– Short Review –
– Longer Review –
Quentin Blake holds a special place in my heart, he’s illustrated a large majority of books I read as a child that gave me the thirst for reading, and if you’re like me he’s probably influenced your childhood too, or is also influencing your children’s childhoods with his work with David Walliams! His passion for illustrating still continues today, aiding young minds to fully visualise the characters and stories that are being played out before them.
So, when seeing that Quentin Blake had written Three Little Monkeys I had to get it and see if his deft skill at illustration could be harnessed for the written word, and by god it was, Three Little Monkeys was hilarious. And so when the next instalment came out, it was a no brainer, it was going to be reviewed!
What I love about Quentin Blake’s story is that it is so simplistic, delightfully off the wall and hilariously enjoyable – I’ve read both of these stories to my children (5 & 9 years old) and we’ve had a ball reading them, and that’s the most enjoyable thing with Blakes words, the magic that they hold, and the spell he weaves on his audience – there is some type of musicality and magic to his words and his characters, that the words just seem to bloom into life when shared aloud!
So, with Quentin Blake taking a turn in the driver seat and writing a superbly crafted children’s tale, we need someone fabulous to take the reigns of the illustrations right? And for what could be quite daunting task for some – illustrating the words of what I would say is the worlds best and most iconic illustrator; Emma Chichester Clark steps in and excels in bringing his words to life with beautifully bright illustrations, and doing what Blake has done for so many other writers, helping us, the reader, visualise the words in such sweeping, breathtaking way, the full page illustrations are so very special and her other smaller illustrations litter the pages like beautiful confetti.
Three Little Monkeys Ride Again is the perfect book for reading to your children, it’s a book that comes alive through the act of reading aloud, its both precious and hilarious and the illustrations are breathtakingly pure and stunningly crisp, making the whole book a wonderful gift to the reader to enjoy time and time again.
Sir Quentin Blake
Sir Quentin Blake CBE is one of the most iconic illustrators of our time, whose warm, spontaneous and witty style is both instantly recognisable and utterly inimitable. As well as an illustrator and artist, Quentin spent over 20 years of his life to teaching at the Royal College of Art – where he taught Emma Chichester Clark.
Emma Chichester Clark
Emma Chichester Clark studied art at the Royal College of Art. She has worked as a freelancer for magazines, publishers and advertising agencies as well as teaching art for several years, but now dedicates most of her time to children’s books. She was nominated for the Kurt Maschler Award for Illustration twice and ‘I Love You, Blue Kangaroo!’, was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.
Reviewed by Ross Jeffery
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