Robert IngpenCritiques

Somehow this book sneaked into my collection without being catalogued. And I just found it by accident when going to review it. As with most of Ingpen's books, I bought it for the illustrations....and somewhere I have some of these illustrations in a compendium of Ingpen's works. (Actually, I just went and checked and it's not the same book ...that is called the idle bear and was written for their first grandchild in 1986. But same Bear). I'm intrigued about the technique used. It looks like coloured pencil.....with an overlay of graphite pencil but maybe there is some crayon there as well ....hard to tell. But it doesn't seem to be watercolour. Anyway, as always, lovely illustrations. Not sure about the story. Kind of ok but didn't really grab me. I wonder how it is for children?
Loved his collection of owls. Now that I think about it, I too have owls from Mexico, Indonesia, and, (I think, Spain)...though all have been packed away for ages. I'm a bit divided over this rating. Five stars for the illustrations and two for the story. But illustrations wins out; so 5 stars.

I am still in awe of Robert Ingpen's artistic talent. But not only his art: also his productivity, his research and his fidelity to detail. He is a sort of modern combination of NC Wyeth and Arthur Rackham...and I have always loved their illustrations. I guess, it was being exposed to such illustrations in children's books as a child that makes me like his work so much today. I just had a look at the cost of some of his illustrations that are for sale at auction and they seem to be selling for under $400...which seems rather cheap to me...given the quality and fame of the artist. Admittedly , these are not the original works from his published books. ..There is quite a nice text accompanying the various illustrations and one gets a small insight into the way that Ingpen works. (I like his flat-plan layout page). But I really would have liked to see more pictures of Ingpen himself at work and heard more from him about his technique. He mentions watercolour and tempera but I'm not sure if he has used crayon or oils with some of his works. Certainly, with his teddy bear picture he has used pencil and pastel. So he is obviously adept with a range of materials.
I first came across his work when I was with the CSIRO and I kept some of the magazines for years.....not sure whether I still have some. And I must say, that I was amused to see in his story of the Poppycock that he refers to his characters as Hairy Peruvians. I wonder if it is because (as he says) he saw dolls like this in a museum in Peru.....or because there is a variety of Subterranean clover called "Hairy Peruvian".... because it does have hairs and it comes from Peru. I think the CSIRO was working with newly introduced species like these in the 1960's. Anyway, I feel some affinity with Ingpen because of this shared experience with the CSIRO and agriculture. I seem to remember some illustrations of sub-clover varieties...almost certainly done by Ingpen. (I think there were issues with high oestrogen content of some of these clovers ..and they were messing up the reproductive cycles of sheep). The book is beautifully put together...very balanced and, as one would expect, superbly illustrated. Five stars from me.

When the Spaniards invade the home of the Hairy Peruvians, miniature fishermen, the Hairy Peruvians sail aboard the stormy seas in a Poppykettle, a clay pot used to make poppy tea. Along their voyage, the group of little men and women encounter many fearsome creatures such as spiky iguanas that resemble huge dragons to them. The Hairy Peruvians are determined to find a peaceful, fruitful new home.

I give this story two and a half stars because it simply was just not interesting to me. While reading this story, I honestly could not wait for the last page. None of the words or phrases caught my eye.½

The Voyage of the Poppykettle is actually a very interesting tale. The entire story is an interpretation by the author Robert Ingpen on how these ancient brass keys ended up in Geelong Australia. Because the keys were made of a metal that the natives of Australia had never used previously. So it was interesting to see how he expanded his imagination to create a story of these 7 hairy Peruvians who voyaged with these keys in a poppkettle across the seas until they settled for a new home which is now Australia.

The Voyage of the Poppykettle is an adventurous retelling of how the Hairy Peruvians journeyed from ancient Peru to Australia. These tiny fishermen set sail in a tea kettle boat to escape from invading Spaniards. Because of their tiny size, the Hairy Peruvians run in to many 'oversized and dangerous' animals (once you catch on it's very funny). Today, Geelong children celebrate Poppykettle day every October. The hairy Peruvians' nautical adventure makes it hard to have one setting. For the most part, the story takes place on the Pacific Ocean but it is glossed over when they aren't interacting with any comparatively gigantic animals. I thought this was a cute story but I think it has a greater significance in Australian (aboriginal) culture.

The voyage of the poppykettle is an adventurous book that will be sure to keep students hooked from the beginning to end as it did for me. This book gives the reader a look into what the Hairy Peruvians had to go through to find a new home as they explored through the Pacific Ocean in an Incan teapot in what we know as the “poppyketttle.” The Hairy Peruvians had to go through many obstacles to get to where they were going, but finally, they came to an “unchosen Land” and decided that although it was nothing like Peru, they would make it their new home. The illustrator draws beautiful pictures throughout the Hairy Peruvians journey, which helps make a setting that is integral to the whole story. The story is very creative and unique and gives a well understanding of the history of the poppyketlle and Hairy Peruvians while also entertaining young readers.

Puts one in mind of Huygen & Poortvliet 1976 Gnomes or Froud & Lee's 1978 Faeries book. Same idea and format except, obviously this is set in Australia.
If you like the aforementioned books or are a fan of Ingpen's art (as I am), you will be well satisfied with this 1979 edition.

Beautifully illustrated version of traditional Australian verse/song. Includes single line melody notation of the tune.½