Somewhere by Jeanne Willis illustrated by Anastasia Suvorova

Sometimes it feels as though I have cracked the formula for selecting the perfect book. 

• Check the name of the author? YES I know her
• Check the name of the illustrator? YES I know her
• Check the name of the publisher? YES it's Nosy Crow they do fabulous books!
• Look for design features - end papers, die cut pages, cover image - all are wonderful
• Read the blurb - sounds good
• Glorious illustrations - yes yes yes!

Somewhere ticks all of these boxes. I knew the author - Jeanne Willis she wrote a favourite book of mine Mayfly Day and heaps of other terrific books too (more than 300) and Anastasia Suvorova illustrated The Girl who Planted trees. 

Oscar just needs a little time away from his noisy family who keep asking him pesky questions. At the bottom of the garden he steps into nowhere. It is a glorious place filled with colour and imaginative delights. No one is asking him pesky questions. But then Oscar notices the silence. He realises some questions are not quite so pesky:

Shall I tuck you into bed, Oscar?

What about a story, Oscar?

Would you like a cuddle, Oscar?

How will Oscar find his way home from nowhere to somewhere.? Luckily a little ginger cat appears. She shows him the way home where of course his mum is waiting with .... yes more pesky questions.

Is that you, Oscar?

Have you had fun, Oscar?

Where have you been, Oscar?

Can you guess his answer?

Here is the trailer from Nosy Crow where you can see inside this book and also see how the die-cut pages work. This book is available in hardcover (9781788009034) and paperback (9781788009041). The image at the top of this post is the hardcover version. The paperback has a different cover but I'm not able to share that here.  I have seen the hardcover for a really good price of less than $15 so now might be a good time to hunt out this book for your library. 

Somewhere sensitively captures the dichotomy of childhood – wanting brief spells of autonomy and the sudden desire for comfort and reassurance that comes with parental authority.  Childtastic books

I love how Jeanne Willis writes with gentle, lyrical lines and how questions shape the plot - not just those directed by adults at Oscar but philosophical ones he asks himself. Picture Book Snob