10 Silly Children
2021, Pavilion
Paperback, 44 pages.
10 Silly Children is a counting book with a twist. It begins with one polite girl sitting quietly on the page, and as more children emerge, it seems as if all the children are demonstrating perfect manners and poise - they are hanging the washing, reading, preparing dinner, and watering the plants. However all is not as it seems… The pages fold-out to reveal the children’s behaviour wasn’t quite so sensible after all.
Awards
Longlisted for the 2022 Klaus Flugge Prize.
Reviews
“New talent Jon Lander takes us joyously from sensible activities – sitting still, having a bath, cooking, gardening – to fold-out flaps in which extreme silliness holds sway: think dressed-up lions and feasts of worm pie. It’s all conveyed in playful, free-feeling hand-drawn sweeps of colour, while solemn injunctions not to open said flaps give the book a conspiratorial feel, perfect for reading aloud.”
- Guardian
“Lander’s illustration is reminiscent of the joyous looseness of Tony Ross and Quentin Blake, and this simple book has the same classic feel as one of their picture books. It’s a brilliant idea to start a book by telling readers NOT to do something, when of course we know that’s the first thing they're going to do…A really original book that delights in the fun that can be had when we’re really, really silly.”
- Book Trust
