Laura Carlin XIV

If you can get a copy of 'The Woman Who Turned Children into Birds' by David Almond, illustrated by Laura Carlin,  published 2022 by Walker Books then do, it is so beautiful and life affirming!

'She made her marks.

She whispered her words.

Then she said,

“Go on. Be happy. Up you go."

I wish all children and children pretending to be adults could be free like this...

Laura Carlin XIII

'The Boy who became a Parrot' written by Wolverton Hill and illustrated by Laura Carlin, celebrating nonsense, play, art, storytelling and the life of the writer and artist Edward Lear is released in UK on 11th September, I think it is a treasure!

Endpapers 2010's

 

Above: 'The Great Race' retold by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, illustrated by Christopher Corr, 2018

Above: 'The Day the Cow Sneezed' by Jim Flora, 2010.

Above: 'The Ups and Downs of the Castle Mice', written by By Michael Bond and illustrated by Emily Sutton, 2019.

Above: 'One Hundred Sausages' by Yuval Zommer, 2016.

Above: 'Jill and the Lion' by Lesley Barnes, 2016

Above: King of the Sky written by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin, 2017.

Above: 'There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe'. Jane Cabrera, 2016.

Above: 'Botanicum', written by Kathy Willis, illustrated by Katie Scott, 2016.

Above: 'Anna and Ottis' by Maisie Paradise Shearring 2018

Above: 'Snail Mail'  by Sharon King Chai 2016

Above: The Bluest of Blues: Anna Atkins and the First Book of Photographs by Fiona Robinson. 

Above: 'Looking After William' written and illustrated by Eve Coy 2018

Above: 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland' based on song written by Felix Bernard and Richard B Smith, illustrated by Tim Hopgood, 2016. 

Above: 'Nocturno', Illustration by Isol 2011

Above: The Hole Story' written by Paul Bright illustrated by Bruce Ingman 2016

Above: 'Der kleine Wassermann' written by Otfried Preußler, illustrated by Regine Stigloher, 2011.

Above: 'Bonshommes des bo'is by Elisabeth Ivanovsky 2016

Endpapers an Introduction

Above: Endpaper Butterflies by Hazel Terry

It is all going to go a bit wild and busy here for at least a month, as I lead you down a long and windy path of endpapers, with bursting, busy posts of images and information. 

Rarely do I make a post of more than one artists works, but we are moving into buffet territory! 

Why? Well As a prelude to an 'endpaper' challenge by Monty Lee, which you can all participate in from the 2nd - 8th September on Instagram

The prompts for this challenge are looser than usual to allow for more choice:

                    Prompt 1: A cooking book for kids

                    Prompt 2: A book about gnomes

                    Prompt 3: Choose a fairytale 

                    Prompt 4: A book about butterflies

                    Prompt 5: Choose a nursery rhyme (or more)

                    Prompt 6: A book about the sea

                    Prompt 7: Art and craft for kids

Endpapers are often the first magical page you open on a picture book, be it a blast of colour or delicious snippets of information; maps, tracks and ideas. 

Above: Endpapers from 'This is the Way to the Moon' by Miroslav Sasek (1916-1980) 1963

Above: The Ladybird Book of London by John Lewesdon 1961

These pages begin to fire your enthusiasm and joy in a book and for the illustrator they are the fun bit, often the part they turn their attention to in relief once the body of the book has been completed. 

Are they the books clothes, underwear, costume? well yes they are! They can be modest or gloriously exuberant and wild.

Above: Natascha Rosenberg

Above: Grammar can be fun by Munro Leaf, 1951.    

Above: 'Io sono un cavallo', by Bernard Friot, Illustrated by Gek Tessaro, 2015.

Above: 'A World Full of Journeys & Migrations', written by Martin Howard, illustrated by Christopher Corr, 2022.

Above: 'Au Lit' by Louise Marie Cumont, 2009.

Above: 'The Promise written by Nicola Davies, Illustrated by Laura Carlin, 2013

Above: Endpapers of Smartypants by Maira Kalman, 2003.