Necklace of Raindrops

By Joan Aiken,

Illustrated by Jan Pienkowski

This is one of the books that shaped my childhood, and its re-appearance has a particularly emotional resonance for me.

A Necklace of Raindrops, followed by The Kingdom Under the Sea, are both collections of modern fairytales written by the esteemed Joan Aiken, that had fired up my imagination and inspired me as a child, not only to write somewhat macabre stories myself, but also to mimic in my own drawings, Jan Pienkowski's now signature silhouette style.

How I loved these strange tales with their exquisitely vivid illustrations! My original copies were paperbacks that gradually dissolved with time and over-enthusiastic thumbing, so it was with both pleasure and perhaps slight trepidation that I received this new edition, rather in the same way as one might meet a dear, old friend, knowing not what effects time might have had on them. Now re-published as a smart hardback, but not too big or heavy to read at bedtime, I found to my delight, that not only did I enjoy the stories just as much as the memories they evoked, but also that a further dimension was added by my five year old daughter loving them, too. We read one a day (sometimes rather greedily more), and were in turns, charmed, amused and thrilled by the weird and wonderful characters and their enchanting, enchanted stories. There is something magical indeed about these books, as my daughter and I were snuggled up reading 'A bed for the night' one Sunday morning a few weeks ago, with Radio 4 gurgling in the background, I became aware that it was none other than Jan Pienkowski on dessert island discs talking about the very tale we were reading. How's that for synchronicity? (And what a total dude he is, too)

One more wish -please may you now re-publish The Kingdom Under the Sea, Random House?

Gabby Dawnay for Okido

The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon by Mini Grey

Told from a leftfield and very humorous perspective, this is the adventurous love story of the Dish and the Spoon, and what happened when they ran away together (after the Cow jumped over the Moon and the Little Dog laughed). Where the traditional and beloved children's rhyme stops, this tale begins...

Setting the scene in a romantic, Chaplinesque, pre and post War America, Mini Grey uses simple, clear prose and lively cartoon illustrations to create a funny, thrilling and utterly charming story. The reader is immediately drawn to the central characters, and finds themselves desperately hoping for a happy ending!

But I don't want to give too much away.

I laughed out loud reading this, and my five-year-old was absolutely enchanted. Furthermore, the book comes with a delightful cd read by League of Gentlemen actor Mark Gaitiss, and supported by an original yet familiar score. 

Highly recommended!

Review by Gabby Dawnay.

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EVIL WEASEL by Hannah Shaw

Evil Weasel is a delicious creation of badness - you'll laugh out loud at his wicked ways! Author Hannah Shaw has got the balance of witty storytelling and scratchily descriptive illustration just right. Delightfully lively, without being too busy, hilarious details pepper the drawings and text - check out the before and after adverts at the front and the back of the book...

And thank goodness this post-modern cautionary tale of a bad mammal turned good avoids being preachy - Weasel has just enough bad left in him at the end to keep us chuckling - and keep it real for the children! 

Who doesn't love a good baddie, eh? 

(Review by Gabby Dawnay)