His feet go STOMP! His jaws go CRUNCH!
In the blink of an eye you'll be his LUNCH!
Jonny Duddle overheard the story of his first book The Pirate Cruncher while sailing on a square-rigger. Since then he has written even stranger tales including The Pirates of Scurvy Sands, The Pirates Next Door, Gigantosaurus and The King of Space. The Pirates Next Door won the Waterstones Prize in 2012 and was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Now in danger of becoming a landlubber, Jonny lives in Wales with his wife, Jane, and their daughters, Daisy and Rosie.
All we've heard about for at least the last decade is The Gruffalo
(I know it was first published in 1999, but as with most things it
took numerous years to become a household word). It certainly is an
outstanding children's book in its own right. Having a small boy
(our very own Gruffalo's Child), my husband and I can confidently
recite the book from cover to cover (as can our son, an avid reader
who has already loved several copies to death).
It was therefore a wonderful surprise to come across something as
good as The Gruffalo but with Dinosaurs: Gigantosaurus by Jonny
Duddle (what a fabulous name for a children's author!).
This book has detailed digital illustrations by the author himself.
As an illustrator myself, I have to admit that I've not been that
wowed by digital art for children, but this one demonstrates that
if you know what you're doing you can create the depth and detail
that usually only comes from physicalart. The illustrations are
readable, original, and very inviting to a three-year-old's
imagination. There's also a clever fold out when the
'Gigantosaurus' finally appears - the board book being too small to
contain him. Speaking as a book designer, the only drawback for me
is that the typography was a little less thought out than the
illustrations, the story, and the cover. But this is where my
criticism starts and stops.
*Green Door*
Duddle's prehistoric take on The Boy Who Cried Wolf is enormous
fun. The rhyming story rollicks along and with their filmic
quality, the digitally created illustrations seem to leap off the
page.
There's also a fold out page and, to whet the appetites of
knowledge seekers, there are snippets of information about the
featured dinosaurs on the two final double spreads.
Dinosaur style, Duddle has definitely done himself proud.
*Red Reading Hub*
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