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All The Year Round

by John Yeoman, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Interest age: 4 to 7
Reading age: 5+

Published by Andersen Press, 2017

  • Funny
  • Picture books
  • Poetry and rhyme

About this book

With Quentin Blake's instantly recognisable illustrations, this picture book contains 12 funny poems by writer John Yeoman: one for each month of the year.

The poems are less about particular focus-points of the seasons and more about entertaining activities best suited to every month. Some of these are more easy to predict – spring cleaning in April, a picnic in July. Others are unexpected and inspired: pick up a musical instrument in March to chase the winter cobwebs away! Settle down with a good book in November, when the days start to get dark. By the time you get to December, the final suggestion will leave a smile (of agreement) on your face...

This is a really lovely book to dip into throughout the year, especially whenever you hear the desperate shrieks of 'I'm bored!'. Even more fun to return to the book every year and repeat those activites with the comforting sheen of routine. It's also a sweet way to get your child to think about the passage of time and how a year fills up.

Of course, All The Year Round is also very funny, with lots of gentle humour and earthy illustrations from Quentin Blake that really capture the fizz and farce of close family life.

About the author

John Yeoman was for many years Head of English at the French Lycée in London. His collaboration with Quentin Blake began in 1960, and has resulted in a long list of successful children's books of which a number of well-loved titles. 

About the illustrator

Quentin Blake was born in 1932 and read English at Cambridge, before attending Chelsea Art College. He has won many major prizes for illustration, including the Kate Greenaway Medal (1980) and the Red House Children's Book Award (1981) for Mister Magnolia. He is also the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration and in 1990 was voted 'The Illustrator's Illustrator' by Observer Magazine. A tireless promoter of children's literature – and a long-time collaborator with roald Dahl –  Quentin Blake was awarded the OBE in 1988 and in 2005 he was awarded a CBE for services to Children's Literature. In the most recent New Year’s Honours list he has been knighted.

Quentin was the inaugural Children's Laureate (1999-2001), an experience he recorded in his book Laureate's Progress. During his time in the role, he celebrated children's books and children's book illustration with a range of projects and exhibitions, and conceived the idea for the House of Illustration, the world's first centre dedicated to the art of illustration in all its forms. 

Visit Quentin's website

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