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Penguin Clothbound Classics: designer Coralie Bickford-Smith on re-inventing the classics

Coralie Bickford-Smith on the Penguin English Library

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Coralie Bickford-Smith on designing the Penguin English Library series

The Worm and the Bird

‘Enchanting, touching, full of lightness and wisdom’ Carlo Rovelli 
 
From the bestselling author of The Fox and the Star, a spellbinding clothbound fable about searching and hoping, and how the smallest moment can be beautiful 
 
Deep below the earth, Worm dreams of having more space. There's not much room down there. 
 
Above, Bird waits, through sun and rain and wind. 
 
As the day goes on, will they both find what they are looking for? 
 
Nominated for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal and shortlisted for the British Book Design and Production Awards 2018

The strangest and loveliest offering for small readers ... Exquisitely drawn, it's drily funny and addresses our perennial failure to appreciate the wonder of life

Amanda Craig, 'Best Children's Books of 2017'

Gorgeous ... Bickford-Smith's life-affirming artwork raises The Worm and the Bird to the stars

Enchanting, touching, full of lightness and wisdom

Absolutely stunning. A very sweet story with a touch of dark humour too. Wonderful. A fantastic book

Millie Marotta, author of 'Millie Marotta's Animal Kingdom'

I love it. A book to buy and treasure, for yourself or others.

Marion Deuchars, author of 'Let's Make Some Great Art' and 'Colour'

It's touching, lovely to look at, beautifully conceived and designed. Good for children, and busy grown-ups too

David Gentleman, author of 'London, You're Beautiful'

...exceptionally beautiful... A modern fable, with a timeless message to appreciate what we have before it is too late.

Coralie Bickford-Smith is one of the most renowned designers in the publishing industry, especially recognized and celebrated for her illustrated covers of Penguin's clothbound classics. Her first book, The Fox and the Star, was chosen for Waterstones Book of the Year and is included in Time Out's 100 Best Children's Books. Her design work has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times and The Guardian.

The Song of the Tree

**Nominated for the 2021 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal** 
 
'Heart-warming ... a celebration of the world around us at a time when we need it the most' Creative Review 
 
Bird loves to sing in the towering tree at the heart of the jungle. It feels like home. 
When the season changes she must say goodbye, but she isn't ready to let go. 
 
Award-winning designer Coralie Bickford-Smith takes us on a lyrical and enchanting journey with Bird and her animal friends. Exploring vibrant woodlands and magical night-time skies, we fly with Bird through every page and learn the story of the tree and what will happen when it is time for Bird to go. 
 
Beautifully illustrated and lovingly told, The Song of the Tree speaks to the universal search for belonging and reminds us of the importance of community, friendship and the natural world. 
 
'Exquisite ... vivid ... each page feels alive' Observer 
 
'Wonderful, poetic ... a beautiful telling of a universal theme' Julia Eccleshare, LoveReading

Another exquisite, clothbound tale from Coralie Bickford-Smith... [her] illustrations are so vivid and patterned, reminiscent of traditional African wax prints, that each page feels alive. The night-time stars and fireflies sparkle, though there's no glitter or foil used, while elsewhere the text swoops bird-like across the page

Depicts nature at its most majestic and tells a lovely fable about belonging

Never have the woods looked more beautiful than in this exquisite new fable about growing up, exploring the world and understanding where you belong

Heart-warming . . . a celebration about the world around us and the importance of the natural world at a time when we need it the most

Wonderful, poetically told . . . beautifully designed on the page to match the spirit of the words, tells of the importance of shelter and its power to encourage confidence and tolerance as well as empowering development and independence. The interdependence of the bird and the tree in this story is a beautiful telling of a universal theme

The Fox and the Star

***Waterstones Book of the Year 2015*** 
 
From an award-winning designer comes an original fable about need and loss 
 
Once there was a Fox who lived in a deep, dense forest. For as long as Fox could remember, his only friend had been Star, who lit the forest paths each night. But then one night Star was not there, and Fox had to face the forest all alone. 
 
The Fox and the Star is a work of prose and design, each page thoughtfully created by Coralie Bickford-Smith

A lyrical modern fable of loneliness and belonging ... A delight to hold and behold

Intricate, exquisite... An outstanding gift for five-plus readers

[A] brief, beautiful book about overcoming grief . . . If ever there was a reason to down the Kindle and go back to paper, this is it . . . An object of sheer gorgeousness . . . Every page is visually stunning, bringing her fable to life . . . It would, I think, act as a wonderful salve to anyone of any age who has experienced love and loss

It's great . . . Individual, elegantly and impeccably designed, and with a touching story; and it's technically and graphically intriguing

The Fox and the Star is not a Christmas book, but it does have a Christmas feel and, with its decorative clothbound cover, makes a per&shy;fect gift. The design and drawing are so beautifully considered that I would like to frame each page

Lauren Child, Guardian 'Books of the Year'

Colourful, substantial and something to keep forever

[The Fox and the Star] has the mood of a classic fable

[This] beautifully illustrated picture book contains a moving message about love, loss and learning to accept change

Selected in Time Out's 100 best children's books

Coralie Bickford-Smith is a designer at Penguin Books. Her book covers have been recognised by the AIGA in the United States and D&amp;AD in the UK, and have featured in numerous international magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, Vogue and the Guardian. Her work on the clothbound series with Penguin Classics attracted worldwide attention and harks back to the world of Victorian book bindings. She has been asked to exhibit and speak about her work in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Portugal and the US. The Fox and the Star is her first book, inspired by William Blake's Eternity and the graphic work of William Morris.

Coralie Bickford-Smith

Exquisite, moving and hopeful on so many different levels. I love the bright green of the spring, I really feel that incandescence when I turn the page. I will be buying it for many.

The most beautiful book of the year... it&rsquo;s like a poem&hellip; a work of art

Yuval Zommer, author of THE BIG BOOK OF THE BLUE

One autumn evening, a young squirrel spots an acorn glinting on the forest floor. 
 
Eager to protect her treasure from watchful eyes and hungry mouths, she buries it deep in the heart of the forest. 
 
But when she returns after the icy winter, her acorn is nowhere to be found. Where could it be? 
 
An enchanting fable about growth, new life and finding hope in unexpected places.

Coralie Bickford-Smith

Books by Coralie Bickford-Smith

Articles featuring Coralie Bickford-Smith

Penguin Clothbound Classics: designer Coralie Bickford-Smith on re-inventing the classics

Coralie Bickford-Smith on designing the Penguin English Library series

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