Picturebooking Podcast with Nick Patton October 2020
This weeks Picturebooking podcast hosted by Nick Patton features a chat we had on Skype a few weeks ago. We talk about how the character of Ollie first came about, where my inspiration for The Little Kitten came from, and how I became a childrens’s book illustrator and author. I was very nervous to start with but I really enjoyed chatting with Nick! You can subscribe to the podcast on the usual platforms or listen to it online here: Picturebooking
First Lady of the United States Reads The Little Rabbit on Easter Sunday!
I woke up on Monday 13th April to see a very surprising tweet from the US, asking how I felt about the First Lady reading my book! I had no idea what was going on, but, after a search on twitter, I found out that Melania Trump had made a film of herself reading The Little Rabbit for her Easter message. This was in place of the usual White House Egg Roll which had been cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic. You can find the film on the First Lady’s twitter and instagram accounts, and it’s also available to watch on the White House YouTube channel here:
BookTrust’s Great Books Guide 2019
I’m very happy to say that My Name Is Bear has been included in BookTrust’s Great Books Guide for 2019! This guide shows their picks for the best 100 books of the year divided into different age categories, so it’s a real honour for Bear to be there! He’s included in the 0-3 age group and there is a lovely review on the BookTrust website too.
Love Your Library Campaign
A while ago I was asked by the lovely people at Simon & Schuster Children’s UK to create a black and white illustration for a campaign they were launching to support libraries and the vital work that they do in providing access to books and reading for all children.
The artworks produced by myself and 11 other illustrators form the basis of a touring LOVE YOUR LIBRARY exhibition which launched at the Victoria and Albert museum in the National Art Library on Monday 7th October, during Libraries Week 2019. The exhibition has now embarked on a year-long tour of the UK visiting several public libraries including Halifax,
Redbridge and Barnsley. The year-long tour will culminate during Libraries Week 2020 with a free prize draw open to schools and public libraries to win one of the 12 original artworks!
Histon Handmade 2019
I will be at Histon Handmade again this year with my books, handmade cards and original artworks too! The event is on Saturday 30th November – for more details see the website here: https://histonhandmade.com/
My Name Is Bear
My new book My Name is Bear will be published in the UK on May 30th 2019 by Egmont UK!
