POEM FOR SIPPY BY VICKI WOOD

There is no doubt that Vicki Wood has a magical touch when it comes to creating children's books. She is the co-author behind the popular Sippy & Sunny book and the publisher of Unclebearskin Productions, which has created three more titles, with others in the works. Part of her inaugural book's success stems from her ability to speak the language of children, and track down talented illustrators who are able to bring her dream worlds to life. (You can read our review of the first book here.)

Vicki is also a Nana, and seems to have a genuine love and fondness for the magical world of childhood. This idea is played out in her follow-up title Poem for Sippy. 

The book takes the character of the magical dragon Sippy, and tells his story. It is illustrated by Brigitte May, who has managed to take the character that Bec Winnel drew in the first book and make him recognisable but add her own dream-like touches. It's another beautifully illustrated book, and that is part of its appeal.

The cover and format of the book is the same as Sippy & Sunny, and so was instantly recognisable to our four-year-old. She was delighted before she had even opened a page. And, of course, Vicki's signature gift was within the inside cover - a white feather covered in silver glitter. This made my daughter even more excited. Magic was really about to happen.

The book is written in a rhyming poem format. It's quite a simple story about a girl who has a secret dragon. Her Nana has seen him, though. She used to fly with him, but isn't able to anymore. And while the girl gets sad, she's told not to worry, that the joy of growing old is to watch others "fly away above the clouds, safe in the land of dreams". 

While the narrative thread is more whimsical than Sippy & Sunny, the mention of "Nana" drew the preschooler into the story. She has a Nana too, and this made for a strong connection with the characters.

And just as with the first time, when we got to the end, she said, "Again." We've read it several times more since then too. 

She was also interested to see the French translation on the flip side of the book too. A similar feature to the first book - and which started a great conversation about language.

We are very grateful for Vicki allowing us into her magical world. 

images the indigo crew