This week saw the passing of , an underrated giant of fantasy, experimental fiction, and children's literature.
Generations of readers will remember him for his wonderful children's picture books, including Bedtime for Frances and The Little Brute Family; others, for his 1980 post-apocalyptic masterpiece Riddley Walker, written entirely in a kind of devolved pidgin, and its brilliantly fractured take on British history, any recollection of which has been occluded by catastrophe.
It's a shame that so many of his novels would seem to be out of print, as no two of them are alike, and many of them are stunning. In The Medusa Frequency, for example, the head of Orpheus counsels a creatively-stymied author through a personal crisis; whereas the exquisitely sad Turtle Diary is devoid of magical realism, to the end that its characters must rescue themselves from loneliness. I would implore you to find these books and others; introduce your children to Frances! And celebrate Mr. Hoban!
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When a baby sister arrives, Frances the badger finds a charming way to prove her own importance.‘A familiar family situation, treated with understanding and humor.’ —E.
Famed for her many adventures, Frances made her debut with this title over thirty years ago.In this first Frances book, the little badger adroitly delays her bedtime with requests for kis...
Frances, one of children's best-loved characters for over 30 years, now springs to life even more in Bread and Jam for Frances,beautifully reillustrated in sparkling full color by Lillian...
