Quentin Blake's All-Time Favourite Children's Books
The famous illustrator of the Roald Dahl books chooses his favourite picture books
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans (Scholastic)
"Wonderful dramatic pictures of Paris and though we never know very much about Madeline and her friends in detail, we seem to know a lot about their life".
Doctor de Soto by William Steig (Particular)
"Steig's pictures look rather uncomplicated and innocent, but there is a lot going on. Who else would write a story about a fox and some mice that looked quite like this?".
The Sea-Thing Child by Russell Hoban, illustrations by Patrick Benson (Walker)
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"An extraordinary story with very sympathetic, well-drawn and atmospheric pictures. Those waves!".
Snow-White: Re-told by Josephine Poole, illustrations by Angela Barrett (Red Fox)
"Illustrations that take this story (and the seven dwarves) perfectly seriously. Beautifully drawn and quite frightening".
The Last Giants by François Place (Chrysalis)
"A wonderful fable which takes place in the 19th century but is really about today. But it wouldn't work without François Place's detailed, atmospheric and convincing pictures, which tell the story even better than the words".