Shh! We Have a Plan

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This is emphasised even more by the moonlight as a ray of light coming from the sky that is directly pointed on the bird. My other books are very colourful so it was quite satisfying to try to work almost entirely in silhouette for this one.

It’s very refreshing and enlightening to be able to see through a window onto your creative process. I enjoyed the repetition of those cautionary "Shh"s and the moody digital illustrations that make readers feel as though they are moving through the night stealthily. Additionally, he is not looking straight ahead but watching the other three, this gives a feeling of him/her observing the other three.Little Owl falls asleep in his (rather precarious) nest, falls onto the ground with a 'bump' and becomes 'a bit lost'. With the birds so close it seems as if catching them will easy until they realize they are outnumbers and outsized and off the run. Our youngest liked to point out how the endpapers feature birds at the beginning and squirrels at the end.

The two year-old on my lap last weekend enjoyed it every bit as much as I did, and we were both excited to "Read it again! We Have A Plan (Walker Books), Chris Haughton introduces us to four individuals, three of whom believe they have a strategy for success. I am hugely indebted to my art director and editors, Deirdre McDermott and David Lloyd at Walker books (i posted about them here)for all their feedback and help on this book. Trouble is, their plans don't quite work and each time they land up in a tangled heap as the bird flies off. i didn't think something could top LITTLE OWL LOST for sheer cuteness and cleverness, but Haughton has done it.

In the depths of a purple-blue night four night stalkers our out with their nets in hopes of coming across something to catch. But the littlest of this group, a quiet spectator up until now, knows that a bit of kindness can go a long way… Will his friends follow his gentle lead or will they get themselves into even more trouble? This was quite the giggle fest which is lovely to see on him when he is normally hurrying to finish the book so he can get to the drawing! I would like to think all my books are told in a way that someone without language could understand but I think the story in this book could be the most visual of the three, it certainly has the least text. Or at least they’re trying to: despite the fact that they’ve got all sorts of plans, they just can’t seem to manage to catch it.