The book that first got me excited about reading I recommend, for anyone who doesn’t know it, Belloc’s ‘Jim – Who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion.’ He also liked making use of the pregnant pause… ramping up the anticipation. The Belloc, particularly, has a very teasing quality to it, which he was very good at capturing. He read them with relish and great theatricality.
I remember the tone of my father’s voice reading Hillaire Belloc and Edward Lear verses & Cautionary Tales… which I loved… as did he. Now Ed Vere is back with a new series of picture books about a scrap of a black kitten first seen in Max the Brave. The sequel, Max at Night was published this month and follows Max as he turns superhero, fearlessly prowling the city at night.Įd’s picture books draw on classic comic book action and have bold graphic design elements, so I was interested to find out the books that shaped him as an author. Big, the jazzy gorilla who showed that sticking out in the crowd could be a very good thing. It captures perfectly the anger, frustration and unfulfilled desires of children who aren’t yet able to form full sentences, but know very well what they want. Amongst these treasures are two stories from the imagination of Ed Vere.įirst came Banana, a masterpiece of expressive comedy which contains just two words – ‘Banana’ and ‘Please’. As a result, looking at their books from just a few years ago sends me into paroxysms of nostalgic reverie. (Nov.As my children push towards the big one-o, I find myself the only regular reader of picture books in our house (although my daughter still indulges me). Without plodding or preaching, the story goes by at the speed of a 15-second television spot, and even the youngest readers will quickly take the point. Vere's background colors correspond perfectly to the monkeys' changing emotions: yellow for elation, orange and neon pink for escalating worry, and light blue when the banana is split. Printed on fields of highly saturated color with no scenery to distract, the figures command attention. Seeing the monkey's agony, the first monkey cups his hand to his ear and waits for the magic word: "Please?" The monkeys are drawn simply, defined by black lines with charged, jagged edges. "BANANA!" he screams, finally, arms and legs flailing, with blocks of intense color vibrating behind his tantrum.
"Banana!" he exclaims with every spread, his "Banana" cryĪnd his desire grow more desperate. Another monkey follows, lit up with excitement. A googly-eyed monkey with a Pac-man mouth and stringy arms and legs appears with aīanana. With big, bold spreads and only two words ("Banana" and "Please"), Vere's (The Getaway) story about sharing packs impressive graphic force.
0 kommentar(er)
