Planet Picture Book

Spotlight on

China

Ash Dresses Her Friends

Ash is a quiet, lonely magpie who also happens to be a very talented seamstress! By sharing her special gift, she discovers a way to bring joy to others and to herself. I’m drawn to book covers, I’ll admit, and I defy anyone to look at Ash Dresses...

China

The Story of Ink and Water

Water Girl, Ink Boy and Brush Boy discover that by working together, they can create beautiful, lifelike paintings in the traditional Chinese style. The exquisite cover art of this picture book drew me in for a closer look. Recently released by...

Still in the limelight

India

Hic!

A young girl experiments with all sorts of crazy remedies in a bid to shake off a pesky case of hiccups. Is there a known cure for hiccups? When I was growing up, one standard remedy was to reach for a glass of water and drink it backwards, i.e...

India

Bioscope

Guddu, a young girl from the Mithila region of India, provides colourful and fascinating glimpses into life in her village.  I was browsing the Katha Books website when the distinctive cover art of Bioscope caught my eye. The site also allowed me a...

India

Beasts of India

A stunning collection of animal prints from original paintings by Indian tribal and folk artists. Originally published in 2003, this is the updated edition. Beasts of India is not a typical picture book but rather a book of pictures that showcase...

IndiaPublishers

Tara Books

Yesterday evening, I was thrilled to attend a presentation by Tara Books at Lost in Books in Fairfield, Sydney. Two designers from Tara Books in Chennai, Dhwani Shah and Ragini Siruguri, provided fascinating insights into the unique collaborative...

Previous destinations

Sweden

My Dog Mouse

A young girl takes a dog named Mouse on a walk to the park and back. Mouse does not belong to her but she is always allowed to take him out – and Mouse is always pleased to see her. Every time I read this picture book, I appreciate it a little more;...

Sweden

Where is my Sister?

An alarmed little mouse asks an older furry friend to help him find his sister. Together, they take to the skies and search a beautifully intricate landscape populated with weird and wonderful plants and creatures. Sven Nordqvist is best known for...

Sweden

Valdemar’s Peas

Valdemar is a young wolf who absolutely hates peas. The problem is his papa won’t give him an ice cream until he’s eaten them. What will he do? Yuck! Peas ‘taste so green and round and pointless’. Valdemar may hate peas with a passion, but he loves...

Sweden

Sweden

Children’s literature is BIG in Sweden! Every tenth book published in the nation is a children’s book according to this hugely informative article on the official site of Sweden. And there is no shortage of picture books either: the genre enjoys ‘a...