Shirley Hughes: a child in time

I Want My Hat Back

by Jon Klassen (Walker Books)

This must be one of the simplest yet most original and entertaining picture books around at the moment. The bear’s hat is gone and he wants it back. He seeks it in the time-honoured manner through several confrontations. We may have spotted the hat, but very few of us will be prepared for the deadpan ending. This is an author-illustrator who takes you from page to page with a dry humour which matches his story perfectly. He also knows well that sparingly uncluttered images often make for a more arresting narrative. Even the very young can enjoy the joke.

Lucky Wish Mouse: Sweet Dreams

by Clara Vulliamy (Orchard Books)

This is a wonderful book, executed in delectable clear colours, with tiny details through which a small child, not yet able to read, can follow the story. The Lucky Wish Mouse and her 10 Tinies inhabit, rather chaotically, a teapot. But, as in all the Wish Mouse stories, there are usually plenty of delicious goodies to hand. There is also a lot of action before the Tinies settle down in their candy-striped box bed, with their little shoes carefully ranged along the bottom. The double-page spreads in which the Tinies see the night sky (“so big… going on forever”), to fly around the moon and catch a star, are both magical and reassuring. A perfect bedtime story.

Tim and Ginger

by Edward Ardizzone (OUP)

Ardizzone is one of my heroes, a storyteller in the finest English tradition. As an illustrator he can open up vistas, seascapes, storms and beach walks using pen and wash with effortless mastery. A large part of Little Tim’s enduring appeal is that he has amazing adventures without any anxious grown-ups tagging along. But there is always a cosy welcome waiting on his return.

The Story of Babar

by Jean de Brunhoff (Metheun)

Babar the Elephant is one of the greatest picture book characters ever and it is no surprise that he has survived so triumphantly. This gripping saga plunges the reader in at the outset, when Babar’s mother is shot by a cruel hunter. But he goes on to have many amazing adventures, makes friends with a kind old lady, triumphs over some formidable enemies, has a family of his own and is crowned king. What’s more, he is a very sharp dresser!

Slow Loris

by Alexis Deacon (Hutchinson)

The slow loris lives in the zoo and by day he’s very, very slow. But at night time he wakes up and does things FAST! Alexis Deacon is a truly original author-illustrator. Using low-key colour at the outset he moves his story from a leisurely build up to some electrifying action which demonstrates he can draw animals as well as he can people. He uses bold double-page spreads to describe the loris’s transformation from daytime lethargy to nighttime noisiness. This is a thoroughly satisfying book.

* Alfie’s Shop by Shirley Hughes is published by Red Fox to celebrate World Book Day on March 7