Monsieur Albert Rides to Glory by Peter Smith, illustrated by Bob Graham

Monsieur Albert Rides to Glory by Peter Smith, illustrated by Bob Graham (pub. 2012) *Warning: I think Bob Graham is the BOMB!

This is a cleverly written (almost too clever for the age group intended) story about Mr Albert and his tour de France with a Tortoise and the Hare-esque twist. Written in verse, it's clever timing with rhyme and metre is lovely to read aloud, but must be practiced beforehand. (It is important to have the knowledge of where the sentence is heading and on which word emphasis is to be placed does not necessarily come naturally.)

The illustrations are fun, and light-hearted and not only create unique mirroring to the text, but also allows a depth of exploration to be enjoyed. Graham does this with every piece of literature I've seen his work accompany. He is truly an Australian gem, in the world of literature and illustrations.

Although some children may find this a hard story to follow, due to some complicated and long verse, it is one worth reading to them time and time again, as it educates them in how rhyme and metre work, beyond a two stanza poem. This is very, very important and is a point in society we seem to be losing within the field of children's literature. (For more on this hobby horse read any of Michael Rosen's articles when he was children's laureate.)

My understanding is that this is Bob Graham's first ever illustrated book, never before published. So he's kept this one in his back pocket for a number of years, and due to his illustrative popularity, this work has finally been put to press. I'm sure it must be a delight to him and his brother-in-law, the author, Peter Smith, for this piece of work to be published.

About the authors:

Illustrator Bob Graham was born in Sydney, and studied painting, drawing and design at the Julian Ashton Art School where he met his future wife Carolyn. They had two children, Naomi and Pete, and a dog called Oscar. Bob has written and illustrated around 35 picture books, and illustrated as many again for other authors. His books are known for their charm, simplicity and humour, and have won countless awards in Australia and overseas, including fiveChildrens Book Council of Australia awards and the Kate Greenaway Medal.
Peter Smith was born and grew up in England, but at age 19 came to Australia with his sister Carol. Pete is a dedicated cyclist, having ridden from Sydney to Melbourne and from Sydney to the Gold Coast among other trips, and works in Abbey's bookshop in Sydney. He is Bob Graham's brother-in-law.