I've been waiting for this to come out...pretty much ever since I saw how gorgeous the Illustrated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was. Jim Kay does an impeccable job. I love having another "official" version for imagery besides just the movies. (Because I am a hardcore book fan over movies in general, and especially in the case of Harry Potter.) So when my copy turned up in my mailbox today, I did want any normal person would do...and flipped through it to admire the art, and then took some pictures so I could share them with you. (And I might have bad a bit too much fun finding just the right fabric to go behind them.
I think this is my personal favorite...Harry falling into Tom Riddle's diary...
Amazing quidditch illustration...because we all wish we could play quidditch.
Not surprisingly, there are plenty of spiders throughout the book... (Reversible Spider Web Quilt tutorial here.)
I've always had a special place in my heart for Professor Sprout...after all...she's a bit pudgy and messy like me. When you think about it, Chamber of Secrets is where she really shines with her raising the mandrakes that save everyone. The greenhouse is featured inside the front and back covers.
And of course there had to be a big picture of Prof. Lockhart...who can always remind us that not every Ravenclaw is smart.
I was definitely hoping for a phoenix picture, and was NOT disappointed. Love all the details about them.
And how cool is this skelegro?!?
I thought it was SO COOL that the whole Heir of Slytherin chapter is in black with white text. Very neat effect.
And last but not least...I totally love this chapter header with Errol delivering Ron's howler...who I know revives and is okay later...but I just couldn't help but thinking it illustrates some of the mishaps that sometimes befall the owls delivering the "Late" Personalized Hogwarts Letters available in my shop.
There are of course SO many more...Ron belching slugs, Lockhart's pixies, The Chamber of Secrets, Moaning Murtle...and so many more. Even the smaller illustrations are delightful.
My ONLY disappointment with the illustrated Chamber of Secrets is that I was really hoping for a full page illustration of Ginny. (After all, Ginny was Rebecca's favorite character and even now that Rebecca prefers Hermione, Ginny is close behind at second favorite.) However, Ginny doesn't show up in any of the illustrations that I could see. I guess, the illustrator didn't want to give away any clues as to how important she is? Hopefully, she'll get her chance to shine in one of the future books.
I promise than any Harry Potter fan would LOVE getting either of these books for Christmas, birthdays or other special occasions. They are especially great for children interested in Harry Potter who find the length of them daunting. The pictures are a wonderful reward for making it through another page or two. But even people who have reread the books many times will love to see the characters come to live in Jim Kay's art.
The Illustrated Harry Potter and the Scorcer's Stone can be purchased here, and the Illustrated Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets can be purchased here. (And by purchasing through these links a tiny percentage goes to support by blog...and pay for my kids music and dance lessons.)
Now it's going to be a LONG wait for the next 5 illustrated books. I assume that an Illustrated Prisoner of Azkaban is in the works now. Here are a few illustrations I'm predicting (hoping!) will be included...in no particular order:
- Monster Book of Monsters
- Full Page Remus Lupin (I'm not particularly a fan of the way they made him look in the movie, so I'm so anxious for Jim Kay's take on him.)
- A Jim Kay version of the Maurader's Map
- Some amazing patronus art
- Students battling the bogart...maybe Snape in Neville's grandmother's hat and dress?
- Prof. Tralawney
- Azkaban Island
- Dementors
- Dudley bigger than ever...he's been in every book so far.
- The night bus
- An infographic about werewolves, dementors, and/or animagi
- I'd love a Ginny Weasley picture...but since she didn't make it into book 2, I'm afraid we might have to wait until book 4 for a peak of her.
What illustrations are you hoping for?
See these links for more details about other Harry Potter themed crafts we've done...and be sure to check back because I'll be adding more as I get them written up.
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