It's summer and Little Nutbrown Hare learns all about the different colours there are - the red of the berries, the green of the leaves, the blue of the sky - but can he guess what the loveliest colour of all is?
The 1943 born Northern Ireland native started writing children's books when he was a teacher in his thirties, with the aim of helping out students who had trouble reading. But he continued writing for a more-personal reason: "the act of imagining simply makes me feel good," he says. The fifty-seventh book of Sam McBratney's career, and his first book with Candlewick Press, was the much-loved GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, which has sold an astonishing 15 million copies worldwide, and is available in 37 languages. "This is not the sort of thing you expect when most of your books have been remaindered," the author admits. "But, as the frog trapped in the milk discovered, if you keep going, sometimes you find yourself walking on cream cheese."
Where does Sam McBratney get his inspiration? "I told my children stories when they were young," he says, "so when I write I try to think of what they would have liked." But there may be another source guiding his writing as well. The author's father--who worked as a type compositor with the BELFAST TELEGRAPH, and whose favorite books were westerns--is the person Sam McBratney credits for giving him his love of the English language. "Most of my picture books--GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, JUST ONE!, and JUST YOU AND ME--explore the relationship between a big one and a wee one," the author notes. "The big one is not called the father in the stories, but that's what he is. Although my dad died before I became a writer, the father in my stories has a voice and a presence that he would have recognized and understood."
In addition to authoring many books for children, Sam McBratney wrote radio plays for adults and a prize-winning collection of short stories. He received a degree in history and political science from Trinity College, Dublin, and worked for many years as a teacher.
"Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare were down by the river on a summer's day. On a summer's day, there are colours everywhere."
My husband's family really enjoyed Guess How Much I Love You. I think in the Barker household is was the equivalent of Six Dinner Sid (a book about a ridiculously greedy black cat) in my family growing up. They have a wall decal in the guest bedroom that says "I love you to the moon and back", and there is an infamous joke that my husband made to his dad - 'I love you to the kettle and back' - that still gets quoted today. I missed out on this franchise as a child, so I picked this one up from the library. Here, the young hare is taking in all the colours of the summer meadow in a very light narrative aimed at toddlers. The watercolours are perfectly suited to this sort of meandering stroll through nature, focusing in on what is seen. "Little Nutbrown Hare began to think, but he didn't really know. So many lovely things were green." In 2018, I can see older children getting restless with a book like this, but perhaps I have been spoiled with the wit of Kate Beaton and others whose picture books also appeal to older children and adults. The ending twist is very sweet. "There are many lovely browns, but one was the best of all ... 'Nutbrown!'" When first written, the love between the little hare and his father would have been relatively under-represented in picture books compared to those focusing on the mother child relationship (unless Big Nutbrown Hare is an older sibling?), so I think for that reason alone this series will remain popular.
gosto tanto do verão. mas tem feito muito calor em todas as estações. isso me deixa desanimada. acho que o meu azul favorito também é o do céu, verde o dos olhos da minha mãe, vermelho de morangos, e amarelo do sol em desenhos. ah, e marrom da minha calça. não tenho usado muito ela.
I enjoyed it more than Miss 2 did; appeals to those with fond feelings for the "Guess How Much I Love You" book (especially if you've been reading it for years). This one focuses more on identifying colours.
2022 review - 4/5 stars Really, they way they express themselves is so cute, it seems that they have kind of a tradition to ask about the world in general but it always will end up with something related to them, to their conection. This is so lovely.
2021 review - 4/5 stars Man, the illustrations in this book are awesome!! 😣 Im so trapped by this story. So bad I have to wait until autumn to read the next one.
Pidän aivan mielettömästi tavasta, jolla Iso Pupu ja Pikku Pupu on kuvitettu! Vaikka samantyylisiä eläinhahmoja taitaa vilistä lasten kuvakirjoissa alvariinsa, näissä on sitä jotain ekstra-suloista.
Pikku Pupu ja Iso Pupu tiedustelevat toisiltaan, mikä värejen sävyistä on kaikkein mieluisin.