EXPANDING HORIZONS — New Children's Books at VOLUME
There are new children’s books arriving at VOLUME every week. Here are a few we think you might like.
You will love Clive. He’s adorable. Friendly and gentle, Clive loves playing with his friends and exploring the world. It’s all about hats and plenty of imagination in this boardbook, Clive and his Hats. A sunny yellow hat for wearing in the sandpit, a pointy black magic hat for showing his tricks to Moshi the cat, or out in the rain in his best red fire-hat-and-coat set complete with red gumboots! There’s dress-ups and party hats, a special hat for the art gallery, and delightful tall-eared hats for when you being a rabbit. The Clive books by Jessica Spanyol are gentle and affectionate. They avoid gender stereotypes and celebrate diversity, encourage sharing and the joy of play.
A goodnight book about dreaming and the wonders of a world at night. With its atmospheric colour palette of bluey green with little flashes of contrasting orange, Mr Moon Wakes Up captures a warm gentle night with a full moon perfectly. Here are the long shadows and soft shapes, here are magical creatures in the garden and in the sky. A child bemoans the fact that Mr Moon is always asleep. Too sleepy to do puzzles, play hide-and-seek, or hear exciting adventure stories. But what if Mr Moon is awake when you’re asleep? And so begins a wonderful night of magic and mazes, and of seeing the world anew. This charming story, written and illustrated by Jemima Sharpe captures a similar mood as the classic The Moon Jumpers — it is dreamily illustrated and sweetly written.
How to be a champ when you’re not like the others? Iranian author Payam Ebrahimi started writing stories when he was five, and kept writing through school and study, and work, and various occupations, and luckily for us still keeps writing stories. And luckily for us this one, Champ, is ably translated by Caroline Croskery and illustrated by internationally recognised artist Reza Dalvand. Abtin is the misfit of the Moleski family. Every single member of the family is a champion obsessed with sports and winning. Their portraits hung on the wall, medals adorn their chests. They eat heartily and train all day. Abtin isn’t interested in winning, and his dreams are quite different. The excellent illustrations by Davland add further layers to the humour and pathos of Ebrahimi’s text. This is a powerful story about being yourself in the face of adversity and the pressure to conform. Perfect for the champ in us all, and when we need a little courage!
