Oddney's Otherland: Chronicles From Beneath the Shed - In Search of The Two-Headed Firedrake Book
John Cleese (Writer, Actor and Tall Person):
So… Oddney’s Otherland ???
What’s it all about?
I’ll tell you, provided you don’t interrupt me…
It’s about a super-bumbling professor and his sharp-witted magpie, engaged on a weird quest, in a strange world, inhabited by gnomes, odd goblins, potato crisps, dragons and a record-breakingly nasty wizard!
And, what I know for sure … is that you will love the illustrations by my favourite artist, Rodney Matthews, and his deliciously zany story, written with his very, very silly wife, Sarah.
(I can’t help wondering … are Professor Oddney and Rodney one and the same? After all, Rodney once strode the Somerset countryside with a magpie upon his head.)
Dr Simon Cooke (Editor, Illustration magazine)
Nicolette Jones (Writer, Literary Critic and Broadcaster):
Fantastical caricature
Tobias Sammet (Musician, Songwriter and Music Producer):
What a great book, and you can tell everything you do is put together with so much love. It's super immersive, and that's what I love about everything you do!!! It's inspiring and needless to say: it's fantastic.
Pam Norfolk (Book reviewer for Lancashire Post with reviews syndicated to 23 newspaper websites in Lancashire and Yorkshire):
What would you do if you found a tunnel beneath your shed and what if you knew it led to a whole other world? Get lost in a deliciously daffy ‘otherland’ and marvel at a world brought to life with dazzling colour and imagination in a spectacular fantasy adventure from talented husband and wife team, acclaimed fantasy album artist Rodney Matthews and debut children’s author Sarah Matthews.
This beautifully created hardback book – with a foreword by writer and comedian John Cleese – is packed with thrills and comedy and features an explorer on an epic quest to find a two-headed firedrake dragon in the ‘Otherworld’ under his shed.
Move over retirement, for naturalist Professor Oddney has discovered his Uncle Cuthbert’s old journal and a mysterious tunnel beneath his shed which he feels compelled to investigate. Joined by his trusty sidekick, Magnus the talking magpie, the pair soon find themselves on a daring quest and a wonderfully absurd journey to a weird and fiery hidden world called Otherland. And it’s there they must find the mighty beast known as The Two-Headed Firedrake. But it’s a place that is also inhabited by Grumpy Meadow Gnomes, Bloated Hobgoblins, the Rhubarbarian, Great Leaping Buttock-Biters and the despicable Dragoner. And as they navigate this strange new land, they must find out who to trust... and who might help them in their quest.
With a wild and whimsical story – packed with soaraway imagination, madcap antics and buttock-snapping inhabitants, and exploring themes of kindness and friendship – all brought to life by Rodney Matthews’ lavish and atmospheric illustrations, this is a book to love and treasure.
Joanne Owen (Editorial Expert at LoveReading4Kids):
An outlandishly zany, colourfully characterful fantasy quest story. Presented as a fancy large-format hardback, each page is resplendent with a detailed illustrative style that melds Arthur Rackham with high fantasy, while the story is driven by Oddney’s quest and characterful dialogue that lends itself well to reading aloud. Quirkily comic, there definitely be dragons in Oddney's Otherland, alongside a whole lot of high jinks adventure and themes of friendship, to boot.
Christian Ritchie (Regional Outreach Coordinator, Scottish Book Trust):
I have now received my copy of Oddney’s Otherland and am enjoying the wonderful illustrations and characters I have met as I journey through the book. My work at SBT involves outreach visits to schools in the North East and I will definitely be promoting this book to teachers looking for contemporary material to use with their classes. I feel that this book would open up countless opportunities to develop cross curricular work if used with a class and of course lends itself to looking at the importance of our friendships. Children will love the characters involved in the story and I envisage them wanting to create some of their own and possibly their own piece of writing about a tunnel under the shed!
Jill Bennett (Children's Book Reviewer):
The weird and wonderful realm portrayed in the illustrations reminded me somewhat of Arthur Rackham’s style. As you follow the quest towards its fiery finale you’ll find several dragons, significantly one, Spitfire, by name, trolls, goblins, a Flatulus even a talking brolly.WIth themes of friendship and camaraderie, this longish story reads aloud well and I suggest sharing it with children over several days.
School Librarian (Youth Library Group):
“It's a lovely book - reminded me somewhat of Terry Pratchett, so I gave it to another teacher who is a Pratchett lover and she concurred. One of those books you want to give as a gift.”
Elen Green via Reading Zone (Children's Book Reviewer):
This wonderfully fantastical quest into a world of strange creatures, gentle peril and endless cups of Professor Oddney's tea, can be shared with children aged seven years plus, although some of the vocabulary will need explaining. The illustrations, by fantasy artist Rodney Matthews, will be poured over, with the landscapes and strange creatures brought to life in the images, inviting further exploration and discussion.
Oddney and Magnus's adventure-laden quest has a wonderfully old-fashioned appeal to it, with the constant perils in this strange landscape offset by the humour and warmth of Oddney and Magnus's relationship; while Oddney is keen to explore and remains unfazed by their adventures, Magnus the magpie has a more cautious outlook and is a much more reluctant adventurer.
There are many perils to face in the world of Otherland and some of these will have readers on the edge of their seats, but somehow we also know that the professor and his friend will get through, helped along by many cups of Professor Oddland's tea. The beautifully depicted illustrations of their adventures in these strange landscapes will capture children's attention, keep the pages turning, and make this a book to cherish.
Lorraine Ansell via Reading Zone (School Librarian):
Oddney's Otherland: Chronicles from Beneath the Shed is in fact an odd little book. A simple tale of a man and his talking magpie finding and venturing into another world is unusual but somewhat hilarious. Full of strange creatures, such as dragons and goblins, and unusual places, the book is highly illustrated in sepia and colour fantastical realism.
Oddney and the magpie are surprisingly similar in appearance and almost extensions of one another, making one question if Magnus is in fact representative of his conscience. Whereas Oddney is undeterred in his enthusiasm, almost without considering consequences, Magnus is more cautious and anxious about possible outcomes.
The illustrations help to bring the story to life, as the writing is simple but, at times, uninspiring. The characters, however, are charming, and the action and landscape ever-changing. The addition of a nosy neighbour brings a humorous element, and the book is quite funny throughout with the pair evading or getting into close scrapes.
The narrative does take a strange turn towards the end, but this allows for an exciting rescue. Overall, the narrative and characters are kept simple with no real depth, but I feel the authors have aimed for humour over anything else. I think it would probably appeal to younger or reluctant readers due to the simplicity of the writing, and the jokes, with fairly short chapters, and fantastical, beautiful illustrations helping things along. A foreword from John Cleese perhaps sets the scene for the silly humour and story.
Yendor: The Journey of a Junior Adventurer Animation
Maica N (Film Critic, KIDS FIRST!)
Yendor - The Journey of a Junior Adventurer is different than anything I've ever seen before! What makes this stand out is the type of animation. It is more like a story turned into a short film.
The storyline follows a young boy named Yendor who longs to be an adventurer like his father. He feels that he is old enough, strong enough and mature enough to do it. So, he finally decides to take action and go out to explore. However, what he doesn't realize is that the path he takes is very dangerous. Everywhere he goes there is some kind of beast or challenge. He has to find a way to get past all of these obstacles and make his way home.
What I like about the film is that it's a common scenario, but unique. In this film, beasts and mythical creatures emphasize each obstacle, which makes it stand out. The animation is not full range animation, but it has pretty good movement. What impressed me is how well it tells the story. The drawings are very well detailed and beautiful. The background music is very well suited for the film, enhancing it a great deal and timed to perfection. The music crescendos to coincide with the intensity of the conflict. My favorite part of the film is the narration by Sarah Matthews. She is British I presume, since the film is from the UK.
The message of this film is that you will grow into who you are, you don't need to rush. Yendor needed to realize that he would eventually become the adventurer his dad was. He just needs to be patient and everything will fall into place. Be aware that it does show kids doing risky things that kids might imitate and we see Yendor disobeying his parents by running away. However, as an animated film, these things don’t necessarily elicit imitation.
I give this film 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 4 to 8. I recommend it for a youth or family film festival because has a great story and message.
Adrian Perez (CEO & Founder, Lonely Wolf Film Festival):
Rodney & Sarah Matthews' Yendor: The Journey of a Junior Adventurer's an infectiously charming animated film. This visual spectacle could quickly be commissioned into a pre-school children's series, with a unique style of 2D animation that's aesthetically gorgeous and irresistible. At times Yendor's aesthetic wonder begs for a faster tempo-rhythm and more interactive script that brushes past the passive and limited spectatorial experience a narrator condemns this story to, to the immersion that a fully-fledged character-dimensional script and ensemble voice cast would offer Yendor. Aside from those executed choices on a scriptural and auditorial level, Yendor's vibrant world-building and character design make this an extraordinary animated odyssey; this is first-class 2D animation that's gripping, sophisticated, and utterly magical. A visual spectacle. Grade B+
Bollywood Indies Film Festival:
‘Yendor–the story of a junior adventurer’ is a short, animated film by Directors Rodney Matthews and Sarah Matthews. The film amazes right from the word go, with its charming colour palette and the exotic wonderland it creates. Narrated as a bedtime story, the film uses the spoken word to add layers to its imagery. It builds the dangerous fantasy world that Yendor explores from the ground up, adding menacing characters complete with unique traits and fantastical superpowers, while standing clear of unnecessary violence and gore. The film is child-safe and has the thrills to give the satisfaction of having completed an eventful adventure in person. ‘Yendor–The story of junior adventurer’ is a charming creation that kindles the imagination of young minds and brings out the adventurer in every heart, young and old.