Bugs in a Blanket

We have been deprived of the work of the wonderful Beatrice Alemagna so three cheers for Phaidon for bringing us this charming and typically inventive creation. In many parts of Europe and the Far East, the author is a celebrated star of the picture book. And rightly so after such stunning books as Un Lion à Paris and Gisèle de Verre. Alemagna has experimented with a wide range of media and in Bugs in a Blanket the artist creates her exquisite characters out of fabric collage and embroidery. A simple story line charmingly suggests that we are all as we are and must each accept our quirky exteriors. The book is beautifully designed and produced, with care given to every last detail including the quality of paper and boards. Alemagna manages to imbue her fabric characters with a depth of expression and personality that belie the crudeness of the medium. Each and every one of them has a genuinely unique presence that will delight the younger picture book reader.