Even with such success, Graeme continued to push the boundaries of what a children’s picture book could offer. Two years later, in 1988 (Australia’s Bicentenary) he launched ‘The Eleventh Hour’, a book filled with mysteries to solve, objects to be found, and codes to break. It became his second most successful book of all time and firmly secured his place in the literary world, as a master of children’s picture books.

Graeme went on to produce many more titles of inspired text and mesmerising illustrations. These include: ‘The Sign of the Seahorse’ in 1992, which saw Graeme discuss the possibility of making the book into an animated film with Steven Spielberg; ‘The Worst Band in the Universe’, in 1999 which included a CD of songs from many of the intergalactic bands in the book; ‘The Water Hole’ (2001), which incorporated a cleverly placed die-cut hole that diminishes as the water dries up; and eventually ‘TruckDogs’, in 2003 which became Graeme’s first foray into the world of children’s novels.

Notable Works

It is somewhat of an injustice to pick only three of Graeme’s works and call them notable. In fact all of his books are notable for different reasons. However in the interest of narrowing our selection, we have focused our efforts on what have been his most successful books to date.

Animalia

‘Animalia’ is without a doubt Graeme’s most successful book. Released in 1986, Graeme eschewed the expectation that alphabet books must remain over-simplified and instead created a complex work of art. Highly detailed in each illustration, it is perhaps the most creative alphabet book ever constructed. Utilising quirky alliteration that plays on each progressive letter of the alphabet, ‘Animalia’ is an enjoyable read for children and adults alike (an incredible feat for an alphabet book). It is testament to Graeme’s abilities that he has been able to bring together a tool for education with such impressive creativity.

On the whole, the book has received excellent reviews. Many adults today continue to seek out this book for their own children and look back on the illustrations with a fond memory. There are some concerns that the pictures contain themes too dark for an early learning book. However this unique style conveys an intrigue that is rarely seen in modern picture books. Indeed, the current minimalist trend (while positive in its own light) often removes the details and context which lend themselves to gripping a child’s imagination long after the book has been closed. This is not so with ‘Animalia’.

In fact, the world of children’s picture books would probably do well to encourage illustrations that shy away from an overly-optimistic and artificially bright world and instead allow themes that occasionally present an atmosphere of a darker (but more magical) world so familiar in the fairy tales and nursery-rhymes of old. There is perhaps much to be said for the idea that happy, hyper-coloured stimulus is better for early development than a darker, more dramatic and earthy presentation. ‘Animalia’ is a picture book that unashamedly stands in the latter category, but in doing so, gives learning the ABC’s a more epic and inspiring context.

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery

A book is read, a story ends, a telling tale is told. But who can say what mysteries a single page may hold?
A maze of hidden codes and clues, a clock at every turn, and only time will tell what other secrets you may learn…

Thus begins the illustrated story of a young elephant’s birthday party. What is initially striking about the format and style of this book is that it in fact breaks two commonly held rules, that poems and anthropomorphized animals in children’s books should be avoided. Yet Graeme pulls off both in a clever and entertaining way.

Despite ‘The Eleventh Hour’ being his second most successful book, it perhaps remains Graeme’s greatest contribution to the world of children’s literature. Sharing a partial similarity with the famous ‘Where’s Wally’ (which had only been published a year earlier), it raises the concept of a simple object finder into a sophisticated hunt for enigmatic clues and curiously disguised riddles.

The power of this book (and what makes it so unique), is that its concepts reach far beyond the simple but imaginative narrative found in so many popular books today. While the power of any children’s picture book lies in appropriate and inspiring illustrations, The Eleventh Hour takes this to another level. In fact, the illustrations often become the driving force behind both the story and the mystery that rises from it.

Ironically, this strength is also its weakness. The thrill of the hunt (for hidden objects and clues) can in fact overtake the narrative itself. This effect, combined with the storyline’s dilemma occurring quite late in the book, means that the tale recedes somewhat into the background. This is not to say that the writing is bad, it is far from it. However it remains clear that Graeme is an artist first and an author second.

Yet what makes this book so important to children’s literature, is that it does what few books can do. Every page becomes a wonderland for the child to explore. The child even becomes part of the story and is encouraged to take the role of the detective. Parents may notice that their child will want to linger on each page for considerable time and for the more artistic child, may even want to delve into the construction of their own story based around the hidden object concept. This of course is the ultimate testament of a good children’s book. When it goes beyond a moment of distraction and enters the realm of encouraging creativity, it transforms from a simple book into a tool of incredible power. The Eleventh Hour certainly has the potential of doing just that.

The Water Hole

It appears evident in various interviews with Graeme Base, that he has a partiality to this particular publication. This is not without good reason, as this 2001 release offers far more than a simple counting book. Drawing on the animal themed simplicity of Animalia and combining it with the hidden object concepts of ‘The Eleventh Hour’, Graeme has managed to distil the genius of these previous publications into a beautiful and exciting picture book.

The appeal of this book is that Graeme has managed to insert subtle but intriguing educational concepts on multiple levels. This book offers simple counting, the concept of simple subtraction, geography, zoology, ecology and of course the enjoyment of discovering hidden objects. However none of these concepts are forced upon the reader and in fact lay unassumingly in the background, waiting to be discovered by anyone searching for the familiar depth that Graeme often brings to his books.

The illustrations of ‘The Water Hole’ may in fact be among his best. Not only does he draw animals and their environments with great care, he has hidden animals in ways that any reader would find incredible. It is no accident that ‘The Water Hole’ remains a popular children’s picture book behind ‘Animalia’ and ‘The Eleventh Hour’.

Source – http://graemebase.com/