The Green Ship: Celebrate Quentin Blake’s 90th Birthday

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The charm of the book however lies in the relationships between young ones and older ones. For once it's not the 'precocious children smarter than adults'. The ending is a bit bittersweet. Quentin was the inaugural Children's Laureate (1999-2001), an experience he recorded in his book Laureate's Progress. During his time in the role, he celebrated children's books and children's book illustration with a range of projects and exhibitions, and conceived the idea for the House of Illustration, the world's first centre dedicated to the art of illustration in all its forms. This is a beautiful example of how powerful our imagination is and how we should remember that as we get older.

The Green Ship (Red Fox Picture Books) - Goodreads The Green Ship (Red Fox Picture Books) - Goodreads

Omg this broke my heart - tears welled up and I was balling and my daughter asked me ‘are you ok mama?’. And I was. I’m old enough to know that things don’t ever stay the same and there’s no changing that. Thankfully she isn’t yet. Alice says they should go and look at the ship. What would you have done, if you were in the same position?

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Two children find the Green Ship when they climb over the wall into what is more like a forest than a garden. The ship has bushes for bows and stern and its funnels are trees; a small garden shed on an ancient stump is the wheelhouse and in command of the ship is the owner of the garden, old Mrs Tredegar. Throughout the summer she, the Bosun and the two children sail the Seven Seas visiting exotic faraway places and having wonderful adventures. This really is a book that highlights the power of the imagination, and the importance of harnessing it. Share first thoughts and record the children’s questions. You can use these to initiate discussion. Education Shed Ltd, Severn House, Severn Bridge, Riverside North, Bewdley, Worcestershire, UK, DY12 1AB

The Green Ship - Penguin Books UK The Green Ship - Penguin Books UK

Two youngsters off exploring end up in a neighbors garden. Mystified by what they see but thrilled by the discovery of a green ship! This book sets anyones (young or old) imagination soaring. It's a childhood dream come true to happen upon something that can't possibly exist yet here it is! Two children discover a ship made out of trees and bushes. On climbing aboard they enter their own fantasy world, which they share with two equally imaginative adults. Written and illustrated by Quentin Blake, The Green Ship tells the story of a brother and sister who decide to set off on an adventure whist staying at their aunt's house during the summer. The children find a green ship - a set of trees that have been crafted to look like a ship on the ocean. Mrs Tredegar is the owner of the ship and the garden that it sits in, and the children set off on an imaginative adventure across the Seven Seas with her.Quentin Blake was born in 1932 and read English at Cambridge, before attending Chelsea Art College. He has won many major prizes for illustration, including the Kate Greenaway Medal (1980) and the Red House Children's Book Award (1981) for Mister Magnolia. He is also the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration and in 1990 was voted 'The Illustrator's Illustrator' by Observer Magazine. A tireless promoter of children's literature – and a long-time collaborator with roald Dahl – Quentin Blake was awarded the OBE in 1988 and in 2005 he was awarded a CBE for services to Children's Literature. In the most recent New Year’s Honours list he has been knighted.