Curiosity

I've been rummaging through the library store cupboard again. I've been clearing out, sorting and to the stock in circulation and what not. Today I came across a book that has obviously been there for a while but somehow evaded my attention until now.
A special edition of The Wind in the Willows. Perfect! I thought, the existing copy in the library is a bit tatty and why shouldn't the students enjoy reading such a beautifully illustrated edition?
I took the book to my office to prepare it for circulation, but got distracted by other jobs.
I kept going back to look at the illustrations throughout the day, I really like them. I noticed that the book was signed by the illustrator, James Lynch who is an ex-pupil and had presented the school with this wonderful book.
So I did a bit of research on James Lynch who still lives in the area and paints beautiful landscapes many of Somerset and Dorset. I think that's what drew me at first. The illustration settings were strangely familiar to me and they could be any number of villages and landscapes around the area where I live. I went onto look at some of his paintings and spotting one that I loved and very recently bought a card with that very print of Shepton Montague Church. I'd bought it because I liked it and was completely unaware of the connection.
This book just shouldn't be languishing in a dusty cupboard. If I was to be a the school for a little longer, I would use this book to start a project about role illustrations play in books. I would love to invite the artist back to school and perhaps work jointly with the art and english departments at creating our own book with James Lynch and perhaps other illustrators and local writers for example Gill Lewis who wrote Sky Hawk and White Dolphin.

Wishful thinking.

I will however as if the book can be displayed somewhere as an example of Former pupil achievements.