“Moon…
You take care of the night”
“I love this illustration of the mother apparently keeping an eye on the child, putting it to sleep whilst she also, just casually, puts the moon up in the sky.”
Written by Phillis Root and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. This is a sort of feminist, revisionist version of the creation in which the creator is a mother who is busy with her other jobs looking after the baby, whilst incidentally, on the side, she happen to create the world. I think that’s a glorious notion and a great reflection of the way mothers seem to be superhuman and they multitask and can do everything whilst they do everything else.
‘Oh Dear Look What I Got’ Published by Walker Books
The Sunday Times‘ Childrens Books Expert, Nicolette Jones interviews Helen at the Harley Gallery on World Illustration Day
