The colour palette gives this version a truly classic feel and the use of silhouette puts me in mind of classic comics such as The Adventures of TinTin. The physical layout of the book also helps portray the experience of the robot such as the split page in which its torso is above water and its legs are below or the windows in which the head disappears under the water as it subsidies ‘deeper, deeper, deeper’. The fact that the characters in question are not human could stimulate a cruder analysis of their treatment. With older children, you could explore the historical context and possible influence of The Space Race and The Cold War but on a plot level you could focus on the themes of prejudice and tolerance to newcomers to a town or country bullying – “there’s always a bigger fish”. The story itself works on multiple levels. This offers the chance to explore perspective and empathise with the robot’s plight as he transforms from enemy to hero. The graphic novel spreads enable a wordless approach to comprehension and the opportunity to focus on key parts of the robot’s ‘anatomy’. The illustrations are so engaging and provide access to this classic story to children who may be overwhelmed by large chunks of text. I have always loved Mould’s style and it totally suits this beautiful modern fairytale of triumph over adversity.įrom the detailed endpapers to the breathtaking double spread sunset, every picture captures the essence of the story and its protagonist.

actually, he's never not drawing or writing.The Iron Man retold for a new generation with a deluge of stunning illustrations by the talented Chris Mould. He lives in Yorkshire with his wife, has two grown-up daughters, and when he's not drawing and writing, you'll find him. As well as writing his own fiction, he has teamed up with author Matt Haig for the bestselling A Boy Called Christmas, A Girl Called Christmas and Father Christmas and Me. A sublime draftsman with a penchant for the gothic, he has illustrated the gamut from picture books and young fiction, to theatre posters and satirical cartoons for national newspapers. Chris Mould is an award-winning illustrator who went to art school at 16. His most widely read classic children's story The Iron Man, has been adapted for both stage and screen, and is regarded as one of the greatest children's books of all time.

In 1977 he was awarded an OBE for services to Literature, and was awarded the Order of Merit in 1998. In 1974 Hughes was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. He was born in Yorkshire in 1930, and was Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death in 1998. Ted Hughes is widely considered one of the greatest poets of his generation and indeed one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.

The iron man ted hughes chris mould