The pictures depict more than you initially might think so every time you read the story you find new details. To me it was one of those texts that was fun to read, more like a theatrical performance done by a parent.

was made as a labour of love during 2020 lockdown by Annie Brooks and Katherine Morton - created from leftover scraps, dolls house remnants and an old suitcase found in the loft.Even backstage is beautiful, with the puppets nestling in an old fashioned sewing box, and the exit corridor decorated with rag-bunting and little Du Iz Tak? It would be easy to make such a story clever for the sake of being clever, but instead Ellis has created one of the smartest, most original and most endearing picture books of this year. When the plant grows taller and sprouts leaves, some young beetles arrive to gander, and soon--with the help of a pill bug named Icky--they wrangle a ladder and build a tree fort. I was completely captivated by Ellis's wonderful creatures, their charming little world and their droll language.

Theatre Royal Brighton welcomed the company in to develop and rehearse the new show during the closure of the venue and to present initial performances when lock down eased. Ellis’s ( Home) bewitching creation stars a lively company of insects who speak a language unrelated to English, and working out what they are saying is one of the story’s delights…Very gently, Ellis suggests that humans have no idea what wonders are unfolding at their feet—and that what takes place in the lives of insects is not so different from their own. Ellis is best known as an illustrator, and her oversized gouache and ink spreads deftly balance playfulness and precision, intricacy and airy background.Beneath a broadcloth sky, to a music-box tune, insects in hats or with spectacles emerge, chatting their own insect language, getting ready for whatever the new day brings. With minimal text and crisp images, Ellis's book is deceptively simple, but don't be fooled; this whimsical story requires a close reading to truly absorb all its subtle delights. Ellis is best known as an illustrator, and her oversized gouache and ink spreads deftly balance playfulness and precision, intricacy and airy background…Readers-aloud will want a practice run to ensure their intonation carries the meaning of the words, but it will all make perfect and pleasing sense to imaginative listeners.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. The creator of Home turns a droll eye to the natural world, with gorgeous art and a playful invented language. It's a genuinely charming story with brain-tickling interest from the dialogue, and it earns a satisfying edge from the silent and decisive victory over the spider. The real excitement, though, happens when the plant suddenly produces a magnificent flower – or ‘gladdenboot’ in bug language.A discerning eye and ear are prerequisites for decoding this elegantly esoteric concoction, and they are outcomes, too.