Benjamin Phillips

<b>A tender exploration of motherhood, memory and the silences that we choose to ignore.</b><br/><br/>Miri is the exhausted mother of a screaming newborn and four-year-old Frances, who refuses to give up her shushu (pacifier). When her judgmental mother-in-law, Bella, arrives, she's more of a burden than a help; criticising mealtimes, bedtimes, and of course, the ever-present shushu. When not dispensing unsolicited advice, Bella lounges in a Valium-induced haze on the sofa.<br/><br/>Miri is overwhelmed-not just by Bella, but by the new roles assigned to her. Her identity is subsumed in the relentless rhythm of nursery runs, dinner prep and the demands of domesticity. All the while, Frances, ever watchful, gathers her lessons in silence. <br/><br/>This is a tender, sharp, and quietly powerful story about the isolation of motherhood, and the pacifiers - both literal and metaphorical - we pass down through generations. <br/><br/>From the creators of Alte Zachen (Carnegie Shortlist, V&A Illustration Award), this marks Cicada's first adult graphic novel. Benjamin Phillips' expressive hand-drawn ink illustrations breathe life into every page. Told with subtlety, wit and warmth, it explores universal themes that will resonate deeply with readers.

<b>Winner of the Moira Gemmill Illustrator of the Year Award 2024 <br/> Winner of the V&A Illustration for Children Award 2024 <br/> Shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2023<br/> Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2023 <br/><br/> A beautifully illustrated and presented intergenerational graphic novel that follows 11-year-old Benji and his elderly grandmother, Bubbe Rosa, as they traverse Brooklyn and Manhattan, gathering the ingredients for a Friday night dinner.</b> <br/><br/> Bubbe's relationship with the city is complex & nothing is quite as she remembered it and she feels alienated and angry at the world around her. Benji, on the other hand, looks at the world, and his grandmother, with clear-eyed acceptance. As they wander the city, we catch glimpses of Bubbe's childhood in Germany, her young adulthood in 1950s Brooklyn, and her relationships; first with a baker called Gershon, and later with successful Joe, Benji's grandfather. Gradually we piece together snippets of Bubbe's life, gaining an insight to some of the things that have formed her cantankerous personality. The journey culminates on the Lower East Side in a moving reunion between Rosa and Gershon, her first love. As the sun sets, Benji and his Bubbe walk home over the Williamsburg Bridge to make dinner. <br/><br/> This is a powerful, affecting and deceptively simple story of Jewish identity, of generational divides, of the surmountability of difference and of a restless city and its inhabitants.