Eleri Glass is a traveling storyteller and poet. She grew up in New Zealand and came to Canada when she was eight. She currently lives in Vancouver, BC.
Ashley Spires has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and a Graduate Diploma in Illustration from Sheridan College. She is the creator of the Binky The Space Cat series of junior graphic novels, which have earned her numerous awards, including the Silver Birch Express and the Hackmatack. She is the illustrator of several picture books, including Penguin and the Cupcake, Ella's Umbrellas, and The Red Shoes; and has also both written and illustrated several, including Larf, Small Saul and The Most Magnificent Thing, which are known for providing readers, young and old, with a good laugh. She lives in Ladner, BC. Find out more at www.ashleyspires.com.
Praise for the hardcover edition of The Red Shoes: "Spare text and
1960s fashions lend a subtle sophistication of bygone days when
shopping trips required white gloves and dresses. Any child who's
ever begged for the least sensible shoes in the store (and later
worn them to bed) will definitely relate."
Publisher's Weekly "Set in the 1960s, The Red Shoes is a rhyming
children's picturebook written by Eleri Glass and illustrated by
award-winning book artist Ashley Spires, about a young girl drawn
to the vibrant splash of color that is the only pair of red shoes
in the shoe store. The shoes are a wonderful apple red, just
waiting to be picked! The illustrations enhance the contrast
between the bright red shoes and the muted grey of the world they
enliven. The little girl even goes to bed wearing her wonderful new
shoes. A charming, singsong story.
Midwest Book Review "With a few strokes of author Eleri Glass'
inspired pen, inanimate objects come to life. She has crafted
enchanting phrases and similes which will resound with readers...
Illustrator Ashley Spires' watercolour and ink artwork complements
the text. Into the conformity of greys and browns intrudes a dab of
a different colour: a daring spark of beauty and soaring
imagination - the red shoes. The Red Shoes is a rare gem that will
delight young readers as well as older ones who are still young at
heart.
Canadian Children's Book News "The Red Shoes by Eleri Glass
(illustrated by Ashley Spires) is a gorgeous hardcover from
Canadian independent publisher Simply Read Books. With a narrative
that reads like poetry, and illustrations which evoke a time gone
by, this is the perfect book for pint-sized shoe-aholics or, better
still, to be given by a shoe-loving mum or aunty!"
We Heart Books blog "This appealing picture book, written in simple
free verse, tells a typical story of a young girl being taken by
her mother on a hunt for new shoes...An easy to read book, this
text has potential for both enjoyment and discussion."
Resource Links, Carolyn Cutt "Vancouver artist Ashley Spires does a
fantastic job of illustrating this story with great detail. The Red
Shoes is a great story for little girls of any age.
Scout Magazine, Michelle Sproule
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