The Sunflower Sword (Andersen Press Picture Books) - Hardcover

Mark Sperring studied at Bath Academy of Art and later Camberwell College of Art.

He lived in London for many years creating music and writing books. He now lives with his partner and their son, Oliver on the Jurassic Coast where he grew up.

They are almost entirely self-sufficient growing their own food and running their car on recycled chip oil.

The idea Mark Sperring had for his book ‘Green’, came to him after reading an inspiring article about Maurice Sendak.

His ‘Captain Buckleboots’ series has been a huge success internationally.

A former Waterstone’s bookseller, Mark brings all his considerable experience and knowledge to his picture book writing.

PreS-Gr 2-In this charming tale, an unnamed little knight with a colander on his head dreams of being big and brave enough to conquer the dragons who inhabit his "land filled with fire and smoke and endless fighting." He asks his mother for a sword. When she wonders why he wants one, he explains with a smile, "To whoosh and swoosh in the air." Instead of handing over a deadly weapon, she gives him a sunflower, and the intrepid lad resigns himself to pretending it is a sword. He climbs Dragon Hill whooshing and swooshing his sunflower, slaying imaginary dragons along the way. Suddenly he is confronted by the real thing. The fearsome monster spies the flower in the boy's hand and takes it from him, thinking the young knight wants to be friends. Soon all of the knights in the land are inspired to lay down their weapons, bringing peace to the community. The cheerful patchwork illustrations painted in bright, springtime colors add touches of humor to the story. The mother wears a rather modern floral print dress with a fashionable scarf around her neck, suggesting that the land of dragons and knights exists only in her son's vivid imagination. Children will appreciate the idea that fighting is not the best alternative and that an enemy can become a friend.-Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.