June 21st, 2021
Celebrating author illustrator Jörg Mühle
One of the most exciting things about The Children’s Bookshow is the international element of our programme. Not only are we celebrating great British artists, we are also finding the very best writers, poets and illustrators from around the world.
This week we are celebrating the work of German author and illustrator Jörg Mühle, who will be joining us for a morning of fun, stories and drawing at The New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich on Thursday 11th November at 10.30am. He will be talking about the illustrations he created for Meet at The Ark at Eight! and drawing live for us on stage as well as answering your questions. Come and join us!
Book of the Week: Meet at the Ark at Eight!
written by Ulrich Hub, illustrated by Jörg Mühle
Meet at the Ark at Eight! tells the story of three penguin pals whose unremarkable Antarctic existence is disrupted by the Great Flood. Two of them have tickets for Noah’s ark, but they can’t leave their friend behind…can they? This is an incredibly funny story that also asks an important philosophical question - How far should we go to help our friends? A sweet and sharp take on a story we all know, Meet at the Ark at Eight! is ultimately a heart warming tale about friendship. With added penguins.
Author in focus
Jörg Mühle has been an author and freelance illustrator since 2000. He’s created three delightful books for toddlers, Poor Little Rabbit, Bathtime for Little Rabbit and Tickle My Ears, the last of which over 60,000 copies have been sold in Germany. Most recently, Gecko Press published his Two For Me, One For You, a very funny picture book in which two friends share three mushrooms… For writer and director Ulrich Hub’s hilarious story for slightly older children Meet at the Ark at Eight! (Pushkin Children’s Books), Jörg’s created hilarious drawings of the five main characters: three penguins, a plump harassed dove and a beautiful butterfly (who may or may not get done in…). It’s an unmissable delight.
Read the first few pages of Meet at the Ark at Eight!
Just click on the link below:
Download Meet at the Ark at Eight extract
Thank you to Pushkin Press (publisher), Ulrich Hub (author), Jörg Mühle, (illustrator), Helene Ragg-Kirkby (translator).
Activities!
Lift the Flap Ark Picture
Jörg’s interpretation of Noah’s Ark is a huge vessel with wooden houses stacked on top of one another, toppled high above the deck of the boat. What do you think the Ark would have looked like? Have a go at creating a lift the flap Noah’s Ark. How many different animals can you squeeze inside it?
You will need:
- 2 pieces of white A4 paper
- Animal stickers – 2 of each species
- Felt tips or crayons
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Glue
As an alternative to stickers, you could draw the animals or print some and cut them out.
What to do:
Step 1
Use the pencil to draw an Ark onto one of the pieces of paper, including different-sized and shaped compartments to house the animals. Make sure you add some doors, windows, and portholes (these will become your flaps). Once you are happy with your Ark, colour it in.
Step 2
Ask an adult to help you cut out the flaps. Only cut around three sides, making sure you leave one side, and the top of the portholes, connected. Fold back the flaps to achieve a sharp edge.
Step 3
Place the other piece of paper underneath your picture. Lift the flaps and mark the paper with a faint cross, so you know where to place the animals, then stick them into position.
What Would You Pack in Your Suitcase?
Imagine you are another pair of animals who have been invited onto the Ark. What would you pack in your suitcase? Create an illustration or write a description of what you would take. You could include some comical dialogue between the two animals, based on the hilarious narrative of Ulrich Hub.
Penguins, Ice and Snow
You will need:
- 2 cardboard egg cartons
- Black and white paint
- White paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Black and orange felt tips
What to Do:
Step 1
Cut the lids off the cartons and then remove the two tall pointed cones from the centre of each base.
Step 2
Trim around the base of each cone, making one smaller than the other two. Paint each of these black.
Step 3
Cut out three egg cups and paint these white, along with one of the lids. Once the paint is dry, stick the egg cups to the lid to create an iceberg.
Step 4
Draw and cut out three small ovals on white paper, adding orange beaks and black eyes. Then make three pairs of orange feet, making them big enough to create a tab for the glue.
Step 5
Finally, stick the body parts to the cones and arrange your penguins on their home of ‘snow and ice and ice and snow and snow and ice’.
We’d love to see your penguins and Noah's Ark Pictures! To send us your work to display in our gallery use the link below, or upload to twitter with the hashtag #BookshowA-Z.
