Martha & Me - Hardcover

It's Raining Elephants

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0500651426 ISBN 13: 9780500651421

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 2018

Synopsis

A beautifully illustrated story that celebrates the joys of artistic creation and the power of imagination

Martha loves drawing and painting. When she draws a lion that steps right out of the picture, the two go on a wild adventure. Martha paints a universe and embarks on a series of funny and surreal escapades with the lion and so begins a relationship full of invention, creativity, and exuberance.

Eventually things get out of control―the lion is too wild and too hungry, and he disappears in the middle of their best adventure. Martha is inconsolable, but the only way out is through―so she takes another piece of paper and starts all over again. Beautifully illustrated with powerful and effective line drawings and bright Pantone inks, this story revels in the joy of artistic creation and unbound imagination.

Illustrated throughout in 4 Pantones

About this title

About the Author

It’s Raining Elephants is the collective name of Swiss duo Nina Wehrle and Evelyne Laube, who founded their own illustration studio in 2008. They have created several children’s books.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2—A child's drawing of a lion comes to life, spurring riotous adventures throughout this engaging picture book with rhyming text. Readers see that Martha is a serious artist with a studio full of drawings and supplies. A ladder allows her to reach high enough to paint the enormous cat who steps "out of the painting as if it's a door." After wreaking joyful havoc in the artists' home, the two embark on a trip to the park and beyond. In one particularly charming illustration, the lion is unhappily crowded into the back of a cab making its way through the city, passing a car with an alligator inside. The expressive drawings convey a variety of moods from the faux fury of the lion at his most exuberant to the calm of his sleeping form on a boat amid a blue ocean of watercolor. Vintage appeal comes across in the limited palette of primary and secondary colors contrasted with black-and-white line drawings. A variety of lines conjure everything from a whiff of smoke to a flailing mane. The lilting rhyming text is read-aloud friendly for preschoolers, while early elementary school children who dream of bringing their fantasy worlds to life with a brush or pencil will also enjoy the story. VERDICT Fans of Danny and the Dinosaur will appreciate this fanciful friendship tale that is likely to prompt a "read it again" response from young children.—Suzanne LaPierre, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Edition details

• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0500651426
• ISBN 13: 9780500651421
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 88