Loveykins - Softcover

Blake, Quentin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1561457604 ISBN 13: 9781561457601

Publisher: Peachtree Publishers, 2016

Synopsis

When Angela Bowling rescues a baby bird after a storm, she finds her very own Loveykins.
Following a blustery night, Angela Bowling finds a baby bird blown out of his nest. She names him Augustus, and he quickly becomes more to her than just a bird to be looked after. He's her little Loveykins. But Augustus is growing larger and rounder and soon requires a special garden shed to house him. He seems content enough...until another night brings even stronger winds.
From the UK's first Children's Laureate, this droll tale about the improbable friendship between a determined, eccentric matron and a young bird is classic Quentin Blake. With his quirky, humorous watercolors and his distinctive storytelling style, Blake gives readers a charming and sensitive treatment of the issues of loving and letting go.

About this title

Review:

Loveykins by renowned illustrator and former Children’s Laureate Quentin Blake is the tale of a baby bird that falls out of its nest and is discovered by spinster of the parish Angela Bowling.

Angela takes the bird home and names him Augustus--although he's more often referred to by his pet name, Loveykins. She proceeds to spoil him absolutely rotten--feeding him cakes and chocolates and taking him out for walks in a pushchair, swaddled in various jumpers and blankets to stop him catching cold. Augustus grows to mammoth proportions with all this indulgence and has to be kept in the garden shed. However, a heavy storm one night gives Augustus the opportunity to break out of his sheltered life and Nature takes over...

Blake's trademark quirky illustrative style is perfect for this gently satirical story. The facial expressions of the characters (especially Augustus's look of bliss when he’s being fed or his stunned reaction to being wrapped up like a baby) are a source of delight throughout. Suitable for ages five and upwards. --Alison Drury

Review:

"While the story is told with Blake's characteristic lighthearted charm and the illustrations are rife with comic detail, the issue of love that stifles rather than saves is handled with sensitivity."

"In the hands of a master like Blake, this relationship between an unconventional woman and a young bird, unmediated by softening agents, feels real and good and weird.... Add Blake's idiosyncratic watercolors, which inspire affection and sympathy, and you have the rare eccentric/endearment nexus that emits its own strange wonderful light."

"Blake's images of Angela fretting and fawning over her beloved bird are hilarious, revealing a range of exaggerated expressions on the face of the wild-eyed critter, who seems to know exactly how ludicrous he looks.... Appealingly offbeat, this droll tale is classic Blake."

About this edition

• Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1561457604
• ISBN 13: 9781561457601
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32