What's New 'n' Groovy in Picture Books, eh?

Well, it's funny you should ask, because I just so happen to have a selection of picture books here that I've either bought or borrowed over the past couple of months that I would like to share purely for their awesomeness. I don't want to create one HUGE post completely bogged down by pictures, so I think I'll spread them over a few days.

First up: Darkness Slipped In by Ella Burfoot (an illustrator/author living in Truro who did a BA and MA in illustration at Falmouth) and published by Kingfisher.











I'm not sure I always have the right words to explain what it is I like about a book - many different styles and approaches catch my eye - so I wouldn't say I like any particular style. After all, there are so many styles in picture books it would be impossible to chose!

But, what I do LOVE about this book is the use of only pink, yellow and black on the white background, the lovely, shiny spot varnish on Darkness himself, and how the book starts off mainly white, but ends up predominately black by the last page. Not to mention the little bunny that pops up everywhere. You gotta have a surreptitious bunny in there somewhere. I do like a book that's funny, a little bit crazy or just plain absurd. You should deffo check out the kids' comments on the Amazon page, linked above.

In my own exciting illustration news, my first picture book Fish Don't Play Ball has just been sold to the US with BARNES AND NOBLE buying 8500 copies. Now if that ain't awesome I don't know what is!