Back in the mists of time, when readitdaddy.blogspot.com was a thing, I remember being contacted by an awesome author-illustrator who wanted us to cover her book. She showed off some preview art in her email and I knew immediately that it was going to be our cup of bubble tea, fusing daydreamy artwork and intriguing characters with a heartfelt and almost wistful core message. That book was "256 Postcards Ago", the first children's picture book by Michelle Vinall.
She also rather kindly sent us the follow-up, "Hurricane Lane" - this time a story concentrating on a close bond between its characters, again delightfully rendered in Michelle's trademark art style (which you can also see in the header image of our blog, which we commissioned her to illustrate for us a few years ago).
Michelle has been working hard on her final picture book for a number of years, enlisting the help of Joseph Juson to weave together her images with dreamy verse, producing a glorious piece of storytelling that thrums along with its own rhythm.
Since childhood I've been obsessed with various pieces of mythology from our own shores including the folk tales of "The Green Man" - a mysterious figure from Celtic and Norse mythology, steeped in an intoxicating blend of mischief and mystery. Some folk tales depict the Green Man as a bit of a 'saucy' character, steeped in fertility rites and often linked with the Spring, and the re-emergence of life after the cold winter. Others depict him as a pan-like character, befriending local villagers and luring them away from their everyday lives to join him in song and dance. I've passed on this deep love of folklore to my daughter, who particularly loves digging into both Celtic and Japanese myths and legends. There's just something about these stories, enduring through many generations, being told and re-told and each time re-weaving a mythical and magical spell on those who hear them.
Michelle's "The Midnight Chimes" opens with beautiful colourful scenes of an idyllic town - ValleyFalls, where each year a joyful festival of celebration begins. This year, Josie and her family set out to join in the festivities, and Josie herself wants to uncover the secret of the mythical "Green Man" whispered about in hushed tones as the summer solstice begins, and the dream-like fairy world begins to merge with our own.
Before long, the bells in the village square strike midday, and a mysterious statue of the Green Man suddenly springs to life. Only Josie and her new-found friend Marina spy the mysterious figure as it leaps, prances and dances out of the square, irresistible to follow.
Everyone they meet as they follow the mysterious figure tries to warn them about his menace and mischief, but soon Josie and Marina discover the truth - and learn a valuable lesson about trusting your own instincts and feelings about people rather than listening to rumour and hearsay. This struck a chord with my daughter, at a time when early teens is fraught with all manner of social interactions and pitfalls both online and off, and even though she claims she's "done with picture books" she still loved going through this, and loved the style of artwork which is super-crisp and utterly brilliant (just check out the world-building and crowd scenes above for a good example of how Michelle can turn her hand to anything).
The finale, which we won't spoil for you, is a wonderful way to draw the tale to a close.
Often in the past when we've tackled self-published books, it's been so easy to pick out and identify all the parts of a book that could have done with an experienced editor looking them over to steer them straight again, but "The Midnight Chimes" succeeds for the exact opposite reason, it's a book that feels fresh, original and enticing purely because it's not blaring its diversity like a loud trumpet, it's not slamming its moral into your face like a custard pie, nor is it trying to be too dumb for its intended audience. Instead, it opts for doing what any good picture book should do, telling a story that sticks in the mind long after the covers are closed, and doing so in an attractive, engaging and thought-provoking way that speaks to a wider audience than most picture books could ever hope to reach.
Dang, we do love that about it. Yes we do! (We also love that we're in there - or at least our younger selves are - as a cameo in one scene, which of course was utterly wonderful to see!
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| A younger (and in my case much smoother) "us" - Dawww! |
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1035131739/preorder-the-midnight-chimes
...and you can check out more of Michelle's utterly stunning artwork and projects over at https://www.michellevinall.com
You can also follow Joseph on Twitter here: https://t.co/gLpm1Hh5Ih
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