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Bethan Woollvin won The Macmillan Prize for Illustration in 2014 for her classy, bold interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood. It was a startlingly confident debut which caught the imagination of everyone who saw it. The eldest in a family of ten children, Bethan understands well what appeals to a variety of age groups, and all her work exudes a natural dry wit and charm. She graduated from Anglia Ruskin University with a First Class Degree in Illustration in 2015 and now lives in London.
Bethan Woollvin is an award-winning artist – creating her 8th picture book in the bright, printlike illustration style she has. The gouache paint she tends to use gives us bold colourful illustrations, full of character and action. Woollvin often takes a traditional basis for the story but subtly changes the dynamic – and here we have a twist on a traditional Viking tale. Something is destroying the forest, stealing from the village and generally creating a nuisance – but when our three friends Ebba, Helga and Wren try to talk to the Chieftain about what might be causing all this nuisance they are ignored – ‘he knows best’! So, these brave little girls set out to investigate what the problem might be – by reading their books – listening to each other and setting off into the forest to find the answer. These three are a lovely combination of Viking warriors, firm friends, and creative readers – lovely role models for their audience! Not only do they find out who or what is creating the problem – they find a solution for their village – and it is at that point that everyone listens to the girls – as ‘they know best’! A gently humourous book reminding us that we should listen to everyone, as they can have a vital contribution to the safety of the group. This is a beautifully created book – the fold out flaps at the front and back covers adds extra character layers to the girls – as well as making the book a lovely thing to handle.
Bethan Woollvin is an award-winning artist – creating her 8th picture book in the bright, printlike illustration style she has. The gouache paint she tends to use gives us bold colourful illustrations, full of character and action. Woollvin often takes a traditional basis for the story but subtly changes the dynamic – and here we have a twist on a traditional Viking tale. Something is destroying the forest, stealing from the village and generally creating a nuisance – but when our three friends Ebba, Helga and Wren try to talk to the Chieftain about what might be causing all this nuisance they are ignored – ‘he knows best’! So, these brave little girls set out to investigate what the problem might be – by reading their books – listening to each other and setting off into the forest to find the answer. These three are a lovely combination of Viking warriors, firm friends, and creative readers – lovely role models for their audience! Not only do they find out who or what is creating the problem – they find a solution for their village – and it is at that point that everyone listens to the girls – as ‘they know best’! A gently humourous book reminding us that we should listen to everyone, as they can have a vital contribution to the safety of the group. This is a beautifully created book – the fold out flaps at the front and back covers adds extra character layers to the girls – as well as making the book a lovely thing to handle.
Calling all young Jacques Cousteaus! Here’s a book to take them bobbing through the oceans, and to introduce them to some of the amazing creatures that live there, and all from the comfort of a cosy submarine. It starts with a splash as a little girl and her dog set off on an epic submarine adventure that takes them from the freezing Arctic Ocean (the world’s smallest), through the breezy Atlantic with its underwater mountains and caves, into the warm Caribbean, across the vast Pacific, and from the busy South China Sea into the Indian Ocean. Caryl Hart’s rhyming text provides the perfect introduction to each ocean, slipping in fascinating facts and drawing our attention to life above and below the waves. Bethan Woollvin’s illustrations are glorious too, every page vivid and distinctive, and with the help of pairs of smiling eyes, she manages to imbue the oceans with their own particular character. A stylised atlas on the final pages lets little fingers trace the route they’ve taken. Oceans of fun and information!
Selected for The Book Box by LoveReading4Kids | There’s huge fun to be had in this gloriously interactive book which is a spur to imaginative play as well as a great introduction to familiar colours and shapes. A singing button, a tickle button and many more. All young readers will be delighted by the invitation to press each one. Once they have done so many possibilities open up as they head off into whatever invention they choose to imagine. Sally Nicholls uses her word carefully and with pleasing simplicity and Beth Woollvin’s illustrations add special details of their own.
Bethan Woollvin won the Macmillan Children’s Book Competition with her first book Little Red and has since produced some wonderfully engaging picture books all looking at elements of traditional fairy tales. I Can Catch a Monster is the story of Erik, Ivar and Bo who live in a land of forests and monsters. Erik and Ivar set off to catch some monsters for themselves, leaving their sister Bo behind as she is ‘too small’. Bo knows she is smart and brave, so she sets off to hunt her own monster. The monsters Bo meets are varied and include a Griffin, a Kraken and a dragon – but rather than fight them (as she knows her brothers will try) she learns something from each of them and becomes the centre of humanity in the book. This picture book tells the story in a series of illustrations which give the impression of being made in old printmaking techniques using a limited palette of colours which emphasizes the bold, simple illustrations used throughout. As one might hope– Bo turns out to be bold, to have more understanding of the natural world – and to be a brave female role model for the readers. This simple take on traditional quest tales will be a favourite – and provides a lovely counterpoint for the old tales with all their slaying and death! Bethan was once asked to describe her books in three words – she chose ‘bold, dark and sneaky’ *– this is most definitely all of those but also delightful and endearing – do read it!
Bethan Woollvin won the Macmillan Children’s Book Competition with her first book Little Red and has since produced some wonderfully engaging picture books all looking at elements of traditional fairy tales. I Can Catch a Monster is the story of Erik, Ivar and Bo who live in a land of forests and monsters. Erik and Ivar set off to catch some monsters for themselves, leaving their sister Bo behind as she is ‘too small’. Bo knows she is smart and brave, so she sets off to hunt her own monster. The monsters Bo meets are varied and include a Griffin, a Kraken and a dragon – but rather than fight them (as she knows her brothers will try) she learns something from each of them and becomes the centre of humanity in the book. This picture book tells the story in a series of illustrations which give the impression of being made in old printmaking techniques using a limited palette of colours which emphasizes the bold, simple illustrations used throughout. As one might hope– Bo turns out to be bold, to have more understanding of the natural world – and to be a brave female role model for the readers. This simple take on traditional quest tales will be a favourite – and provides a lovely counterpoint for the old tales with all their slaying and death! Bethan was once asked to describe her books in three words – she chose ‘bold, dark and sneaky’ *– this is most definitely all of those but also delightful and endearing – do read it!
Zoooooooom! We're off on an exciting space adventure in our rocket to meet all the planets of the solar system. Join in with the rhymes and spot all the smiley-faced, friendly planets, from shimmering Saturn to mighty Mars. Little ones will have a blast (and be back in time for bed!) in this striking, read-aloud, story-led picture book. It's perfect for all would-be astronauts!
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month October 2019 | October 2019 Book of the Month | There’s huge fun to be had in this gloriously interactive book which is a spur to imaginative play as well as a great introduction to familiar colours and shapes. A singing button, a tickle button and many more. All young readers will be delighted by the invitation to press each one. Once they have done so many possibilities open up as they head off into whatever invention they choose to imagine. Sally Nicholls uses her word carefully and with pleasing simplicity and Beth Woollvin’s illustrations add special details of their own.
Shortlisted for the 2017 Klaus Flugge Prize | Of all fairy tales, the story of Little Red Hood is the one that seems to speak most directly to today’s audience, and to lend itself most readily to modern reinvention. It’s give an extraordinarily fresh and stylish treatment by Bethan Woollvin in her debut book. She strips the story down to basics, with a short text and boldly minimal illustrations, in black, red and grey. At one point readers see right into the wolf’s head, his plans for Little Red Riding Hood and her granny told in just one image. Everyone s of course knows the ending and it’s absolutely clear in this version that the wolf has no hope of getting the better of this particular little girl. Stylish fun that puts new life into an old, old story. ~ Andrea Reece
Bethan Woollvin follows up her eye-catching debut Little Red with another visually captivating and refreshing retelling of a much-loved fairy tale. With her swathe of bright yellow hair, Rapunzel stands out against the black, white and grey of Woollvin’s palette, and our sense of her personality is just as vivid: was Rapnuzel frightened by the witch, asks the text? ‘Oh no, not she!’ comes the repeated reply. Indeed, Rapunzel finds a way out of her tower prison and is soon planning a permanent escape from the witch. The text is short and the illustrations equally minimal, but both pack a real punch; Woollvin knows just how to tell a story. ~ Andrea Reece
Shortlisted for the 2017 Klaus Flugge Prize | Of all fairy tales, the story of Little Red Hood is the one that seems to speak most directly to today’s audience, and to lend itself most readily to modern reinvention. It’s give an extraordinarily fresh and stylish treatment by Bethan Woollvin in her debut book. She strips the story down to basics, with a short text and boldly minimal illustrations, in black, red and grey. At one point readers see right into the wolf’s head, his plans for Little Red Riding Hood and her granny told in just one image. Everyone s of course knows the ending and it’s absolutely clear in this version that the wolf has no hope of getting the better of this particular little girl. Stylish fun that puts new life into an old, old story. ~ Andrea Reece
SPLOOOOSH! We're off on an exciting underwater adventure in our submarine to meet the oceans and seas of our blue planet. Join in with the rhymes and get ready to spot all the smiley-faced, friendly oceans, from the Atlantic and deep Pacific to the sparkling Mediterranean. Little ones will have a whale of a time (and be back in time for bed!) in this striking, story-led picture book. This bold, bright follow-up to the acclaimed picture book Meet the Planets is packed with sea creatures from dolphins and beluga whales to turtles and manatees. The ocean is a vast treasure-house, threatened by plastic waste and pollution, and this picture book is the ideal introduction to the importance of caring for it. It's perfect for all would-be explorers!
Zoooooooom! We're off on an exciting space adventure in our rocket to meet all the planets of the solar system. Join in with the rhymes and spot all the smiley-faced, friendly planets, from shimmering Saturn to mighty Mars. Little ones will have a blast (and be back in time for bed!) in this striking, read-aloud, story-led picture book. It's perfect for all would-be astronauts!
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