'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 and the freezing cold, in the blue-black hours when time slips away, he grits the paths and the pavements and the roads. For him, there is romance in the winter and comfort in his purpose. But what would a life without gritting mean?
A song for the unsung hero, this is a bittersweet story about stoicism, dignity and a man leaving behind the work that he loves. It is accompanied by the author's own illustrations.
Imprint: Penguin
Published: 07/09/2017
ISBN: 9781846149900
Length: 80 Pages
RRP: £9.99
Extraordinary and original
Beautifully illustrated ... In its depictions of snowfall and isolation, [it] has a sombre, austere beauty
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
The Gritterman is unutterably beautiful
In its wistful, feathery melancholia, the book recalls Raymond Briggs at his darkest, but manages to be uplifting all the same
A touching Raymond Briggs-like story
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
Wry, unexpected, and funny ... A really lovely book
[A] poignant picture book, with skilled crayon and wash illustrations ... The story of a working-class hero
A beautifully-crafted tale ... An ode to the unsung hero