Quentin Blake's Fantastic Journeys

Quentin Blake's Fantastic Journeys

Savor the work of the well-loved and lauded illustrator Quentin Blake in this keepsake collection of fun, quirky drawings that will delight both longtime devotees and emerging young fans. A chef in mid-fall, balancing a towering, toppling cake. A bespectacled gentleman riding a multi-wheeled bike, with a man on his back juggling eggs. Known for their whimsy and wit and uncanny ability to convey worlds of expression with only the scantest of line, Quentin Blake’s illustrations have long been linked to the work of storytellers such as Roald Dahl, but in this book they shine on their own. Originally self-published in a series of slim titles dubbed the QB Papers—collections of drawings, varied in tone and approach, evoking journeys both real and imaginary—the images in Quentin Blake’s Fantastic Journeys fall under titles such as “Trip Hazards,” “Feet in the Water,” and “Ten Things You Cannot Really Manage Without.” Curated both for maximum child-friendliness and for the shelves of art-book collectors, this beauty of a gift book is a sheer pleasure, guaranteed to invite many a revisit. As ever, this artist promises creative and madcap catastrophe, but readers can rest assured—the turn of each page offers unexpected (if occasionally macabre) delights. .. .An aptly named exercise in imagination. —Kirkus Reviews Valedictory, elegiac, and playfully absurd. . . .Unexplained except for each section’s title, the drawings practically beg readers to invent a story. Through it all, the creator’s signature ink line has a life of its own—sometimes graceful, sometimes antic, and always conjuring worlds from empty paper and an inimitable imagination. —Publishers Weekly His penmanship and minimal shading create a unique sense of movement that brings these stories to life. . . .a set of fantastical illustrations that will inspire artists everywhere and remind readers to never stop using their imagination. —Booklist Sir Quentin Blake is one of the world’s foremost illustrators, particularly renowned for his collaboration with writers such as Russell Hoban, Michael Rosen, Joan Aiken, and Roald Dahl. His books have won numerous awards, including the Whitbread Children’s Book Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. In 1999 he was appointed the first UK Children’s Laureate, in 2005 he was named a Commander of the British Empire, in 2013 he received a knighthood for his services to illustration, and in 2023 he was made a Companion of Honor. He lives in Southwest London.