Friday, January 9, 2015

For The Pictures Alone

There are some books that have a magical quality  Mouse Mansion: Sam & Julia at the circus by Karina Schaapman is one of those books for me.


Each page is created from the tiniest of scraps - little woollen mice, houses and shelves and all sorts of little bits that I would have loved to make myself and would have entranced me for hours as a child.

Small things have always delighted me - tiny pieces of dolls house furniture, scraps of fabric, things made in miniature....


Each page in this book is a window of wonderland at the back you see the whole creation laid out as a wonderful masterpiece - can't you just imagine hours and hours of work in this?


The story itself follows 2 little mice Sam and Julia and Julia and her mother's involvement in the circus that comes to town. There are others in the series too - each time the author creates new scenes to realise the plot.


This book is for anyone small or big who loves handmade scenes and little scraps of wonderful. For me the story is secondary to the magic of each page with all the details to pour over. The book ends with a delightful letter in which the author details her own childhood experiences that led her to the story.


for the beauty and wonder of the workmanship alone this book is perfectly delectable for dreamers and makers big and small

details - allen&unwin Nov 2014, RRP $24.99 HB

love you more than a teeny, tiny haberdashery shop xxx