Satoshi Kitamura and Brown Bear Brown bear by Bill Martin Jr illustrated by Eric Carle.

10. Participatory story 

We're going on a bear hunt by Michael Rosen illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Participation was always the focus of my early weeks with a new Kindergarten group. We read lots of books with a repeated refrain including We're going on a bear hunt; My Brown Bear Barney by Dorothy Butler illustrated by Elizabeth Fuller; There's a Hippopotamus on our Roof eating cake by Hazel Edwards illustrated by Deborah Niland; Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina; Peace at last by Jill Murphy; Owl Babies by Martin Waddell illustrated by Patrick Benson; and The Elephant and the bad baby by Elfrida Vipont illustrated by Raymond Briggs.

11. Leporello

I added this one to the list but I know the author of the thesis enjoys discovering these. You could add tunnel book to this category too. There is one of these inside The Jolly Christmas Postman by Allan Ahlberg. I also have a book based on Can't you sleep little bear by Martin Waddell which you fold out and join into a circle or a carousel. 

Books that have accordion-style, or zig-zagged, pages are called leporellos (or concertinas). These books can be experienced in a few ways: readers can keep the book folded and turn the "pages," flipping the book at the end to experience the other side of the book; or they can completely unfold and expand the book to create one giant, linear narrative. Some leporellos are printed on the front and back, while others are one-sided. Let's Talk about Picture books (you can see examples)

Pages of Look by Gavin Bishop Gecko Press

12. Breaking the fourth wall and the off-stage narrator

This one is also my headings and I talk about this with lots of examples here. Look for Hide me, Kipper! by Mick Inkpen; Let’s Play! by Hervé Tullet; A Squiggly Line by Robert Vescio illustrated by Kathy Creamer; Fish and Crab by Marianna Coppo; Bear Hunt by Anthony Browne; The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston; Press Here Herve Tullet; and Escargot by Dashka Slater illustrated by Sydney Hanson. Another very curious example is Zoom by Istvan Banyai.

13. A catalogue book

Imagine by Alison Lester

I love this term catalogue book as used by the writer of this thesis. It is a perfect label for so many picture books that have no narrative but are filled with things to talk about. The big question by Leen van den Berg and illustrated by Kaatje Vermeire; Things to Look Forward to by Sophie Blackall; What to say when you don't know what to say by Davina Bell illustrated by Hilary Jean Tapper (and sequels); The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown; Pablo Neruda Book of Questions illustrated by Paloma Valdivia translated by Sara Lissa Paulson; If I had a little dream by Nina Laden illustrated by Melissa Castrillon; and the most obvious example The Baby's Catalogue by Allan Ahlberg.

I need to mention two more titles for this catalogue book category:

Who is the world for?

Do you wonder?

14. Poetry with pictures

Read more here. 

A Life Song

Here is a quote from the final sentence of the thesis which inspired this post (I hope you have found it interesting and useful).

The book features explored in this thesis "support the proposition that the contemporary picture book is a subtle and skillful artform. Artists, authors, publishers and most importantly readers are increasingly aware of this fact. There can be no turning back."

Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson illustrated by Dan Santat

Why, dear reader, must you NEVER EVER trust fish?

1. They spend all their time in the water where we can’t see them.

2. Some are as big as a bus—that is not okay.

3. We don't know what they're teaching in their "schools."

4. They are likely plotting our doom.

This book starts out looking quite scientific. There is a description of the cow beside the formal illustration which leads to the conclusion that a cow is a mammal. Although, if you take a closer look at the eye of this cow he does seem to have some thing more to say perhaps. Then we read a description of a snake and conclude this is a reptile and likewise we see a small yellow bird and we know it's a bird because birds have feathers. BUT fish - no you cannot generalise about fish and so they are not to be trusted. I love the way this text persuades the reader that fish are a group of animals with lots of tricks and anomalies - gills or lungs; salt water or fresh; eggs or not; vegetarian or cannibal. There are even fish who have their own lanterns about what about seahorses - did you know they are fish too. But then we meet a little fish we can trust! or do we?

When you read this book a second or third time you might notice the huge fish trying to eat an innocent little crab - wait a minute should you wonder about the narrator of this book? 

The real slammer is the final page - please give your library group or young reading companion time to THINK about this page.

To write a successful funny picture book, you have two audiences you have to appease. You’ve got your adult gatekeepers, the ones who have the dollars in their pockets, and then you have the actual intended audience in the first place: children. Both children and adults, and I mean this truly, are terrible judges of what is funny. This is because kids and parents are not all that different. They both are easily led astray. There are many different ways to appeal to someone, and a book can certainly be funny the first time you read it… and then less and less funny after that. What keeps a book funny after multiple, maybe even hundreds, of reads? Comic timing. The art of the page turn. And the ability to make a book fun to read aloud over and over and over again. SLJ Betsy Bird (read her whole review)

A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on. Kirkus Star review

Here is a video of the author reading his book. Neil Sharpson comes from Ireland. Read this terrific review from Reading bookshop in Melbourne. 

There are so many ways you could use this book with your class

• Just read it for fun - nothing more - and YES that's okay
• Read it after a unit of work on Animal classification with a younger group
• With a group of older students (Grade 4+) read it before a unit of work on Animal classification
• Use this book with primary grades to talk about persuasion
• Use this book with your Grade 5 or 6 students to talk about point of view and also the authority/reliability/trustworthiness of texts we use for research - who wrote this book? Why? Do they have an agenda? How can we check the facts presented here?

One more thing: I am SO puzzled. This is an American book - that's okay they make terrific books - but here in Australia this book in hardcover only costs AUS$20 and even less from chain stores - again that's terrific BUT if this book can be made available for such a great price WHY oh WHY do I investigate so many other US Picture books and then despair when I see them listed for AUS$35-AUS$55!

Companion books:

Except Antarctica

Other books illustrated by Dan Santat:

Once I was a tree by Eoin McLaughlin illustrated by Guilherme Karsten

The cover of this book actually says: written by a book (with help from Eoin LcLaughlin) so right away you might guess this will be a funny book and that it is sure to 'break the fourth wall'. Then turn inside and read the dedications - "Dedicated to the book that the tree became GK" "Dedicated to the tree I used to be - The Book." Now take some time to read all the fun annotations on the imprint page. For example, the text says the paper is made from wood grown in sustainable forests and our narrator comments - "that's tree-mendous news".  Beside the illustrator name the narrator adds "his trees are 10/10". And the comment about the publisher name which is Nosy Crow is hilarious. Oh, and do look under the dust jacket but maybe do this after you read this book. Also run your fingers over the cover to feel the texture. There are so many terrific design features to explore in Once I was a tree. 

Now onto the first page:

"Once I was a tree. I wasn't just any old tree. I was a pine tree. I was tall, green and handsome. Don't believe me? Just take a look!"

The illustration shows a photo frame image of our tree as he used to be. Have you guessed what is about to happen? Well first you need to go on the journey from seed to tree via a squirrel's bottom (yes I did say bottom) and some assistance from Barbara the dung beetle. Trees are so tall, especially pine trees, that you will need to turn the book sideways to see its full size. 

Everything goes along happily until one day when someone chops the tree down. 

Oh no "I know. I was fuming."

But all is not lost. The wood is milled and turned into paper and that paper becomes a book - yes this book!

"I'm not tall, or green. But I'm still handsome. And I still smell good. Go on. Smell me!"

This book was published in 2025 (just a couple of days ago on 6th May) and the beautifully designed hardcover edition is a very good price here in Australia. Add this book to your school library and then read it to a group of your young library visitors - they are sure to be chuckling and also amazed. 

Bookseller blurb: Get ready to meet Barbara the beetle and Derek the squirrel who (through the power of poo) help a wise-cracking seed turn into a handsome tree . . . and become a wonderful book! And GUESS WHAT? It's the book that you're holding! A book to be loved, shared and cherished forever. Perfect for fans of Jon Klassen and Oliver Jeffers. Tactile jacket cover with a surprise underneath! Have fun with turn-around pages.

Guilherme Karsten was born and lives in Blumenau, southern Brazil. He studied Advertising and Graphic Design and started his illustration career in animation and fashion industry. In 2010, he illustrated his first children’s book. Since then he’s illustrated more than 30 books from Brazilian and international authors. Leading him to start writing himself and in 2017, “The Ride!”, his first book as an author & illustrator, won the honorable mention at the 2017 Serpa International Picture Book Prize (Planeta Tangerina, Portugal). Take a look at his art. 

Tate Publishing 2020

I previously talked about this book by Eoin McLaughlin:

The Case of the Missing Cake

Companion book:

The Great Paper Caper

No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart illustrated by Nicole Wang

Jacket flap blurb: When you think of chocolate, you might think of a candy bar, a birthday cake, or a glass of chocolate milk. But where does chocolate come from? Its main ingredient is actually the cocoa bean, which grows on cocoa trees in tropical rain forests. These trees can't survive without the help of the animals and other living things that share their habitat. The seeds, pods, flowers, leaves, stems and roots of the cocoa tree depend on organisms like the pollen-sucking midge, the aphid-munching anole, and ye, even the brain-eating coffin fly. In the rain forest every living thing has an important part of play. Even the monkeys.

The paperback edition of No Monkey, No Chocolate appears to be available even though it was published in 2018.  [9781580892889]. 

Bookseller blurb:  A secondary layer of text delves deeper into statements such as "Cocoa flowers can't bloom without cocoa leaves . . . and maggots," explaining the interdependence of the plants and animals in the tropical rain forests. Two wise-cracking bookworms appear on every page, adding humor and further commentary, making this book accessible to readers of different ages and reading levels.

The little book worms and their commentary on each page are why I added 'Breaking the Fourth Wall' to this book. "Is the cocoa pod like an ipod?" "Quit monkeying around I'm trying to concentrate."

Every school library should add science books by Melissa Stewart to their collection - all of her books are splendid and she has a fabulous and very practical web page. I previously talked about Thank you Moon, and Tree Hole Homes. 

Melissa Stewart has always been fascinated by the natural world and enjoys sharing it with readers of all ages. She is the award-winning author of more than 100 books for young readers and has written more than 70 articles for children and adults. Trained as a scientist and a journalist, Melissa believes that nothing brings writing to life like firsthand research. While gathering information for her books, Melissa has explored tropical forests in Costa Rica, gone on safari in East Africa, and swum with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands. She can’t imagine any job she’d rather have!

Read more here. Kirkus gave this book a Star Review. There are even more details in this School Library Journal Review. 

On a book forum this week someone asked for Easter books for their child aged 10. They specifically wanted Chapter Books but I just could not think of any to suggest. Instead I mentioned this book - The Talking Eggs - which is a long form picture book. I read this book to hundreds of Grades 4 and 5 students in my former school library but if I had seen No Monkeys, No Chocolate I would have also mentioned this even though it a non-fiction title it is so fascinating and I think a perfect addition to your Easter reading.

Take a look at this post about chocolate from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything. Here are some other books about chocolate.

Something's Wrong by Jory John illustrated by Erin Kraan

Subtitle: A Bear, a Hare and Some Underwear

On the title page we see Bear waking up to the sound of his alarm clock. He feels that something is wrong.

"Let's see ... I ate my breakfast. I wrote in my journal. I watered my plant. I took my bath. I tried on the gift from grandma. And I combed my fur. Hmmm. So why do I still feel like I'm forgetting something?"

The delight here is that readers, and the other forest animals, can see the problem even though Bear cannot. Yes, Bear still has on his underpants. But no one seems able to tell Bear the truth. That is until Bear meets Jeff. 

"Oh boy. Should I tell him? Yes? You really think he can handle it? Why am I even asking you? Who are you? All right. Welp. Here we go ... ' Deep Breath."

Jeff is the best of friends. He turns a potentially terrible and utterly embarrassing situation into something affirming and warm-hearted. 

The book is also a clever primer on handling embarrassment and how it can sometimes be dealt with by simply changing the perspective of what’s happening. This underwear affair is wise, witty, and just brief enough. Kirkus Star review

This book is so funny. Your library group or young reading companion will be rolling around on the floor with laughter BUT sadly here in Australia this book is priced way beyond any library or home book shelf at over AUS$45. My hardcover copy was published in 2021 - perhaps a paperback edition will be produced. I do hope so. See inside on the illustrator web page. 

Publisher blurb: Jeff the bear has definitely forgotten something. He ate his breakfast, he watered his plant, he combed his fur . . . what could it be? Why does he feel so oddly off? So he asks his friend Anders the rabbit what could possibly be wrong. It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that he's wearing underwear . . . over his fur . . . could it? Another read-out-loud, laugh-out-loud picture book from bestselling and beloved author Jory John, paired with rising star illustrator Erin Balzer, about that horrible nagging feeling that it just might not be your day—but you know you have a friend to support you no matter what.

You can see other terrific books by Jory John on his web page. Here is the stand-alone companion book:

Anders does not seem like himself. He and his friend Jeff are headed out for a picnic, but no matter how much Anders insists that he’s feeling just fine, Jeff gets the sense that his best friend isn’t being totally honest. Should he check in on Anders, or give him space? Should he help him out, or just be by his side? How can he be a good friend if he doesn’t know what his friend might need?

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a blog post about Underwear Day and this one too. And here is her Pinterest - what a fun mini theme for your Preschool or Kindergarten group. Here's a sample of her collection.

Two Turtles by Kiah Thomas illustrated by Jack A Minton

Terrence and Frank are serious rivals. Everything is a competition. If you have siblings you might relate to this. 

"Who has the shiniest shell ... Who can walk the slowest ... Who is the best at pretending to be a shark?"

Then Frank falls off the cliff or perhaps he rolls off - is this an accident? - he cannot bear to lose so he turns this mishap into a competition too and calls out to Terrence 'Bet I can beat you to the bottom'. 

Naturally Frank takes up the challenge and he also jumps off the cliff. Luckily (or perhaps it could be a disaster) this is a very very high cliff. This means there is time to think. About halfway they both realise this could end very badly. At this point you, the reader, are invited to offer some help.

Both turtles have lots of things inside their shells. There are things they have stowed that can could save them but ... you and your young audience need to shout:

HEY, TERRANCE AND FRANK! JUST WORK TOGETHER!

What did they have in their shells? Do they land safely? And most important of all did they learn a life lesson about cooperation (not competition)?

Two Turtles is listed on TWO CBCA 2025 Notables lists - Picture Book of the Year and the Early Childhood list so I thought it must be an amazing book - sorry but I was slightly disappointed. First off I disagree that this is a book for very young readers aged 0-6. 

I made similar comments about Jetty Jumping (here are the teachers notes) and the inclusion of risk-taking behaviours for an audience of very young children. Jetty Jumping is a beautifully illustrated book and it tells a special story but I worried about it being listed for very young children. 

Secondly, Two Turtles is overtly didactic with its lesson about the importance of cooperation, but the ending shows the two turtles are not going to change that that their propensity to see every aspect of their relationship as a competition and it seems their rivalry will continue.

I do like:

• the way this book 'breaks the fourth wall'
• the expressive faces on the two turtles (and the bird)
• the humour - packing a toaster
• the wise little bird watching these silly turtles - you could write a whole story from his/her perspective
• the wordless page
• and there is room here to read other books such as The Hare and the Tortoise (text reference: who can walk the slowest); and The Great White Man-eating Shark by Margaret Mahy (text reference: who is best at pretending to be a shark). 
• The story structure is interesting moving from the present back to the past and then ending where the story started.

I'm not such a fan of:

• Repeated digital illustrations (you can see inside this book here)
• The sudden arrival of extra birds on the second last page - where did they come from?
• Two pages of black showing the side of the tall cliff
• The patterned end papers - do they relate to the story or are they decorative?
• I'm not sure how the four pigs fit into the narrative and also there is a puzzling wire frame around the tree stump where the bird is trying to catch a worm
• There are tiny butterfly decorations on some pages - are these necessary?

The Kids' Book Reviewer totally disagrees with me. 

The illustrations are stunners, with a gorgeous green and brown palette throughout and the funkiest of animal pals. A birdy spectator features on the pages, expressing its own views about the juvenile turtles with the most entertaining facial expressions. ... Two Turtles is a story for everyone. It’s a story about all of us. I highly recommend you grab a copy. It’s an award winner for sure!

What Book Next.com say: But instead of this becoming a tale of a terrible tragedy, readers will laugh out loud at the antics of two rival turtles. ... Entertaining to the last possible moment!  

Other reviewers liken Two Turtles to books by Jon Klassen such as This is not my Hat. Some other (better) books about rivalry for readers aged 6+ are:

The Real Winner

Best Test

I previously read and enjoyed a middle grade novel by Kiah Thomas - The Callers.

The Callers (five stars from me)

Jake A Minton entered this book in the CBCA New Illustrator award 2023. It didn't win but I was one of the judges and we all agreed this book had very special illustrations. 

There's no such book

Fish and Crab by Marianna Coppo

You could begin with the dedication by Marianna Coppo - "To all insomniacs, for one reason or another." - or better yet share this after reading this book with a group of older children and then talk about what this means.

Fish and Crab are tucked up in their aquarium beds. Crab turns out the light. Then Fish hears a noise and his fears bubble to the surface. Could it be an owl? Do owls eat fish? Could it be a mouse? Crab explains there are no owls and no mice in their aquarium also there are "no lions, in case you were wondering." Clearly it is going to be a long night so Crab gets out of bed to make a cup of herbal tea.

"then I want you to tell me ALL your worries. ALL OF THEM, all at once. And when you're done, we will both finally go to sleep."

Fish has a wild imagination involving capture by aliens, black holes, and even the possibility of catching chickenpox. And then he has the most terrifying thought of all:

"WHAT IF WE ARE CHARACTERS IN A BOOK?"

After all this sharing Fish now feels able to fall asleep but what about Crab. His brain is now filled with all of these crazy ideas - will he be able to go to sleep? That final question is an especially disturbing one!

Take a look at the labels I have assigned this book. These might give you ideas about ways to share this book - you could use it as a stimulus for a writing activity involving dialogue. Or with older students there is a whole topic of 'breaking the fourth wall'. And of course, this book is also about the way our worries can take over our thoughts and the importance of sharing.

Now for the bad news. This book [9781797204437] was published in 2023 so it is still in print but here in Australia the price ranges from AUS$32 up to AUS$47.

Silly what-if questions arranged into a light but visually appealing bedtime story. Kirkus 

Parents and children alike will relate to the two best friends, reassuring readers that it is always best to share any worries with those closest to us, to help the fears go away. Coppo’s effective illustrations have a wonderful attention to detail and perfectly capture the conversations and bursts of Fish’s imagination, with clever use of black and white images too. This fun picture book will be one to share and enjoy for many bedtimes to come. Books for Keeps

I previously talked about Petra by Marianna Coppo. Marianna Coppo is an author-illustrator from Italy. She studied editorial illustration at MiMaster in Milan, and now focuses on freelance illustration in Rome.

In this interview Marianna Coppo talks about Petra

Here is another (slightly more serious) book featuring an aquarium:

Aquarium

Except Antarctica! by Todd Sturgell

You need to add this book to your school library. It is a perfect text for all your science units about animals, animal classification and habitats plus it is SO funny. The only question you might have to ask yourself is just where to shelve this book? Is it just a picture book about a crazy turtle who sets out to disprove the theory that turtles live on every continent except antarctica? Well yes. Turtle gathers all his friends, who also apparently do not live in Antarctica, and the team set off to check this out for themselves. So far this could just be a funny romp, a story, but the final pages - eight of them - are filled with animal facts - like a non-fiction book. Oh, and the end papers are world maps and a useful map of Antarctica showing all the research stations.

The swiftly rising, maniacal tone is highlighted by different, boldfaced types assigned to the narrator and the animals. Vivid, wildly imaginative illustrations add wonder and excitement to the proceedings. Readers will laugh out loud at the animals’ recalcitrance and the narrator’s frustrations, all the while absorbing a great deal of information. Delightful and hilarious. Kirkus Star review

This nature-documentary-gone-wrong is a gleefully funny lesson in determination, and includes educational backmatter and lots of animal fun facts! Penguin Books

Now think about the animals that travel with our hero - an owl, a dung beetle, a snake, a mouse, a bee, and a frog. Yes nearly every animal group is covered - birds, insects, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians. Only one group is missing - can your readers work this out and then can they talk about why.

Here are a few fun facts from the final pages in this book:

• The oldest turtle in the world lived to be 255 and was named Adwaita.
• Burrowing owls love to eat dung beetles.
• Dung beetles navigate using the Milky Way.
• Snakes smell with their tongues.
• Bees love the colour blue.
• Mice eat fifteen to twenty times a day.
• Frogs were the first land animals with vocal cords.

Except Antarctica was published in 2021. It is still available and I found a copy for a good price but you might need to act quickly because I imagine their stock might be limited. Here are a set of teaching ideas from the publisher. 

This book is also an example of breaking the fourth wall - you will hear the voice of the off stage narrator trying to advise the turtle his mission is impossible. 

Here are some companion books:

Todd Sturgell is an illustrator, author, and freelance art & creative director. In his previous career as a corporate advertising art director, he worked with national brands including The Home Depot, Hyundai, Red Lobster, and 7-11; in his current role, he focuses on local and regional clients including universities, museums, and music, food, arts, and wine festivals. He lives, hikes, draws, and watches nature documentaries in the North Carolina Mountains with his wife, daughters, and dog Max (named for a certain famous picture book character). He has not yet been to Antarctica.

The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

"It looks like a real dictionary," says Jeffers. 

"But if you pay close attention, you'll see that all of the definitions have been rewritten."

Is a dictionary a story? Does the dictionary want to tell a story? Is that why the title here has been changed from A Dictionary to The Dictionary Story? And who are those characters peeping out at the side? I spy a walrus, an alligator, a ghost, a queen, the moon, a donut, and a Viking. Now flip to the back cover and an alligator is staring at a zebra but the dictionary definitions have been reversed.

Zebra: A wild animal that looks like a small horse with black or brown and white stripes on its body. Likes hiding out at the back of dictionaries. Dislikes sudden surprises (see alligator).

Alligator: A large reptile that looks like a crocodile. Alligators have thick skin with many hard bumps. They live in rivers, lakes and swamps and swim with their babies in their mouths. They also have a special fondness for baked sugary snacks.

Peel back the dust jacket. The blue cloth cover has an embossed alligator on the front cover and an embossed zebra on the back cover. I adore these extra features. So much care has gone into the design of this book and wait until you see the end papers!

At first glance the end papers look like pages from a dictionary but then you realise the words are not in alphabetical order. The bold words actually form a sentence:

The first words were born inside our heads where they wriggled around a long time and slowly crawled out of our mouths and into the ears of other people. Like words writing was a bit hit in no time at all there were secret notes ride jokes and graffiti all over the place. This explosion of words meant we needed to find a new home for all these tiny marks. People soon realised it would be useful to have a book explain this type of thing that book was called a dictionary.

Dictionary: A book full of words and their meanings. The words are set out in alphabetical order and generally stay put, although, when things get a bit dull, they sometimes have a little shuffle and a new story pops out.

Story: A description of events either real or imagined. Some stories are told with words, others use pictures and lots of them get copied into books. Books carry stories around until someone like you finds them a home in their imagination.

There are two layers to The Dictionary Story. The blurb below describes the plot which is presented in a hand-written font and involves all those characters from the cover. Meanwhile each page also has dictionary extracts but these need close reading because they contain way more than usual dry definitions. I can certainly see why this book took seven years to create.

And, by the way, the story itself is fun. While a lot of thought and work and planning went into making it, at its heart The Dictionary Story is just a good old fashioned 

chase story with a lot of chaos and a heartwarming ending 
(can Dictionary put herself back together? Maybe with a little help from some friends!) NPR interview

Here is another example:

Underpants: A piece of clothing that goes from the top of your legs to your waits. Some people decide to wear them on top of heads but that very rarely works out well.

When I saw The Dictionary Story in a London bookshop, I was very keen to buy and read it. Luckily, I had a $10 voucher for one of our Sydney Independant bookstores (Abbeys). Many school libraries here in Australia will now have this book because it was sent out by Australian Standing Orders (Scholastic Australia) as a title in their international pack. You could compare the ASO teachers notes with these from the publisher Walker Books. You can hear Sam and Oliver talking about their book here. 

Bookseller blurb:  Dictionary wishes she could tell a story just like the other books. So one day she decides to bring her words to life. How exciting it is to finally have an adventure on her very own pages! But what will she do when everything gets out of control—all in a jumble—and her characters collide, causing the most enormous tantrum to explode. This isn’t what she wanted at all! How on earth will she find sense in all this chaos? Her friend Alphabet knows exactly what to do and sings a song that brings calm and order to Dictionary’s pages once again.

Unimaginable care has been taken with the very real handmade books that visibly bookend the story (the dictionary is noticeably worse for wear by the end). Meanwhile, pages are filled to the brim with tiny details for eyes both young and old to find and enjoy ... With hijinks and hilarity hidden on every page, this is a sweet, strange, wordy tale bound to delight all who pick it up. Kirkus Star review

Sam Winston’s and Oliver Jeffers’ pictures and storytelling are sublime. This pair’s imagination and presentation are outstanding so that readers need to spend time lingering through the pages before beginning the book all over again. ...  Then again, the quality of this production is gorgeous. It means that The Dictionary Story is a superb choice for reading together, exclaiming and discovering, but alone too. What’s more, it’s a fantastic gift book. Altogether we love and recommend this book wholeheartedly. Bookwagon