Tiny's Big Adventure

An inspired decision by Walker to bring together two of our finest talents to create this lovely picture book. Waddell’s simple mousey tale of scary things in the cornfield is perfectly accompanied by Lawrence’s exquisite pictures. Old and new technologies are smoothly combined here with Lawrence’s trademark vinyl-cut prints and hand-rendered textures being sensitively pieced together digitally. The text appears in the form of a hand-cut font designed and printed by the artist. Tiny Mouse and his big sister Katy encounter many an unfamiliar sight on their intrepid adventure; tractors, pheasants, rabbits and snails are each examined by the curious pair until Tiny gets a little over confident and ventures deep into the corn, only to find himself calling for big sister as the dark shapes begin to frighten. Lawrence’s sensitive interpretation of Tiny’s battle between curiosity and fear will strike a chord with many a child. The warmth and humour in the characterisation of the mice is never lost among the richly textured backgrounds.

This book is typically well produced by Walker, a handsome edition in a taller than usual format, finished with a mat coated paper that perfectly sets off the prints. Definitely a book for keeps.