“I first came across Amanda Hall’s work years ago when she illustrated a book I wrote called “My Favourite Stories” which was a collection of stories from around the world published by Dorling Kindersley. I felt I had never had such a glorious illustrator. She was everything I look for as a storyteller –especially for children: colour, design, clear imagery – not just reflecting the story she was illustrating, but adding her own imagination, and bringing that extra dimension to enrich and expand the reader’s experience.
What made Amanda especially appealing to me was her sensitivity, curiosity and passion for all cultures. She is meticulous in her research and yet always able to bring her own personality, creativity, and passion to the project in hand. In the end, what matters to her is that she reflects the truth of the story.
Although she has produced the most intricately worked illustrations comparable, in my view, to some of the great miniaturists, she can also give you a picture of striking simplicity which, nonetheless, incorporates the essence of the story. It is for this reason I have chosen her illustration from the book we published together called “Tales from India” for the opening creation story, “How the World Began.” The story begins with Lord Brahma asleep, floating in a lotus flower on a sea of milk. While he is asleep there is no existence; nothing. But when he awakes, the Creation begins. To illustrate this Amanda produced an eye.
At first glance, it is an open eye – plain and simple, but then when you continue to look at it, you might surmise that the pink lid is the pink of dawn, that the white of the eye is finely rippled as if reflecting the sea of milk. Within the black pupil –which feels like the blackness of cosmic space, before the Big Bang if you like, glimmers the lotus in the centre. Her masterly stroke is the teardrop. It hangs from the corner of the eye like a green emerald – the colour of growth and the creation of life, and within that teardrop, for which she must have used a magnifying glass to work with, is India; the jewel of Lord Brhama’s creation. Utterly brilliant.”
—Jamila Gavin for JJ Books
“Tales from India: Stories of Creation and the Cosmos is a collection of Hindu myths, beautifully illustrated by Amanda Hall, and told in a lively, exciting style that makes them seen new-minted.”
—Books for Keeps — Link
“Tales from India is exemplary, a model of narrative and visual storytelling by two talented and inspired artists. … The stories in Tales from India owe much to the fascinating art and visual design of illustrator Amanda Hall.”
—New York Journal of Books — Link
“This fabulous-looking collection of stories by the wonderful Jamila Gavin, illustrated by Amanda Hall…”
—The Observer/ Kate Kellaway — Link
“The illustrations are beautiful and the illustrator has used authentic Indian art styles from the past and present, especially using miniature painting for the fine details of her paintings. The gods are fantastic creatures with many arms, parts human/parts animal, or simply wondrous creatures and they come to their full splendour under Hall’s brush.”
—Goodreads —Link
“Whitbread Book Award–winner Gavin, who grew up in India, presents 10 classic Hindu stories, accompanied by Hall’s lush and elegant gouache illustrations.”
—Publishers Weekly — Link
“Hall’s vibrant gouache artwork glows in jewel-colours; saffron yellow, sari-cerise, lapis blue. In order to capture the fine details in the illustrations, Hall painted whilst looking through a giant magnifying glass and used brushes so fine the smallest had only a single hair. Yet she combines this authenticity with her own style, achieving a softness and clarity beautifully suited to children… Truly a collection to treasure.”
—Armadillo Magazine/ Dawn Casey
“Gavin’s narratives are deliberate yet spellbinding, and Hall’s artwork is visual storytelling at its best, with illustrations that literally glow with the mystique and beauty of India…………This handsome book of Hindu mythology is a fine choice for most any library collection.”
—Booklist Online reviews/ Erin Anderson — Link
“Amanda Hall’s illustrations are beautiful and the book is bursting with energy and colour. Only one word can summarise this collection … stunning… Highly recommended for readers 7+ and particularly for shared reading as a class or family.”
—Book a Poet
“Come on a journey with renowned storyteller Jamila Gavin as she writes of great floods, legendary romances, and epic battles between good and evil. This new collection of Hindu tales, including the birth of the gods, tales of creation, and the arrival of humans, is illuminated by Amanda Hall’s exquisite artwork, which reflects the influence of both classical and contemporary Indian art.”
—The School Librarian Winter 2011 Edition/ Jane Doonan
“The magical tales are woven by the award-winning Jamila Gavin, and illuminated by Amanda Hall’s delicate, colourful artwork. Ages: 8+”
—The Guardian Bookshop Trade Review