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Matt Haig Has Written a New Book

Matt Haig, my literary hero, has written another book. This time it is a children's book about a boy who thinks his problems will be solved if he were a cat. To Be A Cat uses some of the same tools that Haig must have learned about in his first novel, which he wrote from the point of view of a Labrador.

Here is an interview that I found - enjoy it.

Q: Have you always been a writer?
A: I have done a lot of different jobs - telesales, working in Oddbins, then freelance journalism for newspapers like The Guardian and The Independent. I also wrote some books about the internet but decided that, if I wanted to keep my name in print, it would have to be with something I was proud of. That's when I sat down to write my first adult novel. It was about a talking dog.

Q: And now this book is about a talking cat - was there a link?
A: Possibly this story had its roots in that book. I found that I always like to look at human life from a different perspective - that was from a dog's perspective and To Be A Cat balances that out. I grew up with cats and dogs - so am I a cat person or a dog kind of person?

Q: What's the difference?
A: Cats have so much mystery, there's so much about them that we don't know, they are inspiring and fit being magical a bit more than dogs. We know what dogs get up to - cats just disappear and do their own thing.

Q: Is the main character Barney anything like you were as a child?
A: As a boy I did get bullied a bit and I didn't really fit in at school, so yes we are a little alike in that.
Also my mum was a head teacher so when I came home from school I would have the pets for company. I used to wonder what they got up to during the day. I thought it was probably better than having double maths!
In many of my books I have a spirited main character who then develops confidence, which is what Barney goes through. He has to gain that strength and awareness to not be a cat any more. He has to learn to be proud of who he is.

Q: Which was your favourite character to write?
A: Miss Whipmire, the baddie, was definitely the most fun to write and I think children will enjoy her. Writers sometimes forget that children like those kinds of characters - she is really cruel and gets some nasty dialogue.

Q: Did you have the story plotted out before you began to write it?
A: No, I didn't have a clear idea of where the book was going. I just had the first chapter where a boy wakes up and discovers he's a different creature. The fun was trying to work out how I could build a story around that. At that stage I was almost as confused as the central character about why he was a cat!

Q: Have you ever wondered if you could actually turn into a cat...?
A: Well I've written books about vampires for adults and people have asked me if I genuinely think there are vampires out there.... As for being able to turn into cats - well, who knows? We don't have all the answers to everything, do we?!

Q: Are you planning another story about Barney or cats?
A: I don't rule out writing a series of books but this is a stand-alone story.
I have other ideas that would work as series but I think it would be sad if the one-off book couldn't be done in the future because publishers do prefer series. But if your first book isn't a hit, you'd get a bit depressed writing books three and four, wouldn't you? Plus I get bored easily and so if I did write a series, it would have to be something that kept me really interested.

William Steig Has Returned to the UK - at last!

(We loved the book so much we named our son after a mouse).

Hot off the press from Penguin Central! Steig is back. 

Adam Freudenheim has sent us the best news of the week.

William Steig (1907-2003) began drawing for the New Yorker in 1930.  Over the next 70 odd years he contributed over 1,500 cartoons and 125 covers to the magazine.  At 60 he published his first children’s book, and he went on to win the Caldecott Medal, the American Book Award and was twice nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.  His book 1990 book Shrek! inspired the films and the musical (Shrek! will be available in a new edition in February 2012).

 

Today, in Particular Books, we are publishing four of William Steig’s most beloved and acclaimed picture books, all of which demonstrate his artistry and storytelling skill.  These delightful books are perfect presents for anyone aged 3-7 as well as all adult fans of Steig’s art.  Parents will enjoy reading them as much as children will enjoy listening to them and looking at the pictures.  Steig’s art has been the subject of a major retrospective at the Jewish Museum in New York, and among his many fans are Maurice Sendak, John Updike and Quentin Blake.

 Amos & Boris, The Amazing Bone, Doctor De Soto, Brave Irene and hopefully this is only the beginning. 

‘Bill Steig forever changed the landscape of children’s books.  Steig’s infectious delight in rich, subtle storytelling, combined with a graphic style both simple and simply hilarious has produced a body of work that remains astonishingly fresh and original.  There is no school of Bill Steig.  There is only Bill Steig.’  MAURICE SENDAK

 

‘William Steig’s wonderful work meshes together his lyrical drawing style, his inspired use of colour, his sense of humour, and, most important, his insight into the human condition.  He is a true master.’ ROZ CHAST

 

‘’Steig’s art is not just testimony to his love of life but robust evidence of the necessary interaction between art and life, reality and fantasy’. JOHN UPDIKE

 

 

Scorpia Rising by Anthony Horowitz

 Scorpia Rising slipped past so many people's radars. Usually an Anthony Horowitz arrives with great fanfare. Certainly in our household, we wait eagerly, often knowing the release date, certainly amongst the first to buy it. Some people wait in line for Iphones, some for Horowitz's. But Scorpia Rising, the last of the nine Alex Rider books, came quietly, cheaply (£3.99 now £2.99) and without a fuss.

I bought it for my 13 year old son who then passed it to my 15 year old but I did not read it. I had no willing audience and I had an ulterior motive. I love listening to Dan Steven's voice. He is the reader and has been of all the Alex Rider's. We were in Portugal last week and as soon as the rental car rolled away from the airport, the disc started spinning. Eight discs later, I finished listening to the final chapter, the end of the Alex Rider stories. As sad as I am to stop hearing that lovely voice (he is amazing at accents - American, South African, Egyptian speaking English, Australian...), Alex Rider has run its course. It must very difficult to finish writing a long series of novels but Horowitz managed it very well. Unlike our hero Lemony Snicket who gravely disappointed the Junior Bookworm with The End, his 13th and final book in the Series of Unfortunate Events. Nothing was tied up and although, as in Scorpia Rising, a main character dies, it was still an open ended ending.

My only main criticism of this book is that he name drops products too much. Every gun has a name, every mobile is an Iphone, every helecopter has a serial number, a flying range, every bicycle, every camera. I think Horowitz must have been making a joke. I just don't know what it was.

Horowitz you have done well. Alex we will miss you. xxx

Eric Carle Wants You!

The Carle is 8 years old today!

Since November 22, 2002 the heart of our arts education mission is the picture book - in all forms. Its impact is more critical than ever as our country faces increasing declines in arts programs. In Amherst and with outreach around the country, our multigenerational audience experiences studio art programs, literacy programs, and the illustrated art that is celebrated around the world.

Won't you consider a birthday gift to The Carle? You will provide enriching experiences to help children develop the creative skills they need for the 21st century. In our thank you, we'll send a FREE family pass to share The Carle experience with someone you love.

Click here to make a gift.

Snail Trail by Ruth Brown

Ruth Brown has done it again. She has written another subtle book but this time it is for very young children. Are you tired of rainbow coloured bubblegum books (if you know what I mean)? Snail Trail is a re-release of a book from 2000 that has been made little kid friendly. The book is small, has rounded edges and seems to have thicker pages than other books.

The question is, do little children appreciate ochres and browns? The book follows a snail up a steep hill, through a gloomy tunnel, past some flowers. The denouement is that he has hardly gone very far at all.

For those part time gardeners like me, a snail is something of a menace, someone you throw out of your garden and if you have nasty neighbours, over the garden wall. This book has made me look at snails anew. Although Brown has drawn accurate depictions, the snail's eyes are exaggerated, causing the snail to have very funny expressions. I think this book will improve with re-reading, which for little kids' books, is the ideal.

Frank Cottrell Boyce is on Desert Island Discs

Desert Island Discs is on now and you can listen again on Friday, the 26th March in the morning. You can also listen again on BBC Radio 4. If you loved Millions, the book or the film, listen to the author and be amazed. I always knew he was catholic, had seven children, wrote children's novels and screenplays, but listening to him tell his own story is amazing. He is just so cool. Frank Cottrell Boyce you are my favourite!

Judy Jackson and Free Children's Stories

I found out about Free Children's Stories from Judy Jackson's Tumblr site. Judy Jackson has recently published a charming book that invites children into the kitchen, for a change, and has them play with food. Lookit Cookit was a book inspired by a very picky grandchild, who needed to liven up her relationship with food. Jackson has produced a glossy book with some wild and amazing photographs taken by her. The projects are fun, sometimes tasty, always engaging.

Although, I wouldn't chase after free children's stories on a regular basis, it is a handy site for travel with small kids. Unless you have a Kindle or an Ipad, you won't be finding yourself in Tanzania or Budapest with a shelf full of English language stories. Free Children's Stories would be perfect for filling in the gap. Perhaps it is addictive. I just haven't had the opportunity to find out. 

Sorry Tony, we've both made mistakes

Crocodile Tears arrived and as soon as we started reading it, I realized that I made a mistake in my last post. Of course, it was not Ark Angel, the last Anthony Horowitz , it was Snakehead. Of course, one of the kids reminded me that we listened to that one in Italy too. It was a trip we took from Rome to Naples to Pompeii and back. It had the nastiest, scariest parts of any Horowitz yet and we loved it.

Crocodile Tears starts out with a classic, jump you right into the story sort of first chapter. But one thing bugged me. I am an American living in London, surrounded by people who can name King Henry VIII's wives in their sleep. So, that is why I feel a need to mention that although I revere Horowitz as a great children's writer, he has slipped up. Ravi, the main character of the first chapter, is an Indian Engineer who wants to take his children to Disneyland in Florida. But there is no Disneyland in Florida. There is a Disneyland in California, Tokyo, Paris but there isn't one in Florida. There is a Disney World in Florida. It is no big deal and a mistake anyone could make but one his editors should have noticed. If Dan Brown had made such a mistake about a French landmark, Europeans across the globe would have kicked up a front page fuss.

So those of you who have not started to read it yet, get over the mistake now. Then when it comes to the exciting beginning, you won't be bogged down with the detail.

Once again, happy Horowitz reading.

What was Chris Wormell Thinking!

Chris Wormell is a truly gifted artist, print maker, illustrator and even writer. He wrote a great book a few years back that (we reviewed) called George and the Dragon. The title was cute and even cuter when it turned out that George was a mouse. It was one of those books where the illustrations spoke volumes but the text remained spare, clean, crisp.
So what then was Christopher thinking when he wrote the same story but not half as good called George the Dragon and the Princess? I don't know what Red Fox, the publisher was thinking. I was excited by the sequel (not as much as I am about Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider sequel but anyway) which is why the disappointment was greater.  And greater still because he is an amazing illustrator. If any of our readers can illuminate us, we would appreciate it.

 

Robert Muchamore

Robert Muchamore hardly needs another review. His nine books have sold a million copies. He has a fan club, a few websites, t-shirts, dogtags, a limited edition short book called Dark Sun that was published in honor of World Book Day (celebrated this year on 6 March 2008).
Born in 1972, he worked for many years as private detective until he sold up and started writing books. He appears to have the knack of marketing. You can visit his Cherub Campus site or so a more personal look at him, his Facebook, Bibo or MySpace sites.
    When I asked my ten year old why he is bringing novels down to breakfast, not to mention dinner, he shows me another cover. That is his way of saying, I am reading another Muchamore, don't you understand? He hasn't emerged since he discovered them. And although he likes reading, he usually waits to get into bed at night. The closest thing he gets to an explanation about why he likes them (besides the warning on the cover "this is not suitable for younger readers"), is "they are really realistic. The characters need to find a toilet in the middle of the action. Alex Rider never goes to the loo. Hermoine does but Harry never does unless he is rescuing someone.
    What is Cherub, you may ask? In WW2, there was a resistance movement set up by French civilians. They recruited children of all ages because they thought they would go unnoticed. A British spy worked with these French spy children for three years. After the war, he brought the concept to England, where it still operates.
    From a skim through the books, I have noticed that this book does not inhabit the rarefied worlds of the young James Bond or Alex Rider. (Alex goes to state school but he is never there). There are drunken and obese parents to contend with, council estates and drugs. The crimes and criminals seem absolutely believable. The  dialog seems less so. I still back the Alex Rider series, if you are reading out loud to the kids. But if they want to wrap their hands around these books, then send them to the library. They won't ask to be reread.