A new year and two beautiful pictures books to start us off.
Imagine a City by Elise Hurst. Originally published in Australia in 2014, this amazing book has finally made its way to North America. We are new to Elise’s incredible work but will forever be fans. The story is told through a gentle, imaginative poem starting with “Imagine a train to take you away”. The black and white illustrations are so full of detail that they carry the reader to another world and new things will be discovered every time the book is opened. As a woman and two children board the train, tea and goodies are being served. A rabbit in a dress, reading a newspaper is already enjoying her tea. They arrive to a rainy city and visit an art gallery where the trees come right out of the pictures. Back on the street, the buses are fish that fly through the air and animals wear clothes and walk on two legs. And so their day continues through this dreamy city until it’s time to get back on the train. There is an opportunity here to have older readers tell you the story they see happening beyond the text and a great search and find including a rabbit in every spread. Elise is from Melbourne, Australia. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
Uncle Wally’s Old Brown Shoe by Wallace Edwards. Wallace is the illustrator who created the artwork for our very own Marmalade. This award-winning author/illustrator has numerous enchanting books showcasing his wild imagination. And this book is a great example of that wild imagination. Inspired by the nursery rhyme The House That Jack Build, we are taken on the amazing journey of an old shoe as it meets many interesting and colourful characters. This book also has extremely detailed illustrations which will require many reads to discover everything. Wallace was kind enough to write an exclusive letter to our readers to go along with this wonderful book. Wally is from Ontario, Canada.