Description

‘Extraordinary and original’ Raymond Briggs

‘A tender fireside story about an ageing labourer … witty, affectionate … enchanting, in the vein of The Snowman’ Evening Standard

‘Sometimes it feels like I might be the only person awake in the whole country. People might find that a lonely thought. Not me…’

As the rest of the world sleeps, the Gritterman goes out to work. Through the wind and the snow. Through the blue-black hours when time slips away, he grits the paths and the pavements and the roads. For him, a life without gritting is no life at all…

A song for the unsung hero, this is a story about stoicism, dignity and a man leaving behind the work that he loves. It is accompanied by the author’s own illustrations.

**Listen to or download The Gritterman’s companion album featuring 10 new tracks by Orlando Weeks. Available now on all digital and streaming platforms.**

Publisher Review

Reminiscent of Raymond Briggs, a song for the unsung hero * Bookseller * A quintessentially British story with a tender, powerful look at ageing * Picture Books Blogger * One of the top 12 reads of Christmas * You Magazine * [The Gritterman] reminds me of those classic books you find super comforting as a child, but seem kind of sad or sinister when you view them through adult eyes. The soundtrack is full of glimmering, atmospheric instrumentals with narrations from Paul Whitehouse, and Orlando's voice sounds beautiful spread over a piano -- Daisy Jones * Noisey * A tender fireside story about an ageing labourer ... A witty, affectionate book -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * Evening Standard * A beautifully-crafted tale ... An ode to the unsung hero * Hackney Gazette * [A] poignant picture book, with skilled crayon and wash illustrations ... The story of a working-class hero * Sunday Times * Wry, unexpected, and funny ... A really lovely book -- David Gentleman A tender fireside story about an ageing labourer ... A witty, affectionate book ... You feel the story, complete with its soundtrack, would make an enchanting Christmas special on TV, to be repeated every year, in the vein of The Snowman * Evening Standard * A touching Raymond Briggs-like story -- Donna Ferguson * Guardian * In its wistful, feathery melancholia, the book recalls Raymond Briggs at his darkest, but manages to be uplifting all the same * Financial Times * The Gritterman is unutterably beautiful -- Jo Whiley Reminiscent of Raymond Briggs. Weeks's delicate, assured drawings evoke chill-reddened skin, old, trusted machinery, deep shadows, blazing cold and solitude in this superbly atmospheric story -- Imogen Russell Williams * Guardian 'Best New Picture Books' * Beautifully illustrated ... In its depictions of snowfall and isolation, [it] has a sombre, austere beauty -- James Lovegrove, 'Books of the Year 2017' * Financial Times * Extraordinary and original -- Raymond Briggs