Stephen Michael King – Page 2

One Night, by Penny Matthews & Stephen Michael King

In any farmyard, on Christmas Eve, if you are very lucky, you can hear the animals talk.

It happens only on this most magical of nights.

And it happens only in that moment just before midnight

when the world is silent, waiting.

On Christmas Eve, at midnight, legend says that animals can talk. They speak to remember the part that animals played on the very first Christmas – where a donkey carried the baby’s mother, horses gave up their stall and other animals provided soft bedding. Even the mouse and the spider did their bit, and the rooster crowed to herald the news. Proud of the part their forbears played, the animals celebrate on Christmas Eve.

One Night is a delightful, gentle Christmas tale with the focus squarely on the animals, though two spreads show Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus, and the final spread shows all the animals gazing at the sleeping baby.

The text is not overdone, using the animals’ dialogue to show their pride, and the watercolour and pencil illustrations are a perfect complement with soft, expressive animals and night time hues.

A lovely Christmas offering.

One Night, by Penny Matthews & Stephen Michael King
Omnibus Books, 2014
ISBN 9781742990279

Available from good bookstores or online.

Snail and Turtle are Friends, by Stephen Michael King

Snail and Turtle…
are different.

Snail and Turtle are friends. They like to spend time together, walking and running and being quiet together. But they are also very different: Snail eats leaves, while Turtle eats flowers; Snail likes to climb while Turtle loves to dive. Difference, though, doesn’t mean they can’t be friends – they can do things together even when doing them differently.

Snail and Turtle are Friends is a divine celebration of friendship and difference and whimsy told with the simple brilliance we’ve come to expect from Stephen Michael King. There’s no need for overt explanation of what’s going on – the minimal text and the delightful illustrations work together to have the reader smiling and nodding throughout.

Visually, the characters of Snail and Turtle are created very simply, and complemented by a cast of other animals and insects who appear in the illustrations but not the text. Their landscape is green and lush with hints of seasons passing through rain, flowers and autumnal shades on different spreads (though the latter are attributed to the creative efforts of the pair). Young viewers will enjoy spotting embellishments and details throughout.

This a totally huggable book.

Snail and Turtle are Friends

Snail and Turtle are Friends, by Stephen Michael King
Scholastic, 2014
ISBN 9781743620236

Available from good bookstores and online.

I Love You Too, by Stephen Michael King

…there’s one thing I know,
You love me and I love you too.

Four animal friends (a rabbit,a mouse, a bird and a fourth which is possibly a cat) play and explore their way through life. Not everything goes their way – their sunny day rolling down hills leads to pollen sneezes and some days are stay inside days – but none of that matters because even when things go wrong, their love for each other is constant.

This is such a simple text, with perhaps a hundred words, but there is so much meaning in those words, which are a pleasure to read, especially aloud. And, like any Stephen Michael King book, the illustrations are breathtaking. The characters are apparently simple, too, but say so much with their expressions and movement. Each friend is very different, which is part of the lovely message of the book. The colour palette is also gentle – pastel colours in watercolours with pencil lines – making this a lovely nap time, cuddle time or any quiet time story.

There is only one Stephen Michael King. His gentle, very canny touch is sheer genius.

I Love You Too, by Stephen Michael King
Scholastic, 2013
ISBN

Available from good bookstores or online. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Magnificent Tree, by Nick Bland & Stephen Michael King

Pop liked Bonny’s ideas because they were simple, clever and properly made.
Bonny liked Pop’s ideas because they were big, brave and brilliant with bits sticking out.

Bonny and Pop have lots of wonderful ideas, for all kinds of things, but so far they haven’t had an idea for the birds. Every day the birds fly over them and away. When Bonny decides they need a tree to attract the birds, Pop agrees – and each sets out to make one. Pop’s idea is big and brave, but Bonny’s is simple. It takes a whole year for their ideas to come to fruition, but in spring the birds come – and stay.

The Magnificent Tree is a wonderful celebration of whimsy, creativity and simplicity, as well as the bond between grandparent and grandchild. Coming from the combined talents of two of Australia’s leading picture book creators, this is an absolute treasure of a book, with text that sings its way cross the pages and a pair of lovable characters shown revelling in life – and each other.

Youngsters will giggle at the silliness of some of the ideas and images, and will find satisfaction in the resolution.

Truly magnificent.
The Magnificent Tree, by Nick Bland and Stephen Michael King
Scholastic 2012
ISBN 9781742832951

Available from good bookstores or online.

A Bear and a Tree, by Stephen Michael King

The unlikely trio – a big white bear, a little girl and a mouse – come together in a surprising way against the delightfully whimsical winter landscape of King’s imagination

It began to snow, and Bear knew it was time for his big sleep. But instead of saying goodbye, he lifted Ren and nestled her in his coat. Bear was as warm as a summer memory.

As Bear prepares for his winter sleep, he finds his friend Ren (a human girl) crying because her favourite tree has lost its leaves. Even though he should be settling down to sleep, Bear picks Ren up and takes her to marvel at the wonders of winter – falling snow, a gurgling reek, glistening icicles and bendy branches. They join with Mouse to watch the twinkling winter stars and spend the night counting them. But in the morning, Bear is tired – and Ren knows that he must sleep. Together the three friends trace back to the tree, where they leave souvenirs of their journey before Bear, finally, settles down to sleep for the winter.

A Bear and a Tree is a breathtaking celebration of winter – and of friendship. The unlikely trio – a big white bear, a little girl and a mouse – come together in a surprising way against the delightfully whimsical winter landscape of King’s imagination. Like all of his book’s, King’s illustrations are seemingly simple and yet say so much, with a dream-like quality which the soft blues and whites of the winter landscape abet beautifully.

This a book which is perfect for snuggling up to read, in much the same way as the characters themselves snuggle up. Excellent for bedtime reading, or for rainy-day reading, or for any=time reading, really.

A Bear and a Tree, by Stephen Michael King
Penguin, 2012
ISBN 9780670075829

This book is available in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Piglet and Granny, by Margaret Wild & Stephen Michael King

Although Granny was soft and squishy, she was a lively as a family of leaping frogs. And she had such good ideas for things to do.
One morning Piglet waited and waited by the gate for Granny to arrive.
She waited and waited.
But Granny didn’t come.

Piglet loves Granny, and the things they do, but waiting for Granny to come and play is hard. Luckily she has her friends – Cow, Horse, Sheep and Duck – to reassure her and keep her company until Granny finally arrives. And with Granny’s arrival, the fun can begin!

Piglet and Granny is the third picture book featuring the delightful Piglet and various of her family members, as well as the other farm animals. Whilst each features Piglet and her farm animal friends, the three tales do manage to be different so that readers find them familiar but not repetitive. Stephen Michael King’s adorable illustrations bring the story to life with deceptively simple watercolour and ink outlines.

Piglet and Granny is an adorable offering, suitable for bedtime reading – or any time reading! First released in 2009, and now rereleased in paperback.

Piglet and Granny, by Margaret Wild & Stephen Michael King
Working Title, 2011
ISBN 9781921504204

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

You, by Stephen Michael King

All children, except one, grow up.

This book is for YOU.

There is a magic in the books of Stephen Michael King which is difficult to explain. The minimal text and the minimalist illustrations combine to bring a gentle smile to any reader’s face. You is no exceptiob, This small format hardcover book is pure delight.

The narrative explores the colour, the music and the excitement of the world, but in each instance tells the listener that s/he is the most exciting/most colourful/most musical one of all. The characters in the book are a yellow waggly tailed dog who is speaking to a little bird, but listeners will feel that the narrator, and, in fact, the adult reader, is speaking directly to them.

This is the most adorable bedtime/cuddle time book and would make a perfect gift for a new born or even for an adult friend.

You, by Stephen Michael King
Scholastic, 2010

All the Colours of Paradise, by Glenda Millard

Griffin came to the Silk family after the Rainbow Girls: Scarlet, Indigo, Violet, Amber and Saffron, and before Tishkin. And then came Layla, who was not born a Silk, but was sent to comfort them after Tishkin went away.
Perry Angel came last of all. He arrived on the ten-thirty express with a small and shabby suitcase embossed with five gold letters.

Since he came to the Kingdom of Silk, Perry has learned lots of things about life and about friendship, but mostly about love. The various members of the Silk family – Annie and Ben, their children Griffin and the rainbow girls, as well as Nell and Layla – and various friends from around the town, have all shown Perry that he is loved and wanted, and that it’s okay if he doesn’t always want to talk.

One thing Perry does do well is to express his feelings through drawing. So when something terrible happens, and Perry stops drawing, his friends are worried that he might never draw again. One friend in particular, Mr Kadri from the Colour Patch Cafe, understands that sometimes art can do what words can’t. So he presents Perry with all the colours of Paradise, to use as he needs.

All the Colours of Paradise is the fourth book in the award-winning Kingdom of Silk series, and continues the series with the same beauty and poignancy readers have come to expect. Whilst most of the characters are familiar, and the message of unconditional love repeated, the story is not formulaic or predictable, and there are surprises and new elements in this ongoing tale of a special family.

All the Colours of Paradise is a delightful, feel good book with gentle action and real warmth.

Very satisfying.

All the Colours of Paradise , by Glenda Millard, ill by Stephen Michael King
ABC Books, 2009

This book can be purchased online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Piglet and Granny, by Margaret Wild & Stephen Michael King

Piglet and Granny is an adorable offering, suitable for bedtime reading – or any time reading!

Piglet and Granny, by Margaret Wild & Stephen Michael King
Working Title, 2009

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

he Pocket Dogs Go On Holiday, by Margaret Wild & Stephen Michael King

“Home time,” said Mr Pockets, so they went back down the beach to collect Mr Pocket’s coat.
But while they’d been on the rocks, the tide had come in. The kennel castle was gone – and so was Mr Pocket’s very big coat!

Biff and Buff have always loved being Mr Pockets’ very own pocket dogs. When Mr Pockets takes them on a holiday by the sea, they love travelling in his pockets. But when Mr Pockets takes the coat off to play on the beach, something dreadful happens and the coat disappears. Mr Pockets says they will buy a new coat – but there isn’t a coat with the right style and pockets. Biff and Buff wonder if they’ll ever be pocket dogs again – until they remember that sometimes things washed out to sea can be washed back in again.

The Pocket Dogs Go on Holiday marks the delightful return of the much loved little dogs to the picture book scene. Just as in The Pocket Dogs there is whimsy, adventure and a gentle story line. Stephen Michael King’s beautiful water colour with black ink outlined illustrations are gorgeous and bring to life the adventures and imaginings of the little dog, capturing the gentle tone of the story perfectly.

A perfect picture book.

The Pocket Dogs Go On Holiday, by Margaret Wild and Stephen Michael King
Omnibus, 2008

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.