Book Recommendations — Children's

The second illustrator from the Magic Pencil exhibit is Patrick Benson (I'm going through the artisits alphabetically). His illustrations are pen and ink drawings with watercolors, and they are usually quite detailed. The illustrations included in the exhibit were from The Minpins by Roald Dahl, The Lord Fish by Walter de la Mare, and The Sea-Thing Child by Russell Hoban.






























In 2000, Benson was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal—an annual UK award given to honor distinguished illustration in a book for children—for his illustrations in The Sea-Thing Child. In an article about the shortlisted books, the Guardian noted . . .

Benson's best work to date perfectly matches Russell Hoban's story. This 30-year-old classic evokes the beauty and terror of the sea and shore in superb paintings, and delightfully characterises the Sea-Thing as he grows in confidence. A powerful book that explores the fundamental growing experience of childhood.

The Minpins was published shortly after Roald Dahl's death in 1990. Denis Woychuk reviewed the book in The New York Times, and he had this to say about the illustrations . . .

The birds are marvelous, Mr. Benson's illustrations bursting with magic.

Member tomsoya at Sur La Lune Fairy Tales wrote . . .

In Dahl’s last picture book he teamed up with illustrator Patrick Benson to produce a book that almost straddles genres; a contemporary tale that, whilst featuring deep dark forests, a throng of ‘little people’, a largely unseen ‘beast’ and a general feeling of foreboding, still manages to retain a modern, upbeat, quality largely due to Bensons twisting on the old cross-hatching style.

One of his books that wasn't in the exhibition was Owl Babies, which was written by Martin Waddell. In selecting a library of classics for 4-7 year olds, the Guardian noted . . .

Dealing in a really imaginative way with the idea of separation from the mum you really love, this is a wonderful book that makes you feel cosy just to think about it. Benson's illustrations have a wonderful expressive quality.

In addition to illustrating many books, he has also written a few, including Little Penguin. One reviewer, Judith Sharman at Books for Keeps, wrote . . .

The children sat stroking the pages after we looked at this book together. Patrick Benson, so compelling as illustrator in the 'Hob' books, weaves magic again as he writes and illustrates a story about Pip, an Adelie penguin, learning that her small size doesn't mean she's any less important in the scheme of things. Exquisite illustrations, appealing layout, deceptively clever text which leads one almost imperceptibly from a tight very careful use of language into a flowing musical line - put together, these elements produce an unforgettable book that is surely a modern classic.

With this book and Lost and Found, we appear to be developing a bit of a penguin theme here at the Bookshop. I guess we just go for penguins.

(A great big "Howdy!" to anyone who knows that line without clicking the link—and a "Howdy!" even if you don't.)