Creature
Age 3+
Picture Books
Creature is dreaming and playing in space, causing worlds to be born in the big bangs she creates. Her eyes shine like nebulas as she surveys the vast expanse she calls home. Silence and stillness envelop her, as she readies herself to … POUNCE!
Open your eyes to beauty and wonder in galaxy-sized proportions with this magical, mystical picture book. Written in rhythmic prose with lively and bright illustrations, this calming and beautiful combination of the comfort of cats and the magic of space is the perfect bedtime read.
Creators
Andrea Ballance is a writer and community artist who graduated with a BA in Art in the Community from The University of West London. Previously a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Andrea now lives in the UK raising two amazing and talented humans.
Grasya Oliyko is a children’s picture book illustrator from in Kyiv, Ukraine. She is the author of the picture book The story told by Zhuka.
Reviews
For cat lovers, felines can be the centre of the universe. Andrea Ballance and Grasya Oliyko’s Creature embraces this concept in vivid colour. By taking a fresh look at a day in the life of a cat, we see the familiar antics of a cat at play take on a whole new meaning. Narrated in first-person (first-feline?) this book explores the idea that a cat’s world is like an entire universe. “I stretch out, roll over and yawn. Exposing my furry tummy like a solar system.” We see how with a different perspective, the everyday can actually become something remarkable. Oliyko’s illustrations burst with colour. The cosmos is crafted within each picture and delightful details add joy. Ballance’s rhythmical prose instils a sense of calm and wonder in the reader, perfect for a bedtime story.
Reading Time
