Hilda’s Book of Beasts and Spirits 

By Emily Hibbs

Artwork by Jason Chan P.L and Sapo Lendario

Blog Tour Day 12

 I’ve always been a fan of companion guides/illustrated guides (is that the name for them?)  – books that are choc-full of extra information and detail about a particular topic you’re interested in.

Growing up as a devoted Stars Wars (and still am), I’ve seen my fair share of these types of books, with varying degrees of success. My daughter is obsessed with The Dragon Prince, and has an illustrated guide for that, which she keeps dipping back into. And these things got me thinking – what is the recipe for success for a good illustrated guide?

I asked my daughter and she said, ‘I just love finding more stuff out about it, it’s really exciting.’

Can’t argue with that.

My views are:

1.     It needs to be purposeful – it needs to add to what the reader already knows, especially with a few golden nuggets of information that will blow the reader’s mind

2.     It also needs to be aware that its job is not just for established fans – there is an opportunity here to entice and create new readers and new fans, so it needs to be accessible.

And guess what? Hilda’s Book of Beasts and Spirits knocks it out of the park on both my points and my daughter’s.

At this point I feel it would be a bit ironic if I then decided not to give you an explanation of Hilda and her world so here it is:

Hilda is an adventurous young girl who ‘can never sit still for long without setting off on another adventure’. She lives in the wilderness with her mother and her companion Twig ( a deerfox, more on that later!). From that starting point, all bets are off as to what she is going to encounter and creator Luke Pearson revels in the world he has created. Each adventure brings a new type of beast/monster/companion/spirit into Hilda’s world so it makes perfect sense to put them all into one place.

                                                    

 

Hilda graphic novels are short and snappy (they’re around 80 pages and aren’t text heavy), so getting the right amount of information in the guide is crucial. A good ploy they’ve used for this guide is to have notes written by Hilda on most of the pages – it adds a playful authenticity to it and ensures that there is a strong link between this, the graphic novels and the TV series. In Hilda’s first note, she mentions how she wished she’d borrowed the book from the library before she’d gone on some of her adventures – a nice aside to the on-going importance of libraries as well. Hilda’s insight also gives the reader inside knowledge – she’s lived and experienced all of this – and she revels in pointing out when the guide might not actually be 100% accurate.

The guide itself positons itself in the interesting way of being informative but also with a strong message to the reader:

‘The future of these beings depends on curious and courageous individuals who are willing to venture where none have gone before and defend those who nobody else will speak up for.’

If that isn’t a masterclass in speaking and appealing directly to children then I don’t know what is.

And so, in 6 different sections, grouped according to type of beast/spirit you can dive headfirst into the world around Trolberg. And this is where illustrated guides are great – you don’t have to read it in order if you don’t want to, you can dip into sections you’re most interested in or most intrigued by (I myself went straight for the deerfoxes in the Secretive Souls section, I just love that combination).

Each beast/spirit is given a full page illustration to introduce it, and then the information follows on the next pages, often using a range of different techniques and devices to present the information.

 

                 

The artwork is gorgeous. Really, really gorgeous. It’s done using watercolours (which I’m an absolute sucker for in graphic novels) and the results are stunning and you can really appreciate the skill involved. Hilda adds her own artwork to some of the pages as well.

 Highlights? It’s a book full of wonderful stuff but I particularly liked:

• How to distinguish between a Marra (nightmare spirits who prey on anxious victims) and teenagers
• The rules of Elf Poker
• Hilda’s dream of riding a salt lion
• Troll Translation
• Deerfoxes – look at how beautiful they are! And the fact that the heroes of legend are all said to have had one as a companion, and that once a deerfox chooses you is your companion for life, makes Hilda and Twig’s friendship all the more special

This book is a gem - a feast for the eyes and a perfect companion to an already brilliant series. 

If you love Hilda and the world she inhabits, this is right up your street.

If you’re looking for a new series of graphic novels and TV to get into, this is right up your street.

If you like looking at seriously beautiful artwork, this is right up your street.

If you’re looking for a treasure trove of ideas on how to present a non-chronological report, this is right up your street.

I could go on and on - you get the idea. I loved this book, you'll love it too.