Alice O’Keeffe, Books Editor at The Bookseller, said: “Our shortlists this year took the judges from Georgian London to the Second World War to contemporary New York. There are books from exciting fresh voices at the very start of their career, contrasted with books from with well-established brand authors at the top of their game. These are the books that sum up 2018 but which, we think, will be read for years to come.”
Now and again, books come along that realise the full potential of the medium. Illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon and featuring poetry selected by Fiona Waters, I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree is a perfectly-realised fusion of nature, verse and illustration. Taking the simple concept of a poem for every day – some familiar, others treasures to be discovered – Preston-Gannon and Waters haves produced a breath-taking compendium of words and pictures that beg to be read and cherished. It’s a book that will be at the top of many of our own Christmas lists.
A spectacular volume, every page colourful with Frann Preston-Gannon’s gracefully summarised plants and animals, I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree (Nosy Crow £25, 7-12) contains a short nature poem for every day of the year, selected by Fiona Waters. Filling the mind’s eye, too, it is accessible and surprising and will connect listeners with the seasons, weather and the outdoors.
Named after the first line of “Windsong”, a poem by Judith Nicholls, this is a beautifully illustrated collection of nature poems for children – one for every day of the year, including leap years. The poems were selected by anthologist Fiona Waters and range from lines from Shakespeare to more recent choices, such as “Hog in a Wood” by Adrian Mitchell.
...a huge year-round compendium of nature poetry chosen by Fiona Waters, with colourful images by Fran Preston-Gannon beckoning the reader like seed on a bird table. There’s a poem here for every day, with offerings from Walter de la Mare, Tony Mitton, Christina Rossetti and Robert Louis Stevenson.
A nature poem for every day of the year, each page is illustrated in full-colour by Rising star Preston-Gannon, stylish and distinctive but with real child appeal. One of the most beautiful gift books of the year.
