Meeting the illustrious illustrator

Writers may hate the expression ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ but it is quite true when it comes to storybooks for children. JULIA Donaldson’s The Gruffalo is one of my favourite books to read to kids. In fact, any one of Donaldson’s picture books are ideal for storytelling sessions thanks to her gift for catchy rhymes and rhythms, not to mention her sense of humour and interesting characters. Of course, the appeal of her characters are due largely to the way they are depicted by the illustrator who has worked with Donaldson on more than 10 books, and counting: Axel Scheffler. Scheffler’s illustrations are part of the Contemporary Picturebook Illustrations in Germany exhibition in Malaysia last month. It was organised by the Goethe-Institut Malaysia. The London-based German illustrator flew in to launch the exhibition... [read full story]