Fortunately by Remy Charlip

There is a simple pattern here of fortunately followed by unfortunately. Young readers will quickly anticipate each page turn but the actual outcome of each incident is sure to be a surprise and yes the ending - spoiler alert - is also a surprise - it is in fact a surprise party with a setting you could never have anticipated.  

Fortunately, Ned was invited to a surprise party.
Unfortunately, the party was a thousand miles away.
Fortunately, a friend loaned Ned an airplane.
Unfortunately, the motor exploded.
Fortunately, there was a parachute in the airplane.
Unfortunately, there was a hole in the parachute.

This pattern is not new. Here are a couple of other books that follow this format:

Here are some other books that end with a birthday party:

Fortunately was published over sixty years ago in 1964 but oddly I had not heard of it until recently when someone on Instagram made this puzzling statement. (Note most of the content from this US Teacher or Teacher-Librarian is behind a paywall). 

This book is a masterclass in mercenary page turns

If you are reading this blog and you can explain this idea or this terminology - mercenary page turn - I would love to hear your ideas. I did comment on her post and ask for an explanation but I didn't get an answer. Kirkus say: This book is more of a word game for group use than a story.

I did find this book listed as still available here in Australia also here. 

You can see Betsy Bird reading Fortunately here. 

Remy Charlip was an American illustrator. He died in 2012 and wrote or illustrated over 40 books. 

Thunderhead by Sophie Beer

"The possibly dying part of the surgery didn't scare me. It was the deaf part that scared me. Life without music. Even though music is my life."

Thunderhead is a long way outside my 'reading demographic'. It is a Young Adult title and I mostly read books for ages 5-12; and it is filled with contemporary music references nearly all of which meant nothing to me mainly because I am 'too old' or I missed this experience during my own teenage years. I will say some reviewers (see the end of this post) disagree and I have seen this book recommended for ages 10+ but I think it will have greater appeal to readers aged 12+ in the early years of High School. 

Thunderhead did hold my attention but I think my reading experience was probably only set to about 30% because I could not really relate to the enormous number references to music and also, unlike most reviewers, I did find the angsty teenage friendship trials a little tedious even though I am sure this is probably how most teenagers really do feel as they navigate change and try to work out how to fit in. My own teenage years were agony but I do not want to dwell on or think about events from over fifty years ago. 

Here is the publisher blurb:

Meet Thunderhead: awkward, music-obsessed and a magnet for bad luck. Their favourite things in life are listening to records and hanging out with their best (and only) friend Moonflower. But Thunderhead has a big secret. And when Moonflower moves schools, they're faced with the reality of surviving the wilderness of high school alone. Make new friends? NOTHANKYOUVERYMUCH. As two big life events approach, Thunderhead posts playlists and heartfelt diary entries as an outlet to try to make sense of their changing world, to try to calm the storm brewing in their brain and to try to find the courage to unfurl their heart.

Here are some text quotes which did resonate with me:

"I care so much about what people think of me that it keeps me awake at night, remembering cringe, ridiculous things I've said, twisting myself inside out with embarrassment."

"Get up and speak in front of the class? I would rather eat my own shoe with tomato sauce and a pocket knife."

"Music is one of the only sources of true magic I can think of. You can put a song on and suddenly be engulfed in memories of when you discovered it or what you were doing when you first heard it. Songs are spells, woven with melody and lyrics."

"At first I was scared I was going to die. Which is a pretty heavy thing when you're still as tall as you were in Year Four. I'd like to die having reached the prerequisite height to go on a roller-coaster, thanks very much."

"Mr Dosun (the school counsellor) is a bumbling, good-natured guy who I'm fairly certain is the result of a bad magic spell and is actually a golden retriever in a human's body."

"I get so angry that I have to be a BODY. I wish I were some ethereal spirit, flitting through dimensions and the space-time continuum, not bogged down by being inside a mound of flesh that is falling apart."

"Approximately every seven years, every cell in your body has died and been replaced. ... I met Moonflower seven years ago, when we were in Year Two. In that seven years, every cell inside her body has died and been replaced by another. She is literally not the same person who I first became friends with."

The daughter of one of my friends works for our Australian radio station called Triple J - even though she is way older than the intended audience for Thunderhead I kept thinking she would really enjoy this book so I think I will send her the details. Unlike me, she is sure to know 100% of the music references and her teenage years are recent enough for the trials and tribulations of friendships and the desperate need to 'fit in' to still resonate. 

Readers can find all the songs from this book via a Spotify list but since I don't have an account with this service I was unable to add this layer to my own reading. You can however listen to samples of the tracks. There are over 180 tracks because each entry in Thunderhead opens with a list of five or six tracks that reflect the themes or her feelings as she goes through her complex life journey. 

Thunderhead is sure to be a CBCA 2025 Notable title - hopefully in the Older Readers category.

This is the album Thunderhead really wants to own:

Here is an interview where Sophie Beer talks to Joy Lawn (Paperbark Words). Allen and Unwin list some famous author endorsements for this book on their webpage. 

Click each of these review links for more plot details:

It’s a difficult review to write, without giving away too many of the secrets and twists but I can assure you that this is one fabulous and moving novel. Just so Stories

I loved this book, because it was lovingly and thoughtfully created with personal experience and excellent research. It’s one of those books that I couldn’t put down, and that comes to life vibrantly on the page. It’s full of heart and soul, music and joy, family and friends. It will make you laugh, cry, and cheer, and get into your heart and soul. Feeling seen and understood in the books you read is a powerful thing, and we need to have more awesome disability representation like this. The Book Muse

And music itself is a character in the book. Every chapter begins with a playlist – Playlist for Luck, Playlist for New Friends, Playlist for Staring Big, Awful, Scary Things Right in the Eyes. Beer cleverly establishes Thunderhead’s long term love of music via intergenerational influences to ensure the lists don’t date the book, with everything from Nina Simone, to Taylor Swift, to mxmtoon. Storylinks

Here is the webpage for Sophie Beer where you can see her previous picture books. It is fun to link her new Upper Primary/High School book Thunderhead with her work on the Little People Big Dreams title about Elton John. Sophie Beer did all the art in Thunderhead and at times this gives the book a graphic novel feel. 

The Doll Box by Deborah Kelly illustrated by Joanna Bartel

Young Isla is afraid of the climbing frame at the park. 

"Her legs were too shaky. Her arms were too achy. She would never make it to the top."

Isla takes comfort at home by playing with an old small blue tin. Inside there are three dolls. Isla has played with them many times but today is the day her mother tells her the story of each one. Grand Great Grandma Sarah was so brave. She couldn't swim and had no idea what lay ahead but she got on a ship and sailed to a new country and a new life. Great Grandma Phyllis worked so hard during the war when all the men had gone away. She ran a farm and grew vegetables for the soldiers. And then there is her grandmother - Gaga. When she was a young woman girls did not go to university but she was so clever so after she finished school she did study engineering even though she was the only girl in the class.

Hearing these family stories gives Isla the courage to conquer the climbing frame and perhaps, I would like to think, knowing, albeit very briefly, these stories will also give the courage to try other difficult or scary things in the future. 

I wish this book had a timeline at the back or perhaps an expansion of the family tree that we anticipate from the cover. I do like the way the pages showing the grandmothers as younger women are presented in a sepia style. The end papers are filled with a sweet nostalgic pattern rather like old wall paper. 

If I was sharing this book with a group of young children I would bring along some of my own old dolls and use them to talk about my grandmother who raised four children on her own while living in the CBD of Sydney in Pitt Street as a building superintendent. I don't have any of her dolls and my own mum only had one doll which she had to share with her sister but I do have my doll and her beautiful set of hand stitched clothes made by my grandmother and I have the doll someone important and rich gave my mum when I was born - she is a walking doll called Rosemary. This is not her photo but she is similar:

You might be thinking this is a book that will appeal more to girls. Again if I was sharing this book with a group of children in my library I would also take along my antique toy fire engine - it belonged to a relative of my father, then my father, then my older cousin (a boy) and then finally it came to me! Talking about this toy links perfectly with a discussion about the 1930s depression here in Australia. 

Image source: Buddy L museum

There are also lots of picture books which use quilts as a way to talk about family history. 

Publisher blurb: Whenever Isla’s mother brings out her small blue doll box, Isla knows she will hear the stories of the women in her family’s past. Their incredible tales of immigration, war, and fighting for their rights show Isla the strength she has in herself and lead her on a journey of self-discovery. Inspired by the author’s own family, The Doll Box is a testament to the power of our personal histories, and the spirit of the many women who had to overcome incredible odds to achieve their dreams.

The Doll Box might be a 2025 CBCA Early Childhood notable title although this category is for readers aged 0-6. It was better when the CBCA set up this category for ages 3-8.

The Doll Box looks at who we are, how we came to be the way we are, and to understand courage, sometimes we must search for answers in the lives of the those who have gone before us. Kids' Book Review

There is so much we can learn by handing down stories, by listening to the stories of our grandparents, by asking questions, finding connections, discovering things about our predecessors, the grandparents who came before us, inside ourselves. NZ Poetry Box

Companion books:

This Old thing

Other books by Deborah Kelly:

The Thing about Oliver

Read more about The Mosaic

Other books illustrated by Joanna Bartel:

Violin and Cello

Puppet by David Almond illustrated by Lizzy Stewart

"At the beginning, just bits of wood. Something to hold them together. Some string perhaps. Just a few bits and pieces and odds and ends. And that's about all. Apart from an imagination, and a belief that you can really do it."

"You're a mystery, aren't you, Puppet? But isn't everything a mystery? 

Not just you, but every single thing that exists."

Silvester is a master puppet maker but now it seems his life's work has come to an end. The museum curators have collected his puppets, posters and props so they can prepare a display of his work. Not so long ago, Silvester's beautiful wife Belinda has died, and as all the puppets are taken away, Silvester is left feeling so alone. 

Late that evening he climbs the stairs in his home to his puppet workshop. At first it seems there are only discards of wood and other materials, but Silvester gently picks up one piece and then another and before long he has created a new puppet.

"He used thin wire and tweezers to put together a leg and then another leg. One was longer than the other, one had a very wobbly knee joint. One was dark wood; one was light. He added feet; one with a black boot, one with a brown. He found a pair of arms, one of them with powerful-looking muscles. One had had the full four fingers, the other only three. He found a skinny torso and wired the arms and legs to it. He took one of the dangling heads from its string. It was pine wood, yellowy brown. He attached it to the body."

All of this is happening under moonlight and in the company of the small creatures who live in this attic space - a mouse, some spiders, and woodlice. Silvester makes his puppet with love and skill and somehow this makes magic, because Puppet speaks.

And so the story begins. Silvester names his new companion Puppet but out in the world, when he is mistaken as his grandson, he tells local people the boy is named Kenneth. Naturally Puppet knows nothing of the world and so Silvester takes great delight in teaching him to walk and then introducing Puppet to the simple wonders of his local neighborhood - the park, the shops, and the playground swings. In the park Silvester and Kenneth meet a young girl named Fleur and her mum Antonia. They have recently moved to this community following the death of Fleur's father. There is a very special moment in this story when mum and Silvester make a connection.

A small paper puppet slips out from one of Silvester's old scrap books. 

"Silvester picked it up. There was a label tied to it. Thank you for the show. His name is Claude. With love from Antonia."

"Then he took Claude from his pocket and held him high towards the birds and moved him through the air as if he were flying too. And Antonia caught her breath. ... and held her hands out and Puppet put the paper puppet into them, and she whispered 'Claude!'"

After young Antonia and her parents, saw Silvester's puppet show of Hansel and Gretel she explains "at home we made puppets from paper and sticks and card. We made a puppet theatre from a cardboard box and acted out Hansel and Gretel for ourselves. And I made a little puppet named Claude, parcelled him up and took him to the post office and I sent him to you."

David Almond writes with such gentle insights as we watch Silvester caring for Puppet. He also gives readers fragments of text that anticipate how this story will end.

"This would be Silvester's final puppet; he knew that. Puppet was brand new, but he was made from bits of ancient puppets, scraps and fragments, stuff that seemed nearly useless. He was, as Fleur had said, both young and old. He had bits of Silvester in him, bits of Belinda, bits of memories, bits of dreams. He had grown from all the puppets that had gone before, and he would lead to all the puppets that were still to come."

Here are a few text quotes to give you a flavour of the exquisite way David Almond writes:

"This is called music. It pours from the air into your mind and moves your bones."

"Puppet flapped his arms as if they were wings. He stood high and stretched upward, as if about to fly."

"All through the rest of the night, beneath the lamp and the moon, Silvester worked to make Puppet the best puppet it was possible for him to be. He tightened Puppet's joints. He reshaped Puppet's face. He smoothed and waxed his skin. He thickened Puppet's hair. He brightened his green eyes."

"No he would never be perfect but he was beautiful. He was beautiful and imperfect, as all the most beautiful things are."

"What is time? How does it pass? Sometimes - maybe when we're bored or when we're waiting for something we really want to do - an hour can seem like a week. Sometimes an hour can seem like a few fleeting moments. And there are times when you forget everything and time doesn't seem to pass at all ... like when you're reading a good book."

I recommend this book for readers who are deeper thinkers aged 10+. 

There are some themes in Puppet by David Almond which made me remember other books that I have read. To my eye many of his books have religious/Christian themes. After reading Puppet and Skellig you might look for Jackdaw Summer, Clay, Heaven eyes, and Bone Music.

• Falling Boy touches on issues of bullies and community action. Dawn from this story is also grieving the loss of her brother. 
• The tale of Angelino Brown is very similar to Puppet. A lonely couple are 'rescued' by a tiny 'angel' boy.
• Skellig - if you have read this classic award-winning story you will remember the way Skellig resembles an angel and the significance of his wings. 

In her review for our Magpies Magazine Dr Robin Morrow said: "Lizzy Stewarts black-and-white illustrations ... are an integral component of this book, making it a kind of graphic novel. They appear at unpredictable intervals ... The final seven pages have no verbal text, simply the illustrator's eloquent depiction of Puppet releasing his makeshift wings and flying into the distance." "There is an elegiac mood to this small masterpiece."

Read some other reviews:

• Kirkus Star review
• Kids' Book Review
• Books for Keeps

I recently talked about Pinocchio. Perhaps adults will make this connection, but I actually enjoyed Puppet as a character and his friends Silvester and Fleur more than that mischievous Pinocchio who, as an adult reader, frustrated me with his selfish and headstrong attitude and slightly tedious misadventures.

We are the Wibbly! A Tadpole's Tale by Sarah Tagholm illustrated by Jane McGuinness

This book just begs to be read aloud. Our young narrator always seems to come last. Youngest siblings are sure to relate to this and other children will sympathise with his feelings of being slow to catch up with the group. As Kirkus says: While some life cycle books feel dry, this one is enlivened by humor and the modest but compelling narrative, which follows a distinctive pink-cheeked tadpole who’s decidedly ambivalent about this whole metamorphosis business.

I love his individual voice and the way he uses invented words. This is an absolutely perfect book to consider for any preschool library or bookshelf. It is a terrific way to talk about the lifecycle of frogs and the art in this book is just so very appealing. It reminds me of a preschool art technique blowing bubbles through paint. See more books illustrated by Jane McGuiness here. 

Image source: Jane McGuiness

Invented words and fun phrases: water-flying; hunger-muncher; 'you will not do believing this'; juiceable dinners; I am the fasterest; 'oh my crikeys'; air-swimming.

Look at this diagram and you can see the changes he goes through:

Publisher blurb: OH MY CRIKEYS! Doesn't life move fast? One moment you're in the Wibbly, relaxing with your Wibbly friends. The next, they've all grown tails and turned into tadpoles! And what's more, they are bursting OUT of the Wibbly ... AND you've got to keep up! Some tadpoles don't feel ready to become frogs. And some never wanted to become tadpoles in the first place.

Frequent exclamation points propel the springy narrative, and sprinkles of quirky invented words and unconventional grammar feel very froglike indeed. ...  Splashy illustrations in ink, mixed-media, and Photoshop leap with energy, while the gently rounded, big-eyed frogs are cute yet still accurately rendered. A page of backmatter nicely summarizes the frog’s life cycle. A hopping good book perfect for budding biologists. Kirkus Star review

Here is a very extensive Pinterest collection of books about frogs and toads from my friend Kinderbookswitheverything. 

I would pair We are Wibbly with this book:

One Tiny Tree Frog

Mr Lepron's Mystery Soup by Giovanna Zoboli illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio translated by Denis Muir

As a soup lover, I hope that this story will also have a gastronomic impact: that is, if children liked this literary soup, it is not excluded that they could start eating 

real soups without raising a bat of protest. 

It will be enough to tell them that to cook them you have followed the secret recipe of the infamous Lepron Soup, and said soups will evaporate from the plates 

in the blink of an eye. Giovanna Zoboli

Click here to read more about the creative processes and original inspiration for Mr Lepron's Mystery Soup at Topipittori and see the exhibition at the Bologna book fair.

Mr Lepron is an older and handsome hare. He loves his family, his forest home through all the seasonal changes and his huge family. Reminiscent of Peter Rabbit, Mr Lepron loves vegetables, the vegetables in the nearby famer's fields - carrots, onions, celery, lettuce, beans, pumpkins, radishes and a variety of herbs. All of these are perfect ingredients for soup. These are seasonal vegetables and so each autumn everyone helps to gather the abundance from the fields. Mr Lepron has a wonderful cooking pot "which he bought by mail order from a world-famous shop." 

It is important to note - "the pot doesn't like to be watched while the soup is cooking, just like Mr Lepron doesn't like to be watched while he's hard at work in his kitchen."

While the soup simmers Mr Lepron dreams of magical things only waking up when the soup is ready. This soup is so delicious. What is the secret? No one seems to be able to create it in quite the same way even though they use all of the same ingredients. Over time word spreads about this soup. Everyone wants some. 

"Then suddenly, one day, to everyone's surprise, Mr Lepron opened a factory: a big brick building that worked around the clock cooking up soup."

Can you think of a problem? Will the soup still be delicious? Why or why not? What might happen to Mr Lepron?

Mr Lepron loves making vegetable soup, and all the other creatures love his soup too, It isn’t too long before he decides to monetise his passion and starts making soup at industrial scale. Well that’s fine, he can employ the other creatures which is great – we all need a job. But before long Mr Lepron has been sucked into the very machinery of capitalism. The money-making business of soup takes over his life, his dreams and his nightmares. His coat is no longer so shiny and his eyes lose their brightness. What should Mr Lepron do? Well, this is a fable so I can tell you he doesn’t do quite what the capitalist machine would have him do. Just Imagine

There are several things that drew me to this book. When I was researching Italian children's book illustrators prior to attending the 2024 IBBY Congress in Trieste I saw the name Mariachiara Di Giorgio. I previously read and loved another book by this illustrator - The Midnight Fair. You may also know the famous wordless book Professional Crocodile. 

Next, I saw this book was a 2024 IBBY Honour book for illustration. It has the Italian title: La zuppa Lepron. At the congress there were lots of books on display including all the 2024 honour books and so I was able to see Mr Lepron's Mystery Soup but, because it was in Italian, I could only guess at the story. Opening the book, though, I spied the most delightful endpapers and so when I later saw this book had been translated into English I just knew I had to find it and even buy it. 

See more illustrations from this book here.

Walker Books Australia have the English version of this book [9781529520859] but very strangely I have found it hard to source. Luckily one of our city bookstores did have a copy and because the author's name starts with 'z' it was hidden on a low shelf. Even though the shop had stocked it back in July 2024 it had not been sold. One more thing that made me determined to read Mr Lepron's Soup - I am collecting picture books for older readers (Upper Primary/Elementary and Junior High School) in readiness for a library conference later this year. The age range listed for this book is ages 3-8 but that, in my opinion, totally misses the themes of this book about commercialisation, consumerism, enterprise, exploitation and the dangers of spreading rumours. You could also think about the way social media can inflate or ruin a reputation and there is the issue of the fleeting nature of fame. 

Image Source: Bologna 2022

Zoboli’s lengthy, descriptive text, translated from Italian, and Di Giorgio’s watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil art, together infuse Mr. Lepron with a deep humanity and construct a compelling, dreamy world that harkens back to the past in its tone and look but, with its nods to the all-consuming nature of capitalism, feels grounded in current realities, much like their previous collaboration, Professional Crocodile (2017). A clever, compassionate, and elegantly wrought reminder to do what makes you happy.  Kirkus Star review

Publisher blurb: Mr Lepron lives in the forest and has a toasty warm home and many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Oh, and he adores vegetables and making soup. Mr Lepron also enjoys napping and he always dreams of being a famous chef, cooking his magnificent soup. After his vivid, fantastical dreams, Mr Lepron's soup tastes out-of-this-world irresistible. So irresistible, that Mr Lepron becomes famous. So irresistible, that Mr Lepron opens a soup factory that starts working around the clock. But as his dreams turn to nightmares about the factory, Mr Lepron's soup loses its magical flavour, and he realizes that what matters most in the world is not fame and riches, but time spent with his beloved children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, playing, laughing, napping and, sometimes, cooking his soup ... with love.

Beginning with the title you could talk to your group about the name of the hare Mr Lepron. In French hare if Lievre; in Italian it is Lepre; in Latin it is Lepus; and the Spanish is Liebre. One reviewer also noted the eyes of the hares throughout the book look startled as though they are on alert for predators. And if you look closely at the cover it does resemble a can of soup. 

When you open this book take a moment to think about the official Mr Lepron portrait opposite the title page. Older students could compare this with the portraits of actual people (known and unknown). 

Image source: Topipittori

Think about the opening words of this book: "Mr Lepron is a very handsome hare with a bright, shiny coat and lovely, long ears." Do looks equate with success? Why has the illustrator used this pose? 

... this is what happens until Lepron decides to follow his fantasy, that is, to want the whole world to taste the soup. Thus he opened an industrial plant, where, however, the initial success was quickly followed by the awareness that the soup made in this way could not maintain the same flavor, since the vegetables would have to be available all year round and the preparation would have to be mechanized. ... A story that makes us reflect on the simple pleasures of sharing, of waiting for the times of nature and of the reward and gratification we derive from it. ... Lepron's dream had never been to earn, but to make his autumn soup known in the world. Instead, the soup produced in his factory, canned and designed to have a long shelf life, had nothing to do with the delicious taste of the original soup and this had made him sad.

Another reviewer commented: Lepron's dream of greatness, which does not foresee the times of nature and the importance of human work, instead turns into an ugly reality, so much so that even his dreams change and become disturbing. Fortunately, he decides to follow his heart, close the factory and make peace with himself.

This Reviewer links the illustrations in this book especially the pantry and kitchen scenes with the work of Beatrix Potter and Jill Barklem.

Giovanna Zoboli is the author of over 30 picture books, including Professional Crocodile, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio and The Big Book of Slumber, illustrated by Simona Mulazzani. Giovanna is also the co-founder of an Italian children's publishing company where she is currently editor and art director.

Mariachiara Di Giorgio is an illustrator, storyboard artist and concept designer from Rome, Italy. She illustrated Midnight Fair, a wordless picture book with a storyline by Gideon Sterer, which won the 2022 Yoto Kate Greenaway Shadowers' Choice award. Her first picture book, Professional Crocodile, was also wordless, with a storyline by Giovanna Zoboli.

Companion books to read after Mr Lepron's Mystery Soup:

Read more here.

Finally, not to trivialize the themes of Mr Lepron's Mystery Soup but my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a Pinterest collection of picture books about soup. Stealing the vegetables from the farmer's fields also made me think of this book for young readers - The Vegetable Thieves. 

Meet the illustrator Jan Brett

A book illus­trated by Jan Brett is many things: Vivid, rich, lavish; filled with attention to detail; often humorous. Indeed, each page created by this artist is so lush with colorful objects, 

large and small, that it tells an entertaining story by itself. Nocloo

This week my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything shared her post about an animal called a Honey Badger. I had never heard of this large, nocturnal mammal that lives in Africa, Iran, India and Pakistan. In her post she also mentioned a picture book about the Honey Badger by Jan Brett. I have seen other books illustrated by Jan Brett. Her work is so decorative and appealing so naturally I thought I would try to find her book entitled Honey...Honey...Lion! I guess I was not surprised to discover that in my part of Sydney Australia the local public library network only have one book illustrated by Jan Brett and it is not this one. Then I looked at a couple of Australian online book sellers and while they do have some of her titles many are (I have talked about this previously) extremely expensive. Of course, this book and many others illustrated by Jan Brett will be in the school library of my blogger friend!

Honey Honey Lion is available as a board book and in paperback. 

Author blurb:  In Africa the honeyguide and the honey badger are partners: The honeyguide finds the honeycomb and the honey badger cracks it open with its strong claws.  They share the sweetness, and that is the way it has always been. But this day, greedy Badger gulps down all the honey!  Honeyguide is not happy.  As the news spreads from animal to animal, Honeyguide hatches a plan.   The next day she leads Badger off on a rollicking chase, but this time Badger is in for a not-so-sweet surprise!

Her first two books were Fritz and the Beautiful Horses and Annie and the Wild Animals. She is known in particular for her illustrations of Scandinavian characters and settings. 

Bookseller blurb for Fritz and the Beautiful Horses: Fritz was not beautiful. He didn't have a braided mane or a glossy coat. He couldn't prance with long, graceful strides like the elegant horses who carried lords and lovely ladies to the city-a city that allowed only the most beautiful horses within its walls. The citizens laughed at the short-legged pony's attempts to be like their own horses. But Fritz was dependable and hard-working. He proved to the citizens that there are things more important than being beautiful. He earned a special place for himself in the walled city just as he'll earn a special place in every reader's heart.

Read more here

While always maintaining the same recogniz­able style of illustration, Brett has remained true to each story’s individual traits, such as nation­ality, class, time period, and character. She is known in particular for her illustrations of Scandinavian characters and settings. For her fairy tales She has carefully clothed her subjects in an accurate rendition Of traditional folk Cos­tume, Often including jewelry, braid, embroi­dery, lace, feathers, and other finery when ap­propriate. Dramatic backgrounds filled with tapestries; variegated outdoor landscapes., and complex architectural structures frequently re­flect a specific setting or theme, but fade at mo­ments of high drama in favor of close-ups or sil­houettes.

Here is a partial list of her books:

• Fritz and the Beautiful Horses (Houghton Mifflin, 1981)
• Annie and the Wild Animals (1985)
• The Twelve Days of Christmas (Dodd, Mead, 1986)
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1987)
• The First Dog (1988)
• The Mitten: a Ukrainian folktale (1989)
• The Wild Christmas Reindeer (1990)
• The Owl and the Pussycat (1991)
• Berlioz the Bear (1991)
• Christmas Trolls (1993)
• Trouble with Trolls (1994)
• Town Mouse Country Mouse (1994)
• Armadillo Rodeo (1995)
• Comets Nine Lives (1996)
• Gingerbread Baby (1997)
• The Hat (1997)
• The Night Before Christmas (1998)
• Daisy Comes Home (2002)
• Hedgie’s Surprise (2002)
• Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve? (2002)
• On Noah’s Ark (2003)
• The Umbrella (2002)
• Honey, Honey, Lion! (2005)
• Hedgie Loves to Read (2006)
• Hedgie Blasts Off! (2006)
• The Three Snow Bears (2007)
• Gingerbread Friends (2008)
• The Easter Egg (2010)
• The 3 Little Dassies (2010)
• Home for Christmas (2011)
• Mossy (2012)
• Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella (2013), an adaptation of Cinderella
• The Animals’ Santa (2014)
• The Turnip (2015), an adaptation of the Russian folk story The Gigantic Turnip
• Gingerbread Christmas (2016)
• The Mermaid (2017), an under the sea version of Goldilocks and The Three Bears
• The Snowy Nap (2018)
• The Tale of the Tiger Slippers (2019)
• Cozy (2020)
• The Nutcracker (2021)
• Cozy in Love (2022)

Alice in a Winter Wonderland will be published in the US this week.

From Wikibooks:

Jan was born on December 1, 1949 in Hingham, Massachusetts. She lives in the seacoast town of Norwell in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up.

“When I was I child, I decided to be an illustrator. I spent many hours reading and drawing. I remember the special quiet of rainy days, when I felt that I could enter the pages of beautiful picture books. Now I try to re-create that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real”

She uses water colors and paints with small brushes. It takes Jan about an hour to paint one inch of her picture, and about two days to complete a page. Her book, The Mitten, took four months to complete, while The Wild Christmas Reindeer took five months.

Jan Brett is famous for not only her illustrations, but also for the detailed borders on her pages. Within these borders are illustrations that often decorate and enrich the story. When Jan has “too many ideas”, she uses the borders to provide more meaning to the story.

"From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."