Picture Books for Winter Nights

I just finished reading a handful of picture books; they’re such a comfortable way to spend a winter evening! Chuckling, tucking your brain aside, reading and looking at pictures – what more could I possibly want?

All Mine was my absolute favourite. Written by Zehra Hicks, it is a picture book that does have a moral, but I was surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway! I loved the simplicity of its illustrations and the fact that the word count was kept to the bare minimum.

I usually like picture books that rhyme, but Kangaroo’s Cancan Cafe was a bit forced for me. That’s not to say that I did not like it – I did. It was just a little overdone. Too much colour and texture, too many characters. But a lovely idea and a very sweet story, nonetheless!

Second-best tonight was Good Little Wolf. It begins as a simple story, with all kinds of references to big, bad wolves, and you think you know exactly where the story is going … But there’s something in store for you at the very end!

How can you go wrong with Quentin Blake? Angel Pavement was a fun book, full of his quirky illustrations, but not as minimalistic as I would have liked. The story was lovely, though, and the pictures … They made everything okay!

Igor: The Bird who Couldn’t Sing was a charming book, beautifully imagined. I loved the way the whole story was pictured, unconventional but intuitive. It was a joy to read!