A Child of Books

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Elegant illustrations by Oliver Jeffers are accompanied by Sam Winston’s astonishing typographical landscapes, beautifully shaped from excerpts of children’s classics including Treasure Island, Little Women and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, creating a gorgeous gift book perfect for readers of all ages, and this year’s must-have Christmas gift. Sam: Books create a very visceral and sensual experience and that combined with imaginative ideas, that combination, is a very compelling introduction to learning and creativity. The Information Age has also turned out to be the age of infinite distraction, and I certainly see books as a contemporary tool by which we can remedy some of that — especially in creating a focused way of entertaining and teaching ourselves. A continuing theme is his exploration of the hidden narratives found in canonical bodies of text. Works such as Darwin’s Origin of the Species or classic nineteenth century children’s literature are often subject to data mining and cut and paste techniques, playfully revealing meta narratives and visual assumptions. Winston has exhibited his work in museums and galleries around the world. Tate Britain, the British Library, the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., MoMA NYC and Stanford University, among many others, all hold his artists’ books in their permanent collections. He lives and works in London.

An ocean of words takes us on an adventure filled with treasures, castles, monsters, and wonder. So much wonder! The words and art created by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston will take readers on a beautiful journey of imagination and inspiration. So why the 4 stars? *shrugs* My nephew wasn’t as impressed as I was. Perhaps this book is more for the adults reading the bedtime stories. Picture books aren't just for kids anymore. :) How did you meld your styles, and what was that work process like logistically? Did it change course from beginning to end? This stunning visual poem, about the way the fantasy worlds of children's books create the fabric of the grown-up mind, is also, as Jeffers is keen to remind me, a story about a boy and a girl who go on an adventure . Like all of his works, A Child of Books is for everyone and not just kids. The Irish TimesBut he is right. The images are beautiful in the right way, honouring the subject without making it sentimental and erasing its humanity. He continues to work in fine art, which he says people in the publishing world find odd, and vice versa. “I used to care a lot about how that was perceived and then I think about a decade ago, I just stopped,” Jeffers says. “It is what it is.”

The NSW Department of Education is committed to employing the best and brightest teachers who can teach and make a difference in NSW public schools. Other forms through which he achieves this are sculpture, collage and mark making. Winston is an advocate of concept-led, craft-based strategies as a means of learning. These element are often embodied in his participatory projects, seminars and lectures. Irresistibly engaging characters by Oliver Jeffers set sail and chart their way through Sam Winston's fascinating typographical landscapes in this extraordinary ode to the From New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Oliver Jeffers, creator of The Day the Crayons Quit and Lost and Found, and typographical artist Sam Winston comes an exceptional new picture book.As a little girl and little boy are sailing the world together .....discovering treasures in darkness, traveling over mountains of make- believe....etc........ Perhaps the biggest risk was committing the initial week of time. That said, even by then we already knew quite intuitively how much we liked this character, and by the time we landed, our imaginations were already way ahead of us. What kinds of reactions do you hope this book will inspire, not just in children, but also adults who share it with young readers or need it for themselves? A pervasive element to this project was trust. We trusted that when we sat down in a room something would come, and we trusted in each other’s practices and the quality of the work we had previously made. Sam: Both Oliver and myself wanted this book to celebrate some of the great imaginations of the past, yet also (hopefully) inspire new generations to come. We wanted this book to be an invitation for people into finding their own voices and their own stories.

A young girl reader helps a boy discover the imaginative art of stories in this insightful, intertextual ode to literary curiosity.

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From figurative painting and installation to illustration and picture-book making, Oliver Jeffers’ work takes many forms. His distinctive paintings have been exhibited in multiple cities, including Lazarides Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Brooklyn Museum and Spring Break Fair (Armory Week) in New York, and Gestalten Space in Berlin. A groundbreaking, inspiring and hauntingly beautiful story from picture book giant Oliver Jeffers and typographic fine artist Sam Winston. This magical and unforgettable book is a completely unique reading experience, blending illustration and the printed and written word like never before. A Child of Books will encourage readers of all ages to question, to explore and to imagine - an infinite reminder of what books are, and all that they can do. Ni4Kids Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. Julia Eccleshare's Book of the Month September 2016 Award-winning storyteller and artist Oliver Jeffers and typographic fine artist Sam Winston have created an extraordinarily adventurous and original picture book which, through words and pictures, takes children on a journey of discovery through some of the greatest literature of all time. The imaginative eponymous Child of Books floats across a sea of words made from words and lines from classic children’s book stories. It is a journey that recreates fairy tales, forests and monsters showing children the importance and power of their imagination in recreating them. A book to read again and again to glean all of its meaning. ~ Julia Eccleshare NSW Department of Education's information on curriculum taught in NSW schools, Aboriginal education and communities & personalised support.