Imogen Carter

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Imogen Carter

The day is done. It’s time for little ones to go to bed. But first, one poorly demon needs his Calpol, there’s a tiny cyborg to plug in and charge, and the slimy green star of Huw Aaron’s latest story, Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob (Puffin), must be dragged away from the Lego. Welsh author, illustrator and graphic novelist Aaron has flipped the traditional bedtime story on its head to create a delightfully different rhyming tale about child monsters and villains settling down for the night.

Dec 14, 2024 | theguardian.com | Imogen Carter

Imogen Carter’s picture books of the yearIn the imagination of a small child anything is possible. Animals talk, humans can fly and a bedroom can turn into a forest in the blink of an eye. And it’s in the place where a child’s everyday reality and wild fantasy overlap that great stories are often born: books about tigers unexpectedly popping by for tea, or a snowman springing to life in the night. Such enchantment was sprinkled over tales of family life to fantastic effect this year.

Sep 16, 2024 | theguardian.com | Imogen Carter

Let’s call it the Rebel Girls effect. The enormous appetite for Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo’s first collection of illustrated tales about mighty, real-life women, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, sparked a publishing revolution in 2016, shaking up how biography is presented to children. Out went the dusty textbook tone in favour of a bright and fresh style.

Jun 23, 2024 | theguardian.com | Imogen Carter

It’s summer in the city and one fuzzy dachshund is more than just a little hot under the collar. Having had enough of the sweltering temperatures, he parks his bottom in the middle of the road, refusing to move his paws another inch, resistant to the honking cars or his beloved owner’s coaxing. Until the owner cries “Taxi!”, and the pair head off on an impromptu trip to the coast.

Mar 31, 2024 | theguardian.com | Imogen Carter

Whether slinky and serious or delightfully daft, cats tend to make great picture book stars. They may often excel as witches’ sidekicks, but sometimes simple is best, as with Eva Eland’s Where Is the Cat? (Andersen Press), in which little Suzy goes to visit her Auntie and wants to play with the very reluctant Cat. An eye-popping palette of neon-pink, green and yellow matches the high energy of Suzy, who greets Auntie on her doorstep, arms flung open, hollering “Where is the cat?”.