Episode 60 - Precious Stones (These Are My Rocks and The Weirdstone of Brisingamen)

Our picture book this week is less of a story and more of a tour of the narrator's very tastefully curated collection. The categories travel from totally mundane (small things) to very high concept (invisible things), passing lunch on our way through and ending up at bedtime. Bethan Woollvin's use of texture and colour are on full display in this masterpiece of interactivity. How many legs are too many legs? And what is the difference between pointy things and prickly things?

For our chapter book, we've a classic of British fantasy literature, it's Alan Garner's debut from 1960: The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. Matt read this one as a child and has lingering memories of being deeply disturbed and impressed. This one is worth seeking out and revisiting. It is formally so strange, linguistically so beautiful, often very funny and not infrequently terrifying. We read a lot aloud from this one because it's just too good not to. Come play with us by Alderley Edge - just watch you don't fall down any disused mine shafts or the svarts'll get ya.

Matt mentioned the review of The Weirdstone of Brisingamen over on Eleanor & Alaisdair Read That. Shoutout to a fellow kidlit podcast!

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What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

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Episode 61 - Terrors by Torchlight (The Dark and When the Storm Comes)

To wrap up this tenth season, we're reading some thrillers for kids. Yes, they do exist, even in picture book form! The Dark by Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen is a stunning piece of art. It's a horror...

14 Maj 1h 5min

Episode 59 - True Colours (Is it red? Is it yellow? Is it blue? and Entangled)

This week we've two fantastic books focused on the theme of colour. Our picture book is a classic by Tana Hoban from 1978: Is it red? Is it yellow? Is it blue? This might be the first non-fiction pict...

30 Apr 1h 5min

Episode 58 - Gay Paree (Madeline and Secrets of the Snakestone)

This week our books are both set in the city of lights! Our chapter book is the 1939 classic Madeline, written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans. This one's from the vault of Nina's childhood, and ...

23 Apr 59min

Episode 57 - Scary Sisters (Charmed Life and Virginia Wolf)

It's always a good time when it's a Diana Wynne Jones day on the podcast! Our chapter book is Charmed Life, by DWJ, dredged straight from Matt's childhood. The scary sister in this book is Gwendolen, ...

16 Apr 1h 15min

Special minisode #2: Three Picture Books that Made Me (The Elephant and the Bad Baby, The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate and Ten in the Bed)

A picture book special to close out series 9! Matt's having a break this week, so Nina's taking the wheel and talking through three classic picture books that made their mark on her. First, The Elepha...

5 Mars 19min

Episode 56 - T-Rex Trilogy Terminus

For the first time in our long and storied history, we are finishing off a series! And what a series to complete. We read the first book back in 2020, and it's bittersweet to say goodbye to dinosaur-r...

26 Feb 46min

Episode 55 - Rub a Dub Dub (How To Give Your Cat A Bath : In Five Easy Steps and Time Tub Travellers and the Silk Thief)

This week, we're reading stories which feature bathtubs! And starring little girls who wear their hair in space buns. Our picture book is How To Give Your Cat A Bath : In Five Easy Steps, written by ...

19 Feb 50min