Corky and Loopy are two perfectly normal girls. They like chocolate biscuits, fizzy drinks, screaming at each other and drawing. But they are also a little bit special . . . because they are angels. One day they visit Sid, a pavement artist. Sid is sad because he wants to take part in the big drawing competition but can't work out how the judges will ever get to see his work. Corky and Loopy decide to help and give him a very special pencil from their collection. So begins a bright and colourful adventure.
Sir Quentin Saxby Blake is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer. He has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works. For his lasting contribution as a children's illustrator he won the biennial international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2002, the highest recognition available to creators of children's books. From 1999 to 2001, he was the inaugural British Children's Laureate. He is a patron of the Association of Illustrators.
Un delizioso racconto sul senso dell'Arte, che può farci fermare ad apprezzare un po' di bellezza e felicità in una vita così frenetica che ci fa dare tutto per scontato.
Angel Pavement - An enjoyable book which kept me smiling throughout. Blake highlights how drawing inspired Loopy, Corky and the pavement artist, Sid Bunkin. They all shared a common interest which was drawing. Additionally, this form of art allowed them to express themselves in many ways as they each had different things that they were good at and enjoyed drawing. Personally, I found that this book was unpredictable because at the beginning of the story, Blake focuses on Corky and Loopy's personal interests. Nonetheless, as I progressed further into the book, Blake conveys how the two girls were able to help a pavement artist who won a drawing competion as they worked as a team. Additionally, I liked the fact that Blake ended his story with a question: "But then, when you start drawing you can never be quite sure what is going to happen next, can you?". Although I had reached the end of the story, I closed the book thinking "what would have happened next/"
A beautiful book from the very androngynous looking "just normal girls" angels to the transformative and boundary breaking possibilities in art. Art here breaks down class and gender and presumably other expectations of "fitting in" as well.
Angelic here is portrayed as prickly and greedy and not at all pious or goody-goody but having a wellspring of creative possibility as well as a compassionate view that makes the viewed visible. That and it has magic rainbow pencil drawings that I am sure the children will love.
There was a magic pencil in this, but nothing very angelic about the angels that I could see. Felt a bit like a cobbled together story so Quentin could mess about drawing flying pictures (fair enough, the pictures are good!)
If you have read stories like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,the BFG, and Matilda, you may be familiar with Quentin Blake, the illustrator of Roald Dahl's books.