The Red Prince

We adored Tom Clohosy Cole's debut picture book,Wall. It was a poignant and truly atmospheric historical journey with a stunning illustrative style.
In his collaboration with Charles Jubb, 'The Red Prince' is tale of camaraderie, courage and escape, set in the most beautiful landscape.
In a kingdom named Avala, a king and queen ruled the island. They were loved by their people, as was their son.
The king and queen are required leave the island to take a tour of the mainland.
As they head off, they leave the young Prince in charge of the island. But that night, a number of black ships sailed silently into the harbour and kidnapped the Prince of Avala.
Tom's use of dark and light is incredulous and his creation of the imaginary Avala is a stunning backdrop to this intensifying tale.
His illustrations add another layer of tension and emotion to complement Jubb's simple and beautiful words.
The prince is held captive, but manages to escape. But, dressed top to toe in red, he's rather easy to spot by his enemies.
Until that it, his people come to the rescue. The Avalans too dress in red and help the prince evade his captors. This is such an empowering spread and the story has a strong and uplifting end.

-- picturebooksblogger * picturebooksblogger *
I think this book is just gorgeous and I love the way that Tom plays with the light and the dark to really make his illustrations. And it's got a particularly heart-warming ending... -- Laura Main Ellen * Plugging Pictur