Written by Kyle Mewburn, published by Scholastic NZ, 2016
"The House on the Hill is Kyle Mewburn’s homage to Edgar Allan Poe — a hauntingly lyrical text with a nod to Poe’s The Raven. It provides just the right amount of spine-tingling spookiness for children who like the anticipation of feeling a tiny bit scared, and all comes right with the delightful reveal at the end. It is a sophisticated picture book, beautifully illustrated in a fittingly monochromatic style by Sarah Davis."
Download the fantastic teacher's notes from Scholastic
“With Mewburn‘s ode to Edgar Allan Poe’s Raven, his romantically suave language and rhythmic canter beautifully rolls off the tongue. Sarah Davis‘s monochromatic, sepia toned imagery marries flawlessly with the spine-tingling lyrics to create an optimal intensity of creepiness and tension...Davis’s striking illustrations with her extreme angles and perspectives, perfectly placed focal objects and effective use of light and shade draw us in with every breath”
“The illustrations are just brilliant. The dark sepia tones set the eerie scene and contrast greatly with the colourful scene when all is revealed.”
“What a treasure!...The language and illustrations marry up perfectly to create a suitably creepy atmosphere. The use of sepia tones in the illustrations adds to the tension and pulls readers in... This highlights the perfect collaboration of the author and illustrator who understand each other.
Beautifully written, gorgeously illustrated, this book is going to be a hit!”