Bookshelf whimsy: Tankard

At 1.3, i can reassure you that mommy hood has been a fun ride with its boohoos and bonks (our new favorite words), its challenges and its joys, its tantrums and its occasional grumpiness. I have to admit i sometimes am intentional maybe over intentional and deliberate with the way i spend time with N. I have a love for books and so does F and we have made an extra effort to inculcate this in N. Reading hours are frequent but not routine or timed and i try to get as creative with my narrative skills as possible. And of course a fun and colorful book always helps.

With all the newness of Mommy hood, i have discovered many things about myself including an absolute passion for children’s books. And I don’t mean the Walt Disney reads. But authors like Sharon Pierce McCullough (Bun Bun the middle one) , Julie Mergerb and Suzanne Bober ( A Magical day with Matisse) and Meeqail Maqsood (Bohat Bhokay Keeray) have opened up a window of creative imagination for little N and myself.

But an exceptional find that has blown me away is my absolute favorite, Jeremy Tankard. His work is fresh, urban, radical and avant garde. His illustrations and graphics are different in a very basic, simple way. The storyline is enjoyable to read out aloud and just as fun for me as it is for N. There is a perfect balance of type, design, color and illustration, the distinction between foreground and background perfectly played. Each page is like a painting, the kind i would like to see hanging in N’s room.

We love the tantrums thrown by grumpy bird, the simplicity of the advice the colorful friends are ready with, the gentle ambiguity and the placelessness of the landscapes, whether it’s a jungle, a farmhouse or cityscape and the hungry Edwin who decides to take matters in his own hands in Me Hungry.

Jermey, keep up the good work, keep writing and keep illustrating. We have the entire collection and are super excited about the sneak peek that we got of the dragonfly.



“Come on,” said Bird, who had forgotten all about being grumpy. “let’s fly back to my nest for a snack.” And they did.
-Grumpy Bird

Enjoy reading this collection!