“I have been so fortunate to have been able to work with Jane on my first two children’s books.
Jane made a point of visiting my property, (the location of the story), and has managed to capture all the areas of the property beautifully.
I believe if any child had read one of my books and then came to Tangleby, they would think they were actually in the story.
The amount of detail, mood and depth that Jane gets into each illustration is incredible. This allows for the story to become very enticing and real.”

“The author has a passion for cooking, gardening and children, and these loves shine through in this gorgeous hardback. It has a slightly retro feel with the illustrations, story and recipes. The illustrations are suitably dreamy and in a soft colour palette to complement the story. The recipe images are fun, a blend of photography of the dish with illustrations of the various creatures added. ”

“There are colour illustrations on every page, the work of Jane Smith, a Mapua artist and designer, who has succeeded brilliantly in creating the various animals, dressing them appropriately and fitting them together in scale. The best picture shows Montgomery and Hemi echanging a hongi; the rabbit and the frog are formally dressed, complete with bowler hat and cufflinks but both have carefully removed their spectacles so they can press noses.

Neil Smith’s fine photos of the food have been carefully adapted so that the animals painted by Jane Smith also appear in them. The various animals can be seen cutting up sausage rolls and cakes, squeezing lime juice on to rainbow fruit salad, or simply enjoying the first bite of various dishes.
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“A great present for grandparents to buy for their grandchildren. Or to keep at their place to read when their grandchildren visit. I can imagine the grandparents teaching their grandchildren how to cook with the delicious recipes included in the book (like I did with my grandmother). It would make a great Christmas present.”