I think everybody who’s worked with children over the past thirty-five years must, at some point, have read one of Winnie and Wilbur’s adventures. It seems only fitting that there’s now a beautiful foiled hardback edition of the iconic duo’s first adventure, released to celebrate their 35th anniversary. It’s just begging to be read aloud to a whole new legion of fans!

‘This anniversary edition celebrates 35 years of the original Winnie and Wilbur adventure.

Winnie shares her big black house with Wilbur her big black cat. So sometimes she accidentally trips over him. Ouch! After some spells that make Wilbur look very silly, Winnie finds just the right magic to make sure she can always see him. It’s a colourful Winnie and Wilbur adventure! Korky Paul’s intricate artwork is full of madcap humour and crazy details to pore over. 

Since Winnie and Wilbur first appeared in 1987, they have been delighting children and adults in homes and schools all over the world and more than 9 million books have been sold. Celebrating the wonderful relationship that exists between Winnie and Wilbur, this anniversary edition includes forewords by the author and illustrator, a gallery of Winnie and Wilbur’s most magical memories, and sketches from Korky Paul’s studio.’

I always love a sneaky behind-the-scenes peek at the processes behind the creation of a book so it was great to be able to take a look at how Korky Paul’s iconic illustrations develop from initial sketch to final image. Did you know that Winnie’s characterful bent hat was a happy accident? Me neither, but from now on I shall be using with the children I work with as an example of how an error can be turned into something wonderful.

Alongside enjoying reading Winnie and Wilbur’s original adventure, there was also the opportunity to look back on some of the dynamic duo’s precious adventures. Wow, they’ve packed in a lot over the past thirty-five years! I wonder where they’ll fly off to next?

Jo.

*Many thanks to Oxford Children’s Books for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour*