Mr
Snuffles Birthday
Today I am pleased to be able to participate
in the blog tour for Mr Snuffles’
Birthday by David Greaves and Illustrated by Emily Wallis. My thanks go to Faye Rogers at Authoright.
About
the Book
'It was a wonderful day for snuffling for
truffles,
'What a birthday treat!' thought Mr Snuffles…’
Adults and children of all ages will delight
in following Mr Snuffles' frustrating woodland quest for his beloved truffles.
But is Mr Snuffles on the right scent?
Beautifully illustrated by Emily Wallis, David
Greaves' Mr Snuffles' Birthday is a glorious celebration of language,
friendship and truffles: a tale to be treasured and to read aloud together time
and time again.
Guest
Post
Today I am pleased to be able to share
with you five, yes five of the writer David Greaves favourite childhood
books. Do let me know if any of your
favourites are in here.
1. Bedtime
Rhymes – Ladybird Book (1977), edited by Audrey
Daly and illustrated by James Hodgson
This little anthology of poems became a well-worn story-time favourite
of David and his brother Peter. They
endlessly enjoyed reciting Daddy Fell
into the Pond by Alfred Noyes:
Everyone grumbled. The sky was grey,
We had nothing to do and nothing to say.
We were nearing the end of a dismal day,
And there seemed to be nothing beyond,
THEN
Daddy fell into the pond!....
Another favourite in Bedtime
Rhymes was Under Ground, by James
Reeves:
In the deep kingdom under ground
There is no light and little sound.
Down below the earth’s green floor
The rabbit and the mole explore.
The quarrying ants run to and fro
To make their populous empires grow…
…In the dark kingdom under ground
How many marvellous things are found!
2. Winnie The
Pooh, by AA
Milne
David
loved hearing and reading AA Milne’s enchanting tales of Winnie-the-Pooh,
Christopher Robin and their friends confronting life’s ups and downs and each
other’s quirks and eccentricities with a mixture of innocent optimism and tolerant
amusement, in an idealised countryside where adventure-filled days stretch out
with the timelessness of childhood itself.
3. Tintin and
the Crab With the Golden Claws, by
Hergé
In common
with so many of his age-mates, David loved the Tintin books for their
fast-paced action, exotic locations and their unforgettable cast of eccentric
characters – also perhaps for the strong clear lines and bright colours of the
illustrations. Hergé creates vibrant, absorbing parallel worlds for children to
escape into for hours at a time.
4. Just
William, by Richmal
Crompton (audiobook read by Martin Jarvis)
Martin Jarvis’ enthralling renditions of William’s adventures with
his gang entertained the whole family on countless long car-journeys to visit
relatives, or while heading off on holiday. William may well have been one of
David’s foremost childhood alter egos. His mum certainly regarded the William
books as her most trusted Dr Spock-style guide to child-rearing.
5. Jurassic
Park by Michael
Crichton (audiobook)
Story-tapes
featured prominently in David’s childhood. Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, thrillingly brought to
life by a gravelly-voiced American narrator, became the stuff of family legend,
with many quotes from the story turning into shared reference-points in
conversation for years after.
Years of
bedtime stories and poetry, David’s own wide reading, and all the audio books the
family listened to together provided rich nourishment for David’s developing
imagination, and gave him a keen ear for the range, rhythm, power and delicacy
of the written and spoken word.
About
the Author
Born in Yorkshire in 1985, David Greaves’
warmth and generosity of spirit, and his love of travel and adventure led him
to make friends around the world with people from all walks of life. His
strength of character and devotion to achieving his goals was shown in his
achievements as an ultra-marathon runner and Iron Man triathlete. It was also
shown by his determination to finish this book, and nine others, after being
diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (ALS) in June 2015, just after his
thirtieth birthday. In the fifteen months after his diagnosis he got married to
the love of his life, climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, raising over £12,000 for the
Motor Neurone Disease Association, and travelled through East Africa before
settling in Newcastle upon Tyne. As David lost the use of his arms and speech
he finished his collection of children's books using revolutionary Eye Gaze
technology which allowed him to type by tracking the movement of his eyes.
David passed away peacefully at home in September 2016. Mr Snuffles is David's
first book and his wife Philippa and family intend to honour his memory by
eventually publishing all of his completed works.
About the
Illustrator
Emily Wallis is an illustrator who uses
traditional hand-drawn techniques. She completed her MA in sequential design
and illustration at the University of Brighton. She lives in London, UK.
Website:
Social
Media Links
Check out the rest of the blog tour
with these fabulous blogs:
My thanks to the author David Greaves for sharing his favourite childhood books with me, the
publishers Clink Street Publishing and also Faye
Rogers @ Authoright for my spot on the blog tour.
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