Book Review: The Worm & The Bird; Coralie Bickford-Smith.

A Christmas gift...sort of. I was given money this year, and decided to spend some of it on books that I've wanted to own for some time now! This was one of them, as I read and loved 'The Fox & The Star' and am looking to collect anything and everything by this talented artist!

SOURCE: Present
TYPE: Hardcover

TITLE: The Worm & The Bird
AUTHOR: Coralie Bickford-Smith
SERIES: --
PUBLISHER: Particular Books
PAGES: 64
GENRE: Graphic Novel, Children's Fiction, Short Story

RATING: 4/5 Stars

Blurb:
Digging through the ground day in and day out, Worm dreams of a better life. Despite having endless paths of dirt to plough, other burrowing creatures to befriend, and underground treasures to discover, Worm wants more--more space to be alone. Too busy to see the world around it, pushing everything aside, Worm learns a hard lesson in appreciating what you have and where you are.



What I Liked:

• Just like Bickford-Smith's previous work 'The Fox & The Star' this story was beautifully drawn. I've really enjoyed reading more graphic novels and sequential illustrations because I find art fascinating and soul-soothing, and I read this a few times so that I could look at the pictures again and again. The attention to detail is exquisite!

What I Disliked:

• I guess my main problem with this one was the ending, or lack thereof. I kind of got the message that the story was trying to convey, but I also felt that it was all a bit vague. I would have liked something clearer, especially in a book aimed for children.

Overall Conclusion:

This was a stunning book. It's easy to see why Bickford-Smith's work is so revered! I love her art style, and that she draws so much inspiration from fairy tales and the natural world. I foresee that Bickford-Smith will release many of these and I'll certainly be happily collecting them all! I might be a little on the negative side though when it comes to what I took from the message: that we should make do with a bleak lot in life and not risk change because otherwise it probably won't go our way. Yeah.

Book Review: 'The Fox & The Star'; Coralie Bickford-Smith

Having started to feel a little unwell this morning and knowing that when I'm ill I tend to not feel like reading, I didn't want to leave this book a moment longer so immediately picked it up as my next read. Luckily it was pretty short and I finished in less than ten minutes, giving myself time to appreciate the gorgeous illustrations too! I'm entering this book into the Key Words Challenge also!

SOURCE: Bought
TYPE: Hardcover

TITLE: The Fox & The Star
AUTHOR: Coralie Bickford-Smith
SERIES: --
PUBLISHER: Penguin Books
PAGES: 64
GENRE: Graphic Novel, Children's Fiction, Fantasy

RATING: 4.5/5 Stars

Blurb:
The Fox and the Star is the story of a friendship between a lonely Fox and the Star who guides him through the frightfully dark forest. Illuminated by Star’s rays, Fox forages for food, runs with the rabbits, and dances in the rain—until Star suddenly goes out and life changes, leaving Fox huddling for warmth in the unfamiliar dark. To find his missing Star, Fox must embark on a wondrous journey beyond the world he knows—a journey lit by courage, new-found friends, and just maybe, a star-filled new sky.

What I Liked:

• There is so much to love about this beautiful book! Most of all, the way the illustrations are designed really got to me. I loved them! I've been impressed in the past by Bickford-Smith's Penguin Classic covers, so I had really high hopes for this book and was not disappointed. The hints of William Blake's and William Morris' works are visible though not a carbon copy: Bickford-Smith has her own definitive style for sure. The cover too was beautiful, and though there are few words in this story they meld into the story wonderfully.
• The plot itself was simple and yet thoroughly enchanting. It reminded me of the Fairy Tales I used to love hearing as a child, and I loved it's originality. Despite the fact it is clearly aimed for children, it was still a very heart-warming read for me and at moments tugged on my heartstrings a lot. This is the kind of story that can be enjoyed by an adult too. 

What I Disliked:

• Really there isn't anything much to complain about with this one other than the very short page-count. Such a thing is to be expected in a children's tale but it still stunned me when I finished in such a short space of time. I really wish there was a whole collection of these so that I could read more than one!

Overall Conclusion:

This was a wonderful read that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend for both the target children's audience and adults alike. It's simple story-line and gorgeous pictures will entice any young reader but there is a certain charm that comes with this book that adults will also enjoy. It's very short of course and I rather wish that it had come in the form of a bigger collected works than one single story but this was definitely an experiment gone right on Bickford-Smith's part and I would love to see more of this kind of thing for her. If/when children come into my life, it will be a book I'll thoroughly enjoy reading to them I'm sure!