Almost every page in Shackelton's Journey by William Grill is so beautifully illustrated that I could frame each one. It's not just to do with the skill of the drawings, but how the illustrations are used to tell the story too. Take, for example, the page that explains the types of supplies that are taken on this journey in 1914 when Ernest Shackleton set sail for Antarctica. It doesn't just list the provisions taken, but draws them out, showing them in relation to each other. As you would expect the book includes maps but also dramatic icebergs and storms.
As soon as the six-year-old opened the book, he read it in one go. He has returned to it a couple of times, but I wasn't sure how much interest it held for him. But when we started to read it together, he relayed all the key facts and achievement of the expedition - which I won't give away here.
This book is of a genre that I am seeing more and more - they are not just reference books, but books that can be used for art projects or for launch pads on other discussions. To me, these are the best kind.
images the indigo crew
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