Just So Stories

ISBN: 9781406383317
ISBN-10: 1406383317

November 2018
Walker Books Australia

RRP: $14.99

Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration (twice), Jan is best known for Haunted House, his pop-ups and the MEG & MOG series, created with Helen Nicoll. His other work includes wonderfully evocative silhouette books such as Christmas and Easter, in the incomparable King James version. For the very young, he has written and illustrated the Nursery Books in bold and brilliant colours.
http://www.janpienkowski.com/home.htm

This is a newly acquired Christmas title for my shelves. I picked it up last Xmas at a book fair in a school I was visiting. The photos above are of the slightly differently titled edition but it is the same book – part pop-up, part shadow-box and an altogether delightful read-aloud for young children. [I bought two actually, one for my friend who teaches Littles in one of my former Lutheran schools, as I knew she and the kiddos would love it.] Ironically, and sadly, Jan died not long after. What a memorable creator he was, and such a rich legacy he left for children.

And the angel said, Behold, thou shalt conceive and bring forth a son, and call his name Jesus. So begins this exquisitely engineered novelty book with its silhouette cut-outs and its elegant red/green/white/gold colourway.

It’s the classic text from the King James Bible that has been read at Christmastime for hundreds of years, and as the book unfolds each scene, it becomes a carousel and so also makes for a sweet decoration. If you have never seen this one, I would encourage you to pick it up to share this Xmas with some Smalls in your circle.