This week has been really exciting for me, because Nevertell had its US book birthday! Yes, the US hardback edition came out this week - and just look at that cover by Rovina Cai. I am in love with it.
To celebrate, I thought I’d come up with a couple of fun book-related activities that children (and adults!) might like to try while we find ourselves at home. So if you’re ready, and feeling creative, here goes:
Activity One:
Draw your own Nevertell cover (jacket) - or one for any other book of your choice.
The US and the UK versions of Nevertell have very different illustrations on the front. But see how beautiful and how perfect the artwork is for each? Rovina Cai (US cover) and Sandra Dieckmann (UK cover) have both captured something exciting and unique. Everyone has their own style so I’d love to see you embrace yours. What does your imagination conjure up when you read the back of this (or another) book? To get your creative juices flowing, here are the front images for both the US and UK versions, and the US story summary below.
A world of magic is only a whisper away…
Born in a Soviet prison camp, Lina has never seen the world outside its walls until the night she makes a daring escape with her best friend, Bogdan. As the pair journey across the snowy wilderness, they are pursued by the sort of magic they could only know from fairy tales - if fairy tales were still allowed. A vengeful witch, ghost wolves, a bird of unusual size - the woods and wastes of Siberia are alive with strange and perilous creatures. The children will need every ounce of courage - and a whisper of magic - if they are to survive their journey to Moscow and the promised safety of a grandmother Lina has never met.
Happy drawing and please don’t be shy: I would love to see your book covers when they’re finished!
Activity Two:
I know we can’t go to many places at the moment and maybe some of us are feeling a bit stuck. But we can still imagine, can’t we? Imagining can be a kind of strength - a power. In Nevertell, the witch who’s after Lina and Bogdan has a very special way of getting around: a magic cape. So, if you had a magic cape, where would you go? And what would you see or do? Write it down and tell me. You could even write it like a story!
A few pointers to help on your journeys: it could be a real place, or somewhere totally made up. It’s up to you! I have done this activity before on school visits and was amazed by the results. Children travelled in their minds everywhere from Spain to Disneyland, “Mirror World” to Venus. And they gave a lot of reasons for their travels too. Some wanted to explore somewhere new, some to see their favourite place, others to visit a friend.
I would love to hear about all your adventures, so do let me have a peek - if and when you’re happy to share them.
I hope you enjoy your activities! I’ll try to post some more soon. And in the meantime, if you’d like to, you can read an extract of Nevertell here on Scribd.