Picture books are so tempting. In Foyles today to choose a new treat, I paused longingly on Emily Gravett's Rabbit Problem, skipped through a tale by Margaret Atwood (not a patch on Handmaid's Tale, though quicker to read), yearned for Pippi Longstocking illustrated by Lauren Child*.
But it's not enough to have beautiful illustrations. I've learned to my cost that a picture isn't worth a thousand words. They're important, but it's the words you're going to have to read time and again, and a lot of children's books are sadly lacking on that front. The rabbits were exquisite, the text witty, and the climactic popup fantastic - but the narrative drive comes from calendar entries, so I can't see it becoming a new classic in our library.
In the end, we turned to our old favourites - and still the best - the killer combination of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. It's her words that just make it, and his pictures which bring them to life.
Their latest, Tabby McTat, includes opportunity for singing: how could I resist?
Little a: 'Can I see the robber again?'
In Edinburgh for our wedding anniversary this bank holiday weekend, we saw the very grownup storyteller Rachel Rose Reid, weaving her own tales with the life story and tales of Hans Christian Andersen. No pictures, no children, just her words (and the wonderful lyrics of Joni Mitchell) and a spellbound audience. For me, the magic of storytelling will never be something you outgrow.
*When little a is just that bit older, and up for investing in words without pictures, we'll be back for that Pippi Longstocking. Can't think of a better combination of illustrator with storyteller. But in the meantime, our lovely neighbours brought back the original Pippi picturebook from Sweden. Completely surreal, but little a loves the tales of the strongest girl in the world, who cooks for herself and carries her pet horse.
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