The Red Shoes

(Paperback)

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Description

A little girl needs new shoes. There are hundreds of shoes in the shoe shop, but all of them are in the same plain, dull colours - all except for one pair of bright red shoes. The little girl knows that these are the ones for her, but can she convince her mum and the sceptical shoe lady Glass' simple, poetic text and Spires' charming watercolour pictures combine to create a beautiful book about how bright, colourful things can lift people's spirits.

Reviews

Praise for the hardcover edition of The Red Shoes:

"Spare text and 1960s fashions lend a subtle sophistication of bygone days when shopping trips required white gloves and dresses. Any child who's ever begged for the least sensible shoes in the store (and later worn them to bed) will definitely relate."
Publisher's Weekly

"Set in the 1960s, The Red Shoes is a rhyming children's picturebook written by Eleri Glass and illustrated by award-winning book artist Ashley Spires, about a young girl drawn to the vibrant splash of color that is the only pair of red shoes in the shoe store. The shoes are a wonderful apple red, just waiting to be picked! The illustrations enhance the contrast between the bright red shoes and the muted grey of the world they enliven. The little girl even goes to bed wearing her wonderful new shoes. A charming, singsong story.
Midwest Book Review

"With a few strokes of author Eleri Glass' inspired pen, inanimate objects come to life. She has crafted enchanting phrases and similes which will resound with readers... Illustrator Ashley Spires' watercolour and ink artwork complements the text. Into the conformity of greys and browns intrudes a dab of a different colour: a daring spark of beauty and soaring imagination - the red shoes. The Red Shoes is a rare gem that will delight young readers as well as older ones who are still young at heart.
Canadian Children's Book News

"The Red Shoes by Eleri Glass (illustrated by Ashley Spires) is a gorgeous hardcover from Canadian independent publisher Simply Read Books. With a narrative that reads like poetry, and illustrations which evoke a time gone by, this is the perfect book for pint-sized shoe-aholics or, better still, to be given by a shoe-loving mum or aunty!"
We Heart Books blog

"This appealing picture book, written in simple free verse, tells a typical story of a young girl being taken by her mother on a hunt for new shoes...An easy to read book, this text has potential for both enjoyment and discussion."
Resource Links, Carolyn Cutt

"Vancouver artist Ashley Spires does a fantastic job of illustrating this story with great detail. The Red Shoes is a great story for little girls of any age.
Scout Magazine, Michelle Sproule

Author Bio

Eleri Glass is a traveling storyteller and poet. She grew up in New Zealand and came to Canada when she was eight. She currently lives in Vancouver, BC.

Ashley Spires has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and a Graduate Diploma in Illustration from Sheridan College. She is the creator of the Binky The Space Cat series of junior graphic novels, which have earned her numerous awards, including the Silver Birch Express and the Hackmatack. She is the illustrator of several picture books, including Penguin and the Cupcake, Ella's Umbrellas, and The Red Shoes; and has also both written and illustrated several, including Larf, Small Saul and The Most Magnificent Thing, which are known for providing readers, young and old, with a good laugh. She lives in Ladner, BC. Find out more at www.ashleyspires.com.