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\nIt’s the first Sunday of the month, which means the work of a student or debut illustrator here at 7-Imp. Today, I have some spreads from British illustrator Sophie Ambrose’s<\/a><\/strong> debut picture book, The Lonely Gian<\/a>t<\/em><\/strong> (Candlewick, December 2016). In fact, the book may not even be out quite<\/em> yet; I think it publishes in mid-December. <\/p>\n
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Evidently, Sophie is a recent graduate of Kingston University in London. Elements of her illustrations in this book bring to my mind the work of some of the UK’s most well-known illustrators — John Burningham<\/a><\/strong> and Raymond Briggs<\/a><\/strong> are two who come to mind. In the story, a giant wreaks havoc where he lives — pulling up trees and hurling them “like spears” and smashing mountains until, eventually, the forest disappears. At least, all that is good<\/em> about the forest disappears — the animals, the songs of birds, etc. He becomes lonely, but he keeps smashing — until he meets a yellow bird. He likes her song so much that he captures her in a cage, only to see that she has become too sad to sing anymore. He releases her and apologizes. When he discovers the next day that she has left, he decides he must do what he can to bring all<\/em> the creatures back — and all their music. He begins to mend all that he’s destroyed. I look forward to seeing what Ambrose brings us next. Here’s a bit more art. Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n
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The giant grew lonelier and lonelier.”<\/em>
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\nAmbrose makes a pretty obvious point here about our environment and our abuse of it. But she does so with ease and grace. Her illustrations were rendered in acrylic, watercolor, and colored pencil, and the earth-toned palette is warm and welcoming. The story is paced particularly well, Ambrose twice showing us forest spreads that manage to show the passage of time and the giant’s impact (for both bad and good). <\/p>\n
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\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2016\/12\/TheLonelyGiant-cover.jpg\")
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\nTHE LONELY GIANT. Copyright \u00a9 2016 by Sophie Ambrose. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA on behalf of Walker Books, London.<\/em><\/p>\n
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