Illustrated by Emily Sutton
Published by Pushkin Children’s Books
King Winter’s Birthday is an absolutely stunning hardback picture book – a beautifully told fairy tale which celebrates the four seasons and their importance in keeping balance in nature.
King Winter is celebrating his birthday and he wants to make it really special so he invites his brothers and sisters to attend. They are none other than: Queen Spring, King Summer and Queen Autumn. Despite being warned by the sun and winds, the leaves and trees, that this is not a good idea, King Winter is determined to celebrate with them in order to make his party the greatest ever.
But when his siblings arrive at the Winter Palace, something strange happens outside as the seasons become mingled together, upsetting the delicate balance of nature … will the seasonal siblings be able to bring an end to this imbalance before it is too late?
This story has a wonderfully warm message of the importance of balance in nature, but also of the warmth engendered by joyful memories – even when this is all we have left.
The illustrations throughout are absolutely gorgeous from the trees through the seasons on the end pages to the stunning, intricate internal illustrations which depict the personification of the Seasons in all their natural resplendence. The colour palette used to depict each season is just perfect from the crisp blues and whites of winter to the browns and golds of autumn, the yellows and greens of spring and the vibrant rainbow of summer colours. These images are full of energy and life and I have no doubt that, just like me, young readers will enjoy exploring them.
This story is inspired by a story with the same title written by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz, a German Jew, whilst he was interned on the Isle of Man during the Second World War as an ‘enemy alien’. Information about Ulrich is included at the end of the book – and makes for a heartbreaking read!
A captivating, beautifully illustrated fairy tale that will make a treasured addition to any child’s book collection, and a perfect winter gift for young readers.
Thank you to the Publisher, Pushkin Children’s Books for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Book Craic 