I’m going to just dive right in here, I adored, really really adored Anna Llenas’s book The Colour Monster which I reviewed here: http://bookmonsters.info/blog/2016/07/17/the-colour-monster
It is a delightful, collage based book, about feelings and emotions, so I cannot begin to explain my joy at opening my latest book post I Love You (nearly always) written and illustrated by Anna Llenas and published by Templar.
Last year I wrote a review for Thumble Tumble and the Ollpheist written by A. H. Proctor. It was a fantastic witch based, mythical adventure story. I’m back now, with the sequel Thumble Tumble and the Cauldron of Undry again written by A.H. Proctor, but now with additional illustrations by P.S. Brooks.
I was recently contacted by Tara books, to see if I would have a look at their books and maybe consider them for Book Monsters. Having looked through their catalogue, I was impressed, and since purchased on book and was sent another three. So this is going to be a rather epic, but also, exciting, blog post looking at these books!
Hello hello!
Lovely to see you all looking so lovely today, clearly having lots of nice thoughts for the new year.
Well, my second blog post of 2017 is not a review, but a very exciting announcement and poster reveal for International Book Giving Day! #bookgivingday
So, it’s 2017 and Book Monsters has had a very quiet end to the year. Crazy, busy, up and down life got in the way of books, I know that’s a horrifically terrible thing for a Book Monster to confess to, but it’s true I’m afraid. I’m sorry.
This is the beginning of a brand new year, something, which in the past, I admit to not really welcoming into my life. But for 2017 I sense good things, I have good feelings, and I’m grabbing those feelings, bunching them in my arms like a big pile of lovely books, and running with them! Sprinting even!
My aim is to be better. Better at life generally. Better at drawing, design and writing. And, most importantly for this corner of the internet, better at reading and blogging about reading.
I believe that one of the most important traits in humans is kindness. What better method to start to instill this into children is through picture books. They are a powerful form of communication and education and if done in an engaging and fun way, can help children build important skills and knowledge for their future selves.
As Nice as Pie written by Gary Sheppard, illustrated by Tim Budgen and published by Maverick Arts Publishing achieves exactly this.
There has recently been a resurgence and reinvention of some much loved classic children’s books, specifically for adults as gifts. The Ladybird books and now Famous Five. Brilliant gifts, that adults can identify with and enjoy.
Mum … created by Morty Sey and Scott Chegg is a read for children first and foremost, but, the special thing about this little picture book is what a brilliant gift for adults it would make.
Well would you look at this prickly little fellow! A porcupine in a picture book? I’ve not seen that before, but this is pretty much the ideal book for a grumpy little animal to reside in. This is Mine Mine Mine! Said the Porcupine. Written by Alex English, illustrated by Emma Levey and published by Maverick Arts Publishing.
A while ago, I was contacted by a publishing company through instagram, and asked to take a look at two of their recent picture book releases. This is what I love about social media, it connects people and organisations with common interests, who may never have crossed paths, and, this particular instance of it, I’m very grateful for, as I now have two beautiful books to share with you (The Tigon and the Liger will be coming soon to the blog!).
The first, however, is The Ammuchi Puchi, written by Sharanya Manivannan, illustrated by Nerina Canzi and published by Lantana Publishing.
I’m just sneaking sheepishly into my BOOK blog to make an apology for the lack of books lately!! Here’s why. You see, over on Twitter, some crazy custard started a thing. This human renamed October to Inktober and challenged people to post an ink drawing every day throughout the month. This year, I decided, with foolhardy abandon, to take part.
Well, it’s been a bit of an eye opener if I’m honest. I’ve always been a frustrated artist. I’ve always wanted to be able to sketch, but just found it SO difficult. Most of my artwork, therefore, has been computer based. It’s my comfort zone, feels safe. My computer will help me straighten wonky lines, get the perfect colour or allow me to duplicate elements so that I don’t have one huge bulging eye and a tiny creepy one. Actual, real life drawing daunts me. Once marks are on the paper, it’s not that easy to remove them, even with ALL the expensive erasers!!
So, over the past month, I committed to the challenge of inktober, and most importantly and most frighteningly, posting every single one publicly on Twitter, Instagram and (when I finally got the courage) Facebook, regardless of how good or bad they were.
I chose to do all my drawings in one notepad so I couldn’t keep practicing them (my expensive erasers are now just stubs!!!), and as a result have been forced to post a lot of drawings that I’ve been quite unhappy with, or really hated in some cases. But here’s the funny thing, in every instance, no matter how good or bad, people have greeted my inktobers with warmth and enthusiasm, lovely comments, likes and sometimes been prompted to share their own stories. Every single comment and nice reaction has gone into my heart and given me the confidence to try a little harder. To maybe not worry quite so much about achieving perfection, or trying to become as good as the great ones I happen across daily.
And, interestingly, my most successful inktobers, were not the best drawn ones, but the ones that were inspired by people I love, even if I didn’t actually mention the people in them. It seems that when you inject a piece of yourself into your art, it makes a splash and causes a beautiful ripple effect.
I know many authors and illustrators through blogging, and I quickly witnessed that so many artists, whether story writers & tellers, poets, musicians or illustrators are fighting constant self doubt and inner criticism. Despite appearances creative work doesn’t come easily to ANY of these people. They work bloomin hard at it, and I realised that just maybe they question themselves as much as I do.
Taking part in inktober has taught me that art does not have to be flawless, we may not always be happy with what we produce, but if it evokes feeling, or smiles, or memories in even just one person, then it has done a good thing!
So thank you, to all those kind people who have liked, shared, commented on any of my inktobers, or just generally egged me on. I love you for that. The self doubt monster will always lurk on my left shoulder, but on my right are people who will occasionally gag it, and to those gaggers, I’ll be more grateful than you’ll ever know. 
Just a few more days to go, and book blogging will resume as normal (I have missed it and have an exciting book backlog). However, thanks to inktober and good friends, drawing will also continue!
So, if you ever come across some art, in whatever form, which makes you react, laugh, smile, cry or feel, then please, if you can, tell the creator, whoever they are. I believe, in fact I know, it will mean a lot.
I will, sometime soon, be adding a page to Book Monsters, showing all of my inktober efforts, good and bad, so watch this space for that if you’re curious.
Thank you for reading this. Book people, authors and publishers, thanks for bearing with me while I’ve played with pens!
