I’ve always associated Quentin Blake with his illustrations for Roald Dahl’s books, but Blake has both written and illustrated over thirty books of his own. In his three-book Armitage series, a quirky character reacts to seemingly mundane situations in increasingly unusual ways.
In the Big Wave, the second Armitage book, the title character triumphantly turns a simple surfboard into something more akin to a flotilla, based on repeated discoveries of “what we need here” while waiting for the Big Wave with her faithful dog. In the other Armitage books, Mrs. Armitage seems a bit scattered and disaster prone. But the Big Wave shows Mrs. Armitage at her most creative, competent, and engaging. (Mrs. Armitage, Queen of the Road is also popular in our house; Mrs. Armitage on Wheels is not.)
Author: Quentin Blake
Illustrator: Quentin Blake