The World Book by Joe Fullman and Rose Blake - blog tour

A couple of months ago, I was delighted to receive a copy of The World Book by Joe Fullman (author) and Rose Blake (illustrator). It's exactly the kind of book I would have loved reading as a child, being full of fascinating facts and trivia about the 199 countries of the world. For example, did you know that Uzkebistan is double-landlocked? That means it's two countries away from the nearest coast. There's only one other double-landlocked country in the world, which is revealed at the bottom of the page (clue: it's in Europe).

Since taking The World Book into my classroom, it's barely been on the shelves during reading time and is a very popular choice with children who want to share a non-fiction text with one of their friends. It's a book that can be read from cover to cover, but it works equally as well when finding out about one specific country or continent or as a book to dip into and enjoy for a few minutes. As part of the book's blog tour, Rose Blake has written about five objects which inspire her as an illustrator.

Five objects which inspire me by Rose Blake
Speedo costume - I swim every day, and I couldn’t really go without this! The pool is a place where I can stretch my body and empty my mind, and sometimes if I’m lucky, ideas for drawings jump in.

Do!! You!!! Radio - The best morning soundtrack.

Persimmons - I like looking at them and eating them, and I hide them in my drawings too. Lots of my books have hidden persimmons in them…like a Where’s Wally? but for shiny orange fruit.

A book by Helen Garner - I’m very inspired by the way she looks at things. Light, love and friendship and the small things that make life interesting.

My Techo diary - So I know what to do with my day. I use it to write down interesting quotes and thoughts as well as my schedule. It opens flat on the table and is very satisfying to write in.

Thank you so much, Rose, I'll certainly give Do!! You!!! radio a listen. Please do follow the rest of the blog tour this week and make sure you track down a copy of The World Book. Thank you to Welbeck Publishing for inviting me to take part.

(The only other double-landlocked country in the world in Liechtenstein.)