A Terry Jones Tribute

On January 21st 2020 Terry Graham Parry-Jones, one of the members of the British comedy group 'Monty Python' (as well as one of the two Terrys of the group) passed away after a battle with dementia. I've talked about my artistic influences before, but when it comes to my writing and storytelling influences; Terry Jones was one of them. Everyone has a member of a team that they like the best, someone who we can point to as the glue that holds the team's efforts together. Many regard Monty Python as one of the biggest staples in British comedy, not just that but people's senses of humour as well. Many of us have quoted a line from one of their sketches or movies at some point in our lives, that we owe that to Jones. It was Jones that brought a sense of wit and cleverness to what are seemingly farcical and absurdist routines, there was more to it than cross-dressing or putting on a silly voice. Whether he was playing the straight man of the looney character, Jones could pull off such a great performance that convinced us, even we leant to tell it was him. But its not one man that makes a project work, sometimes it can work as a collaborate effort. The Pythons could work off each other with their ideas to form a joke. If the other pythons were the vital organs, then Jones was the brain.

But Jones also branched out his writing prowess to all age groups, what do I mean by this? Not only was he the foundation of Monty Python, but he also wrote fantasy stories for children. With the help of Michael Foreman's illustrations, these children's books paid homage to the fairy tales and myths that were passed down through generations while also adding his own spin on them to make them feel brand new. These are stories that deserve more recognition, because looking back on them, they were really innovative. They probably ushered in a renaissance in children's literature. I don't know how many are aware how significant he was with the fantasy genre at the time. You can tell both Foreman and Jones worked in tandem, as Foreman would bring Jones' wild ideas to life. While Foreman's lush pictures drew me into these stories as a child, its the writing that would be one of the building blocks of my storytelling sensibilities. And it was only when I got older that I realised this. When I was younger, my main priority was to be a visual storyteller, but it was Jones that showed me that I can implement my sense of humour into my writing. I saw him as guidance for how I can add sprinklings of comic relief when its appropriate. Even with the Monty Python movies, he was able to capture the weight and feel of their respective genres and playfully made jokes about how funny the source material would be. Something spoof movies nowadays need to take note of. He showed me that comedy can be just as important as any other factor.

It saddens me that such genius has deteriorated, as someone who had a family member who went through a similar hardship, its hard to swallow. It's also sad when the laughter dies, and we lose another comic pioneer. It's Jones that showed us that in times of sorrow, all we need is a good laugh to cheer us up. He and the crew told us to always look on the bright side of life, they showed that humour can really be a defence mechanism. He never would have wanted us to be sad that he was gone, but to be glad what he made existed. He and his characters provoked many feelings of wonder, shock, intrigue and joy, he knew how to make fun of legends, but he made legends fun. I know he and Graham will be spending this Christmas in Heaven. Terry Jones not only left an impact on British humour but many of us as well. He knew when to face the curtain with a bow, gave the audience a grin. He saw it was all a show and kept us laughing as he would go. And for that we thank you for it, Terry, we really do.

RIP 

Terry Jones

1942-2020    

A Retrospective on Michael Foreman Part 2

Going back to the 80s, Foreman has become a household name illustrating for various authors and book companies. His work received so much praise from the British public for re-inventing children's classics as well as making his own material. He was so acclaimed that he was called by writer Leon Garfield to make a book dedicated to the Bard

Shakespeare Stories-1985 and 1994

A unique collection of Shakespeare's greatest works, alongside Foreman's best watercolour and ink illustrations. Just the idea of that combination alone is excellent and this book shows. What Garfield and Foreman did for this book worked on so many levels, it had that right amount of text and imagery that stays faithful to the greatest plays ever written. Out of all the books Foreman has illustrated for I must say this is the one that not only students could read but adults who love theatre and artwork as well. I read this book every time I'm in the mood for some great Foreman artwork it's just that good a read.

This book was so successful that 9 years after it's release Garfield and Foreman did a follow up with the rest of Shakespeare's plays. It kept the same formula only the illustrations looked more updated. While some might say it's not as good as the first one, I disagree because for me it's like the first one only the illustrations has a brighter look and 'yes' it does have the Shakespearean plays that were not as well known as the ones in the first one but this one has a place in my heart, it's an underrated gem. As for what I think of the illustrations, they're beautiful and show how Foreman's style transited into what they are today. I definitely recommend these 2 books to anyone who loves the bard's work and those who are wanting to learn about these terrific plays for the first time.

The War Series-1989-1995

In 1989 Foreman wanted to write a book based on his childhood in the second world war and thus he made "War Boy: A Wartime Childhood". This has to be Foreman's most serious, darkest work ever, he presents the feeling of growing up in wartime with his trademark watercolour illustrations as well as some photographs and posters from that time. When I first heard about it I didn't bother all that much as I'm not into WW2 but with this, I made an exception as I had good expectations for it, when I managed to read this book I got exactly what I was hoping for. This book is definitely fascinating to read not only for Foreman's unique illustrative work but for the story that revolve around his childhood. It was not only praised by critics but it won him a Kate Greenaway Medal.

Later on, Foreman made a follow up to this book with "War Game: Village Green to No-man's Land. While the first book was more non-fiction Foreman decided to tell a story based on the first world war and the soldiers who battled for their country. War Game tells the story of a group of young friends who are called to duty to battle the Germans oversea, it talks about struggle and intensity. It also tells the story of how the two armies united in peace and joy for Christmas Day. This book was also a critical hit, they even called it a masterpiece as well as another award. It even had a short animated film based on it. When I read this book at school in Year 9 I didn't know what to think, but just by looking at Foreman great illustrations and by reading it I never read a war story so intriguing, it got me prepared for learning the First World War in history. Also if you read this book I'll tell you this, the ending is just tragic and I mean tragic.

In 1995 Foreman ended his series of war stories with "After the War was Over" Going back to non-fiction Foreman tells a story about the aftermath of the Second World War, like "War Boy" this book gives a look on the 40s and 50s through the eyes of Foreman himself told in a way that educates us as well. Now I haven't read this book but I could tell you from looking at some of the bits and pieces I saw from it I can tell you that it looks beautifully illustrated and I'll probably look at it some time.

While The General and War and Peas were more satirical takes on war, these war books told the readers about the impact of war as well as the history. They made you sympathise with the people because of how realistic it was written. Now, these books are pretty under-rated which makes them even more special. Though I'm not too big on the history of WW1 and WW2, may I add if you're into wartime stories or even Foreman's work I suggest you check them out, you've be surprised?

From looking at the books from the first part of Foreman's accomplishments, there were mostly stories made for younger children. However, in this part the books I'm listing here are not only for kids growing up but for grown-ups themselves. I feel since Shakespeare Stories Foreman has worked on very mature stuff and his collaboration with British writer Michael Morpurgo really shows.

Michael and Michael Don't Have Issues

Both being successful in the industry of children's books, these big names (or name if you will) joined forces to produce books that were successful among young boys as well as both their fan base. Their first collaboration was 19 years ago when Morpurgo wanted to do a book based on the Arthurian Legend "Arthur High King of Britain".
 This wonderful book has incredible watercolour illustrations as well as a whole new take on the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. This really showed how the 2 Michael's could work together as one, I like this book so much I want to do an illustrated re-telling of King Arthur that matches the same quality of this.

Considering "Arthur, HKOB" was a success both Foreman and Morpurgo went the same route in 1996 with "Robin of Sherwood". Once again Morpurgo has managed to tell a faithful adaptation to medieval legend, like "Arthur" he adds that same down to earth style to these well-known characters like "Little John, Frair Tuck, Sheriff of Nottingham and Maid Marian that makes their stories all the more unique. Foreman's illustrations once again makes the book recognisable to readers, the backgrounds are lush as always and the character design depict Foreman's more figurative style. As far as adaptions of folk heroes go these are very unique takes, so if you like the tales of both Robin Hood and King Arthur than may I suggest giving these 2 books a page turn, they're interesting for young adults as well as young readers alike.


These adaptions began an awesome relationship between these idols of children's literature, as they would continue to create more original, more down to earth novels. These proved to be successful hits among young readers in the UK with a reputation of positive feedback critically, books like Kensuke's Kingdom, Billy the Kid, Cool and Toro Toro were proven to be some of the highest-rated children's novels of the 21st Century. Now while I've never read these personally, I could see why people (especially Foreman fans) consider them descent books. And while some I didn't mention like "The Sleeping Sword" and "The Last Wolf" look okay there are some I consider under-rated in a way like Beowulf.

There are 2 books that came out in the 2000s, "The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips" and "Kasper" seem to share something, they're about cats. When both books came out I was interested in them in the same I was with Arthur HKOB, so I glanced at them and to no surprise, the illustrations make the stories worth a look at. Now I don't judge books by their pictures but by their actual substance; but like some of the other Foreman/Morpurgo collaborations I'm thinking I would like these books just as much as Arthur and Robin (If I had the chance to read them) mean with how successful Morpurgo is as an author I might be just as invested in the story as well as the artwork.

In short Foreman and Morpurgo make a great book writing team, with their combined talents they've both managed to create some really creative books that would click with younger viewers as well as both their fan bases, which makes me wonder what these 2 will make for years to come. Whether it be a take on mythological legend or pure English originality I recommend checking out these books and more for any child or any person who interested in creating original stories.


Like Quentin Blake and Shirley Hughes, Michael Foreman is one of the most well-loved British book illustrators for all these good reasons and more. Both his illustrations and his stories have become a unique staple in children's literature as well as the reading industry in general; why? because his artwork is revolutionary, beautiful and even thought-provoking. From an artistic point of view Foreman has always changed his unique style though the cause of time like a good artist should, he understood illustration as an art-form and he would put a passion and devotion into each picture. Not only that but he would take chances with his own style given the source material he would work with.

But other than that, I adore Forman for the fact that he illustrates my favourite stories in a unique fashion and it's that illustrative style that introduced me to the stories I would read in later years. The way he designs characters and backgrounds is just wonderful to look at, just the way how he could blend them together is just so splendid, I mean this man really knows how to use watercolours. Every little detail on the facial expressions and skies just
gives his drawings life (man I could not get over how serene he could make the sky wow!) Just looking at his work in different decades fills you nostalgia and delight.

But with all those things said about Michael, what has he done recently? Well, just last year Foreman collaborated with the king of the fools himself "Michael Rosen" to create "Blue". Though I've personally haven't read it, just looking at the illustrations online, it looks like Foreman has done it again by taking a colour he knows best and taking it to a higher level. Like many of his books I like to think this book has the same amount of charm and wonder that appeals to both readers young and old. Also, this year will mark the release of "The Amazing Tale of Ali Pasha" a book about the adventures of a seaman and his tortoise which is stated to be based on a true story.

In conclusion, if you haven't heard of Michael Foreman's work before, then may I advise you look at his work as well as his contributions to children's literature. Because he's not only an influence on my style but towards many young readers alike, I wouldn't have discovered such amazing stories and wouldn't have appreciated the art of illustration if it weren't for him. It would be a dream for me to actually meet Foreman and it would be a pleasure to shake his hand and thank for what he has done for my childhood. It'll be a sad day when this man is gone, but his work, his kindness and his impact on me as a person will truly live on.

Thank you, Michael Foreman

A Retrospective on Michael Foreman Part 1

One of my favourite art forms of all time is illustration, if you look around everything has a design that reflects a story, a person, an event even an object. Every piece of illustration has their style to fits to different people's tastes and I hope one day my illustrations will be seen and loved by everyone. One man who has been making great illustrations for decades, bringing to life stories that we know and love in the most splendid of ways is English artist and designer, Michael Foreman.
Like Walt Disney and Picasso, Michael Foreman created such iconic and ingenious works that are well known across the world. His smooth and delicate watercolours breathe so much life and character that they bring you to the world that he has created. No one and I mean no one has managed to add the same superb wonder into illustrations or even storytelling than Foreman. Which is why we're gonna look back on his career, not only as a children's book illustrator but as an artist as well. Now as fascinating his work is I won't be looking at all that he has done I'll only cover the best of his works.

                                                                 The General-1961
The first children's book Foreman ever illustrated was "The General" a political satire that tells the story of a  Dictator that finally sees the beauty of the world after getting lost in the woods. I haven't read this book but after finding the illustrations and hearing about it on the internet I consider it a gem among his work. As you can tell from the art style; Foreman was jumping on the bandwagon at the time, I for one love seeing how it all began. If any of you have read or seen this book tell me what you think of it because I would like to see this anti-war tale of whimsey for myself.

Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish-1972
Cut to a mere11 years later Foreman created what made him a popular icon in the illustration industry, "Dinosaurs and all that Rubbish". It's about a man who destroys an entire rainforest and builds a load of factories in order to build a rocket to space. This results with the dinosaurs coming back to life, then they ravage an entire city. This perky fable gives the children an environmental message in such a charming, colourful way. I remember reading this book at school so reading it again brings back some good memories, the message as well the illustrative style really holds up which is why it is considered the best book Foreman ever worked on. You can tell he had stepped up from the light-heartedness of "The General" and gone for a more funny and original approach. But the best was yet to come.

War and Peas-1974

Michael would write and illustrate another story that enlighten as well as educated the minds of children with "War and Peas" a funny tale of a battle between anthropomorphic creatures and obese human beings. Michael Foreman not only created a funny satire against war, but he also went out of his way to top his previous success with more colourful imagery and more in-depth characters.

To me this is Foreman's magnum opus, he gives his views on war in the most hilarious and clever way without sugar-coating it for younger readers (hope I used that term likely). War and Peas is a delicious dish of delectable artwork and juicy story-lines I highly recommend it.

                                                           The Panda Series-1977-1984

 During the late 70s when Foreman was starting to add more detail to his backgrounds and as his design work began to gear towards older readers; he decided to write with his new illustrative style "Panda's Puzzle and his Voyage of Discovery" It's about a young panda bear who travels the world in order to find out if he's a "white panda with black bits" of a "black panda with white bits" The only time I ever read this book was at school and looking back on it, I must say this is Foreman's best. With beautifully serene illustrations, a fun character and a clever storyline I would like to read this book again as I think it would like it more now than I did back than.

It also spawned a sequel 4 years later titled "Panda and the Odd Lion" in this one Panda meets a lion who was born with wings, as they become friends Panda and the lion go on an adventure like never before. I also remember reading this book and it was as good as the first one. There were 2 other sequels as well "Panda and the Bunyips-1984" and "Panda and the Bush Fire-1986" which I haven't read but I bet they would be brilliant. The Panda books are now not as well known as "Dinosaurs" or "War and Peas" but they have gained a cult following among fans. I think children would love these books not only for Foreman's gorgeous art style but his clever storytelling as well.

                                       Michael Foreman meets Terry Jones
Being considered the greatest illustrator of his time, things only got better for Foreman when he collaborated Monty Python's Terry Jones. In 1981 Terry asked Foreman if he could do a couple of both ink and watercolour illustrations for a series of modern fairy tales he was writing. These stories were meant to satirise old folk tales and fables told by The Brothers Grimm and Oscar Wilde as well as pay homage to them; considering Foreman did his own take on those stories himself he agreed. The result was "Fairy Tales" a brilliant collection of original stories that felt like the classic English folk tales; the combination of Foreman's artwork and Jones's funny tales helped invent a new revolution in illustration and children's literature.

After "Fairy Tales" Terry worked with Foreman again to make "The Saga of Erik the Viking" a valiant tale of a Viking warrior on a quest for a land where the sun goes at night. It got Foreman commended for a Greenaway Medal, making it the Best Illustrated Children's Book of '83' Just by looking at the illustrations it looks epic to me, I wish I could say the same about the feature that followed. Terry and Michael would then make "Nicobobinus" and "The Curse of the Vampire Socks and other Doggerel"

In 1992, Foreman and Terry made a follow up to Fairy Tales after 11 years called "Fantastic Stories" The book would contain more original stories written by Jones which followed the same formula as the first one, once again Foreman did a unique job at illustrating the stories making them tasteful and memorable for younger readers and his fans. It's a book that's such a comfort to read I highly recommend it for those who like a variety of stories.

In 1997 Foreman and Jones made "The Knight and the Squire" as a take of medieval fantasy as well as the sequel "The Lady and the Squire" in 2000, it would be the last book Foreman ever illustrated for Jones until 11 years later when they both  released "Animal Tales" To celebrate 30 years since they first worked together Jones wrote the long-awaited follow up to Fantastic Stories. With a collection of assorted funny stories about different animals "Animal Tales" brings back memories of their previous work while making it appeal to a new generation of readers as well. It's great to see these two back together as we owe a lot to them for changing children's literature, I just can't wait to see what these two can now that they're together again.

I'm afraid that's all we have readers but we're not done yet, stay in touch for part 2 as I'll cover more of Michael Foreman and what he's done for children's books but for now I'll see you later.