The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty, Thomas Docherty Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky on October 1, 2013
Genres: Children's Fiction
Pages: 32
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Where have all the bedtime stories gone?
One dark, dark night in Burrow Down, a rabbit named Eliza Brown found a book and settled down...when a Snatchabook flew into town.
It's bedtime in the woods of Burrow Down, and all the animals are ready for their bedtime story. But books are mysteriously disappearing. Eliza Brown decides to stay awake and catch the book thief. It turns out to be a little creature called the Snatchabook who has no one to read him a bedtime story. All turns out well when the books are returned and the animals take turns reading bedtime stories to the Snatchabook.
When we saw this book on the shelf at BEA we knew it had to be ours. So much so that Meg grabbed a copy for her boys at the same time that Kass grabbed a copy for Meg to give to her boys. (Don’t worry, that second copy went to a very loving home!) The adorable title and cover did not disappoint, because what was on the inside was just as cute.
The rhymes are almost musical and addictively fun to read out loud, the pages are filled with lessons for young readers that parents will love, and the illustrations are warm and enticing for kids (and adults) of all ages.
Here’s a look at one of our favorite phrases:
Pirates on the seven seas; Princesses trying to sleep on peas.
And every child in every bed, listened hard to each word said.
***Interview***
Tom:
Luckily Helen likes the way I draw, so when it comes to working together, there is a lot more discussion than disagreement and at the end of the day, it really feels like a team effort. Creating the illustrations for a book is a big job, deadlines can be tight and I’m often in a bit of a rush. So I really appreciate having another pair of eyes to spot where things aren’t working, how they could be improved or to add details and check for continuity. Our house is full of picture books and our daughters are at just the right age for them, so we are always reading new things and talking about the stories and characters. It’s a very happy (if a little chaotic) environment to work in.
Helen:
Our very first conversation (in a pub in Bristol, England) was about our mutual love of children’s picture books, so it’s really no surprise that we’ve ended up working on them together. When it comes to writing my stories, that’s obviously something I do on my own, but Tom is the first person I read them to, and he always gives me really insightful feedback. And when he is illustrating one of my stories (right now he’s working on the pictures for our next book, Abracazebra), I’m quite involved in the process – it’s really fun to discuss our visions of the characters and the setting. The only danger is that our work life can spill over into our home life (we both work at home) – but since we both enjoy what we do so much, that’s not a huge problem!
The weekend before last we had the official Snatchabook launch here in Swansea – it was really exciting to do this together, and of course our daughters were very proud of their Mum and Dad.
Thanks for stopping by, Helen and Tom!
What do you think? Can’t wait to get your hands on Snatchabook, can you? 🙂
Ooh, I’ve heard about this one, and I can’t WAIT to get it and read it to my son!! It sounds so fantastic! This is the first time I’ve seen the cover, and I’m now so eager to see the rest of the illustrations, because I’m completely in LOVE with the cover 🙂 Thanks for featuring this book! I’m a relatively new follower, and I love y’all, you’re so much fun and I look forward to seeing your posts each day 🙂 Thanks!