Graeme Base

Australian picture-book author/artist Graeme Base delivers a masterpiece with The Eleventh Hour, one sure to provide curious young children with hours of entertainment! The rhyming text tells the tale of Horace the elephant, who invites ten guests to celebrate his eleventh birthday with him. Everything from the feast to the games is meticulously planned, but when it comes time to eat, the animal companions are shocked to discover that someone has stolen the sumptuous banquet prepared for show more them. Who could it be...?

Originally published in 1988, The Eleventh Hour is a picture-book mystery extraordinaire, one that contains more puzzles and codes than the average reader will know what to do with. This book really is extraordinarily detailed, both in terms of the gorgeous color artwork itself, and in terms of all of the clues, red herrings and codes - musical, visual, textual - worked into each page. I was able to solve the mystery of who stole the feast, both by consulting the 'hide-and-seek' page - I reasoned that it was one of the few pictures that depicted both indoor and outdoor scenes at the same time, and contained (almost!) all the characters - and by thinking about the various denials offered by the animal guests, when the theft was discovered. Once I made my deduction, I used the guilty party's name to decode the secret message on the final page, and discovered I was correct. All that said, I used only a TINY fraction of the clues available to the reader, as I discovered when I read through the (hitherto sealed) section at the rear, which outlines all the codes and hints worked into each page. Needless to say, I also missed all of Kilroy's mouse relatives, whose presence is well hidden! This truly is a book that rewards reading and rereading, and even once the main mystery is solved, there are so many more details to be pondered, codes to be broken, and minor mysteries to be solved, that the reader will enjoy revisiting its pages. Because of the detail, I would recommend this one to a slightly older-than-usual picture-book audience, especially one that enjoys puzzles! show less

Inspired by his favorite bedtime story, in which the Grand Enchanter captures the Golden Snail, and turns it into a sailing (or "snailing") ship extraordinaire, Wilbur, together with his cat companion, embarks on a fantastic voyage to the Ends of the Earth to claim it as his own. Aiding a variety of unlikely creatures along the way - a butterfly-tree in need of watering, an island-sized crab trapped in a massive net, a school of lantern-fish being pursued by earwig pirates - he discovers show more that his kindness is rewarded, when he himself is in need of assistance. That very kindness, however, creates a problem for him when he finally does claim the Golden Snail, as discovers that riding an enslaved (and enchained) creature isn't quite what he'd expected...

Tales of this type, in which the hero's acts of kindness to those he meets upon his quest are rewarded in kind, can be found in the folk traditions of many peoples, from the Nanai of Siberia (see: Mergen and His Friends), to the Hungarian (see: The Good-Hearted Youngest Brother), or the Liberian (see: Koi and the Kola Nuts). Celebrated Australian picture-book author and artist Graeme Base gives this common folk motif a fantastic face-lift in The Legend of the Golden Snail, taking the basic story idea, and inserting his own fabulous creations. When combined with his beautiful artwork - the paintings here are simply gorgeous, capturing both the wild wonder of Wilbur's maritime voyage, and the more domestic charm of his adorable feline companion - the result is a real treat! Recommended for young readers who enjoy adventure stories, and for fans of the author/artist. show less

From the armoured armadillos avoiding the angry alligators to the zany zebras zigzagging in zinc zeppelins, the animals in this imaginative alphabet book put on quite a show. Each letter is alliteratively exemplified in both text and image, with any number of other objects and animals, besides the main ones that are actually named, hiding in the artwork. The result is a book that rewards a closer examination, and that will provide young children with hours of amusement as they pore over the show more illustrations.

First published in 1986, and then reprinted in this 25th Anniversary Edition, Animalia took Australian author/illustrator Graeme Base three years to create, and it is not difficult to see why. The artwork is gorgeously detailed, with so many little objects hidden away in its depths. This anniversary edition includes a poster on the reverse side of the dust-jacket that contains a riddle needing solving, giving young children even more to keep them entertained. Recommended to anyone looking for fun alphabet books, as well as to those searching for picture-books that provide a more interactive experience for young children. show less

"When Horace turned Eleven he decided there should be
Some kind of celebration. "For my friends', he said, 'and me.'
For though I've been the age of eight and nine and six and seven,
This is the very first time that I've ever been Eleven."

This is a rhyming mystery complete with Graeme Base's amazing artwork and detective work to complete for those who are willing to study the pictures. It can be enjoyed on several levels and by a range of ages. Good fun!