Book review for 'Les Sardines A L'Huile' by Glyn Boyd Harte

ISBN: 978-1-912066-54-4 
Published by Design for Today
Publishers website www.designfortoday.co.uk

My book review for the A.O.I. Blog can be found here. 

Book review for 'A World Full Of Wildlife and How You Can Protect It' written and illustrated by Neal Layton

HB ISBN: 978-1-5263-6323-7  

PB ISBN: 978-1-5263-6321-3  

E-book ISBN: 978-1-5263-6322-0  

Published by Wren & Rook      

Publishers website https://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/    

Neil Layton’s Agent’s website https://www.arenaillustration.com/artists/neal-layton/ 

Pitch
How do you communicate complex ideas and inter-related biological systems to young children? How do you convert ideas into long lasting actions? Author and illustrator Neal Layton accomplishes all of this in his new picture book. He understands that children love nature, they want to engage with ecology and   

these passions can be harnessed for good. This book was inspired by Sir David Attenborough, who said: “No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced.” 

  

Review  

The first part of his story acts to raise awareness in the reader. We find out the common terms used to describe our wild world and where they need to be applied. I liked how we are shown Biodiversity, the Web of life and how important the smallest organisms are to these systems for them to work optimally. The second part provides us with the means to make a difference. The most important point is to show what nations are doing to change things, the fact there is a global effort to improve matters. The powerful are acting and you can help them is the clear message that we are left with.   

  

Layton’s illustrations are bold, sophisticated, loose, dynamic using bold colours and photo-collaged elements to good effect. He can transport us to a variety of locations and landscape types using humour and upbeat mark making. He can capture the essence of a creature without it having to be perfectly rendered. Things look a bit odd, but they are where they need to be 100%. His drawings aid his cause (I’d like to see his work on activity sheets as this I feel would add visual and creative energy to a set of instructions for children). The cover is dominated by a huge tree with the book title boldly displayed inside its corona. A young child sits next to an owl and a squirrel, they seem at peace. The back cover shows an urban scene which is an important factor as most human populations live in built-up areas. The end papers are striking in their depiction of a range of animal tracks that could disappear if we fail to act.   

  

The final two pages of the story invite children to take part in protecting wildlife in 5 steps and, they are introduced to other children who are making a difference. The Glossary is a fine addition as there are words in the text that will be new to many. The content is backed up by scientific research and data from those who understand the natural world. At no time do Layton’s words appear preachy or extreme in the face of this crisis. He has provided us with the tools for gentle activism and it is up to us to do the right thing?

Book Review for The Story Thief written and illustrated by Graham Carter

My review for Graham Carter's new picture book, 'The Story Thief' - hosted on the Association of illustrators review Blog here

Book Review for The day Fin Flooded the World written and illustrated by Adam Stower

My review for Adam Stower's new picture book, 'the day Fin Flooded the World' - hosted on the Arena Illustration website here. 

My A.O.I. Book Review can be found here.

This picture work is published by Andersen Press.

Adam Stower's work can be found here.

My A.O.I. Picture Book Review for One of A Kind by Neil Packer

Written & Illustrated by Neil Packer

ISBN: 978-1-4063-7922-8

Published by Walker Studio

A.O.I. Book Review can be found here.

Neil Packer’s Website http://www.neilpacker.co.uk/

This Book is Anti-Racist - 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work

Written by Tiffany Jewell Illustrated by Aurélia Durand

Published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books ISBN: 978-0-7112-4520-4

“It’s not enough to be non-racist – we must be ANTI-RACIST.”

Tiffany Jewell quotes the legendary but also controversial human rights activist Angela Davies in the promotion of a book that arrives during the global struggle for equality. Her words are aided by the vivid, ‘Saved By the Bell’ 90’s style graphic illustrations of Aurélia Durand, her colour palette is warm and perfectly suited to the latitudes of the citizens of the global majority.

Jewell provides action plans and activities to help a young person to navigate towards the world as it could be. Focusing on methods to help an individual make changes in themselves first and then influence others we get to see how enlightenment can surround one in a powerful bubble of agency building the confidence to challenge hegemony.

Is this complex subject too difficult for children to grasp you might ask? The author thinks not as it is in our earliest years that prejudiced ideas form and it is at this age that they need to be understood and somehow challenged. I think there is an intention to raise awareness in parents and grandparents alike and perhaps it is they who need to engage with this book for their own benefit too. It is a cliché but they will have to ‘Unlearn what they have learned’ to get to grips with the possibilities advocated within its pages. The book also contains useful notes on the text, a glossary and selected bibliography to support further understanding.

The information is presented as New Knowledge and backed up by the author’s personal journey to raise herself to a position of useful authority. She uses step by step practices to form a better world and to help people cope with the old one so we can all be in a better place together. Though a Biblical cliché ‘the truth shall set you free’ and I certainly hope that this is the reality for the many rather than the few if we are to make any progress on justice.

The intention of the author is also to challenge performative behaviour as this is a serious subject that requires one to commit to being anti-racist and to stick to this position! To do the work. We will have to employ a new vocabulary to describe a world that is actually anti-racist. It will be hard for some to accept that the world has actually been violently shaped by racists for the benefit of racists.

I have previously reviewed a picture book called ‘Greta and the Giants’ by Zoé Tucker and Zoe Persico that focused on helping young readers to appreciate how they can play a part in the climate crisis debate, and I feel that This Book Is Anti-Racist can do the same. It will help children to help their elders to understand the inequities of racial prejudice and the work necessary to help them to ‘change their minds.’ The answers to these problems cannot be found in one publication, but Tiffany Jewell makes a great start and should be commended for taking a stand.

The Garden of Inside-Outside

Written by Chiara Mezzalama

 

Illustrated by Régis Lejonc

 

ISBN 978-1-911496-16-8

 

Published by Book Island

 

Reviewed by Karl Andy Foster

 

Publisher’s website https://www.bookisland.co.uk/products/the-garden-of-inside-outside?_pos=1&_sid=bf411036a&_ss=r

 

Illustrator’s website https://www.ricochet-jeunes.org/auteurs/regis-lejonc

 

Review

 

This is a story that sets out its context carefully as the events that surround and impact upon our young protagonist Chiara requires sensitive handling. A memoir framed against a turbulent period in the history of the middle east evokes the author’s remembrances of things past.

 

With similarities to a propaganda poster the cover of this graphic novel shows two children linking hands in a beautiful garden. Above their heads and outside the inside is the image of the Ayatollah Khamenei in ominous red and black. The paper stock also adds to this quality. On some pages there is not the conventual linear story but instead images that could be self-contained and work in their own right.

 

Throughout the story at the top of the pages we see either the word OUTSIDE in red to indicate danger or INSIDE in green for the more peaceful moments. Towards the end both OUTSIDE and INSIDE are shown together once another child Massoud enters the garden. Through their interactions the children process the realities of the world outside. They shape their fears into adventures and shared values into friendship.

 

The illustrations in this book remind me of linocuts or wood block printing. The limited palette of green, blue, red, yellow with black outlines helps to reinforce this impression. From arches to decorative tile work, from illustrated carpets to lush vegetation gone wild the line work is fluid and flows well. The drawing style is a combination of the powerful details found in David B.’s work and the graphic boldness of Marjane Satrapi’s illustrations.

 

This is a delightful story about friendship in unusual circumstances. Based on the biographical events of the author’s life and set during a time of revolution and war, it is the precious moments that cement our personalities and create the myths of our early years. At the end of this story there is a moment that reminds me of a line from A. E. Housman’s ‘A Shropshire Lad.’

 

“That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain,

The happy highways where I went

And cannot come again.”

 

This graphic novel is proof that it is necessary to relive your past and to share this with others.

 

9th March 2020

My Book Review for The Power and Influence of Illustration by Alan Male

The Power and Influence of Illustration

Written by Alan Male

ISBN: 978-1-3500-2242-3

eBook: 978-1-3500-2411-3

Published by Bloomsbury Visual Arts

Publishers website 

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/search?q=the+power+and+influence+of+illustration&Gid=1

Authors website 

https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/content/professor-alan-male

I am an academic, writer and image-maker. When I read the title of this book I was somewhat taken aback. This is because the discipline of illustration has been undervalued and decried for years. Ignored by the public at large and dismissed as merely whimsical by the overinflated purveyors of fine art and graphic design. With the exception of the political cartoon it’s almost invisible to policy makers and economists. I wondered if it was possible to establish exactly how illustration has influenced societies and whether that influence could be attributed to real power. 

This book is organized into 4 chapters, the writing style flows well and is very engaging. This book will help the uninitiated and those contemptuous of the practice to appreciate the complex manner in which illustration reaches its audiences. There has always been a vast array of topics tackled by illustrators over the centuries but these tend not to be collected into one source as has finally happened thanks to Male’s work. I also note that the author quotes his own previous scholarship throughout. This may lead the reader to explore the subject to a greater depth. 

Alan Male’s arguments are most persuasive when set against the origins of art as part of human cultural expression. It is clear that illustration played a key role in the development of education and how we make sense of the world around us. From magical caves to mystical temples, from divinity in stained glass to sacred scrolls; illustration has been employed in the attempt to link our minds to the Gods. 

When he riffs on geopolitics and how todays social media might influence the rise of subversion this is where his thesis gets exciting and I would have liked to read more about this specific part of visual communication. When the artist creates propaganda for regimes just what are his responsibilities? Is anonymity acceptable when your work does potential harm. It is asserted that we must not work in a vacuum and that social and ecological concerns should always impact our decision making. He shows that he appreciates that illustration can be 2D, 3D, 4D and even AI. These technical developments are to be embraced rather than feared. In the latter part of the book he refers to how collaboration has made illustration more visible and this helps to maintain its links to the world of science and technology. His selection of specific images proves this point. The collaborative work of Anna and Elena Balbusso features heavily in these chapters as does that of Paul Davis particularly his #No More Black Targets work. 

I think this book is a compelling addition to Male’s early output and that the new graduate and committed design student would benefit from the knowledge within. The design of the publication shows some improvements on the last book I reviewed by this author but again some graphic vector-based artworks that would work well at the size of a postage stamp were shown at a scale that disadvantaged more delicate linear work that features complex text elements. 

This book contains a broad range of approaches deemed illustration and explains how this work impacts on the wider society. Some of the selected work is beautiful, refined and gives one pause for thought. There is an international selection that adds to the diversity of images on show. I’m still not fully convinced that this book will have a major impact beyond those directly involved in the production of illustration but it is good to see such ambition. Male looks forward to a time when we all become natural polymaths. Power to the people yes but also power to this book.

My Book Review for Grandad Mandela by Zazi, Ziwelene & Zindzi Mandela

Grandad Mandela

Written by Zazi, Ziwelene & Zindzi Mandela

Illustrated by Sean Qualls

ISBN:978-1-78603-136-5

Published by Lincoln Children’s Books

Publishers website https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781786031365/Grandad-Mandela.html?direct=1

Sean Qualls website https://www.seanqualls.com

Nelson RolihlahlaMandela respectfully known as Mandiba is a personal hero of mine. He is the only politician in human history that I wish I had met in person. This is why I have chosen to review this picture book about his story. I appreciate that what gave him his moral purpose was fully African in nature.

What’s it like when your Great Grandfather was one of the most famous and important people in recent history? You are forced to share your loved one your blood kin with the whole world. A world that is still inspired by the actions and stature of your relative. How do you go about telling your version of his story? The answer is simple you ask your grandmother.

This book has a structured around the answers of the grandmother to the 15 questions set by the great grandchildren. Through these we see how Grandad Mandela lived through childhood, occupation, love, incarceration and final victory. The text in this book is Dodo, it is easy to read and gives the impression of being written by young child. The questions are in a larger point size than the answers. This is clever use of scale because the young reader get to play the game of asking the questions while the adult reader responds by reading the answers. 

This picture book is in the tradition of the improvement narrative. What you learn makes you a better person. Young children will be able to relate to Zazi who is eight and Ziwelene who is six and put themselves into their shoes. This is an important part of the transfer of knowledge, relatability. 

Sean Qualls illustrations are loose, dynamic and direct. Scenes of violence and state oppression. The simple direct figures are somehow more disturbing when they are subjected to aggression and pain. Textures (cracked paint and weathered edges) and immediate painting simplified figures and a controlled colour palatte. His environments are open and descriptive details are there only to express a direct idea. His faces are imbued with emotional resonances despite the simple use of line. 

Now 100 years after birth the legacy of Nelson Mandela can be seen with greater clarity. His example is one to be followed if you believe that humans should live in harmony. He joins the pantheon of Africans that inspired through their stance on civil rights and their uncompromising position. This book is a good start if you wish to understand his long walk to freedom.

My AOI Book Review for Little People, Big Dreams - Muhammad Ali

Little People, Big Dreams – Muhammad Ali

Written by Isabel Sánchez Vegara

Illustrated by Brosmind

ISBN:978-1-78603-733-6

Published by Frances Lincoln

Reviewed by Karl Andy Foster

Publishers website https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781786037336/Muhammad-Ali.html?direct=1

Brosmind website http://www.brosmind.com

Review

The life of one of The Greatest is richly evoked in this picture book. It illustrates his enduring legacy and the inspirational story behind his success.

Muhammmad Ali was one of my heroes. As a boy I watched his fights with excitement and pride. His poetic taunts and quick-witted ripostes brought a smile to my face every time. I am pleased to see a publication like this aimed at young children and he is a most fitting subject for the expansion of the ‘Little People, Big Dreams’popular line of books. Physicist Stephen Hawking also receives the same veneration.

The bold cover of this book shows you a hero athlete drawn in simple line and block colours style, posing ready for a fight. This perfect bound book packs a punch with it bright and vibrant end papers – POW! BAM! and OUCH! 

From the welcome spread it is clear that the authors wish you to be aware that this is a significant product and a rare one at that. The quirky line work is loose, curvaceous with balletic compositions. Brosmind’s work adds a playful take on this subject with changes of scale, bold expressions and Ali metamorphosing into Butterfly and Bee. 

A beautiful boy with a sense of righteousness is hell bent on exacting his vengeance upon a thief. His indignation is channeled into a more creative and constructive force thanks to the intervention of a community minded Police Officer.

The spread with the fight posters and prizes acts as a fitting tribute to this man of passion and integrity. He talked the talk and walked the walk – he inspired generations of sports fans and he is a towering role model for many African Americans.

The inclusion of a photographic timeline is problematic for me. It suggests that illustration isn’t a convincing enough medium to promote celebrity. I do agree that the written content is useful in this section and I have been enthusiastically quoting the words he lived by “Don’t count the days, make the days count.” 

In a time when it was extremely dangerous to speak out and stand up for something principled, Ali showed that his true power was not only in the ring but also on the world stage. An Olympic Boxing Champion in 1960 who used his influence to support many causes and when he lit the flame at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 there wasn’t a dry eye in the stadium.

25 March 2019

My AOI Book Review for Where's the Dude?

Little White Lies – Where’s the Dude? The Great Movie Spotting Challenge: Unofficial and Unauthorized

Written by Adam Woodward

Illustrated by Sharm Murugiah

ISBN: 978-1-78067-264-5

Published by Laurence King 

Reviewed by Karl Andy Foster

Publishers website https://www.laurenceking.com/product/wheres-the-dude/

Illustrator Sharm Murugiah website http://murugiah.com

Review

“Sometimes there's a man, who, well, he's the man for his time 'n place. He fits right in there. And that’s the Dude, in Los Angeles. And even if he’s a lazy man – and the Dude was most certainly that.”

The Stranger, The Big Lebowski

The Dude is a single, unemployed man whose hobbies include smoking pot, drinking White Russians and bowling. Politically he is a spent force. He is not expected to be invited to Four Weddings and a Funeral. However, he has become iconic and this will draw readers in no doubt.

Each spread of this large format book displays an environment from a well-known Hollywood movie and much more. Looking for The Dude is a challenge and he is hidden very well in some spreads, it took me forever to find him in the Willy Wonka factory scene. The Apocalypse Now spread is reminiscent of the Sgt. Pepper’s Beatles album cover albeit filled will horror!

Image-maker Sharm Murugiah has big shoes to fill, those of Martin Handford who created Where’s Wally/ Waldo? He does this with spectacular aplomb! He has produced a work of meticulous detail and obsessive coverage. Bruegelesque in its nature but executed quickly containing a febrile energy.

This type of work is known as Wimmelbilderbuch, or “wimmelbook” for short a term used to describe a book with drawings of busy place’s like a town square or sports event. These were mostly geared toward children as in the case of Where’s Wally/ Waldo? However, this book will also entertain adults.

The Titanicspread displays references to James Cameron’s other famous movies as well as images from the careers of the actors (Billy Zane dressed as The Phantom) and a tussle between Celine Dion and Enya for the title song! Aliens and Avatars add to the surrealist quality of the illusion.

The complexity of movie making is augmented by the research of author Adam Woodward and includes references to cut scenes, failed casting decisions and unsinkable Pomeranians. At the back of the book is an effective reference section to help you navigate the multiple strands, stories and symbolism. 

With an inexhaustible number of movies, the potential for a series of books in this mold is endless. I would like to see how Star Wars, Casablanca, Black Narcissusand Don’t Look Nowwould be handled. Watch out Martin Handford, the Dude abides.

  

25 March 2019