Music and Merriment with Richard Johnson!

Well, we are back and raring to go here at the Org HQ today and what a wonderful welcome back we have had in the form of these beautiful copies of Richard Johnson Illustration's Musical Nursery Rhymes for Usborne Publishing! Their arrival in the post was just what was needed to wake us from our Christmas stupor so come on, what about a sing song?!

Dario and the Whale Swim to the Top of the Charts!

The enchanting story of 'Dario and the Whale', Illustrated by the fabulous Bistra Masseva has been named one of the Best Picture Books of 2016 by Shelf Awareness!

Their hugely complimentary review is a joy to read and is also sure to make Bistra Blush!!

"The almost holy wonder of looking into a whale's eye is sublimely captured in the inviting, richly textured paintings of Bulgarian-born illustrator Bistra Masseva".

Get your own copy of this radiant picture book here!

Hannah McCaffery - Illustrator Saturday Feature!

We are so excited that our very own Hannah McCaffery has been chosen as the star of this week's Writing and Illustrating 'Illustrator Saturday' feature! Click here and read about Hannah's fabulous work, influences and creative process! Enjoy! 

Rhyming with Richard Johnson!

Happy World Nursery Rhyme Week everyone! Launched in 2013 by Music Bugs this unique event is designed to promote the importance of nursery rhymes to the under 7s and to provide families and Early Years practitioners with ideas, inspiration and resources to help ensure that nursery rhymes are celebrated and enjoyed in our homes and classrooms everyday.

Just released by Usborne Publishing, Musical Nursery Rhymes is the perfect addition to any child's bookshelf! Press the buttons on the pages of this delightful book to hear the tunes for seven well-loved nursery rhymes, including Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo-peep, Sing a Song of Sixpence and Hey Diddle Diddle. This charming volume includes the words for each rhyme and delightful illustrations by Richard Johnson with 'finger-trails' and cut-out shapes to discover. What more could you ask for!

Get your own copy here!

It's Raining Cats and Dogs!

Last night saw the young (and perhaps not so young, in some cases!) take to the streets dressed as werewolves, witches and black cats! Whether you favoured a canine or feline theme, you are sure to love Gareth Lucas' new collaboration with Usborne Publishing!

From Pugs to Persians and Schnauzers to Siamese, the latest in the 'Look and Find' series offers the best of both worlds with each superbly illustrated page teeming with cats and dogs (and a few other animals) to spot, match, count and talk about. A perfect gift for any little witch or warlock!

Get it here!

A Lady Had the Floor!

We kick off the @FCBGNews The Federation of Children's Book Groups Non-Fiction November in style with these fabulous and topical illustrations by Alison Jay for Boyds Mills Press! These wonderful pieces are for an upcoming project 'A Lady Had the Floor' - the factual story about Belva Lockwood - the first woman to run for president of USA in 1884 for the equal rights party, a long time before Hillary Clinton!!

Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood  was an American attorney, politician, educator, and author. She was active in working for women's rights. The press of her day referred to her as a "suffragist," someone who believed in women's suffrage or voting rights. Lockwood overcame many social and personal obstacles related to gender restrictions. After college, she became a teacher and principal, working to equalise pay for women in education. She supported the movement for world peace, and was a proponent of temperance.

Lockwood graduated from law school in Washington, D.C. and became one of the first female lawyers in the United States. In 1879, she successfully petitioned Congress to be allowed to practice before the United States Supreme Court, becoming the first woman attorney given this privilege. Lockwood ran for president in 1884 and 1888 on the ticket of the National Equal Rights Party and was the first woman to appear on official ballots.

We think you will agree that Alison has certainly done justice to this pretty awesome woman!

Images copyright Calkin Creek/Boyds Mill Press 2016

Buzzing with Excitement!

We are super excited to tell you that our very own Alison Jay's Bee & Me has been nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal 2017! Congratulations! The judging panels consider the nominated titles over the next couple of months and the long list will be announced on 16 February 2017! Fingers crossed!!!

Danger! Adventure! Excitement! Fun!

With stunning cover illustration by David Dean, this classic adventure is reborn for a new generation! After escaping from his cruel father, Huckleberry Finn teams up with runaway slave, Jim, and they head off on a raft down the Mississippi River. But danger is always close at hand - will they survive and win their freedom?

Oxford Children's Classics, Oxford University Press, present not only a visually exciting and original, unabridged story of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but also include help for young people to discover a whole world of new adventures with an amazing assortment of recommendations and activities to support the text! Get your copy now!

Christmas in Oz!

Check out Shane McGowan's gorgeous project for Australia Post! Consisting of two stamps, packaging and envelopes, the theme was Christmas Island, a territory of Australia that has an abundance of sea birds, crabs and turtles!

Shane says 'it was a great job to get and nice to see my work in the post offices over here!'. Anyone fancy a trip to Oz to visit the post office and stock up?!

The World in a Box!

Sharpen your recall skills with the 'Cities of the World Memory Game'! Profusely illustrated by the wonderful David Dean and suitable for both the young and young at heart, this little box of colourful cards is sure to be a hit with the whole family! Available now!

And the Winner is......!

We are so excited at the fabulous news this morning!!! Massive congratulations to the totally awesome Gareth Lucas who won the Sainsbury's book awards baby and toddler book illustrator prize with Peekaboo A to Z published by Little Tiger Press last night!!! Here is the man of the hour himself at the ceremony! Well done Gareth - hope you had an amazing night!

Winter Wheels!

Oh, what fun it is to ride … all the winter machines! Climb aboard snow plough, rail ploughs, salt trucks, the iconic Zamboni and many more in this bright, action-packed, ride-along adventure for children!

There is a decided nip in the air and drawing in of the evenings at this time of year that reminds us that winter is on its way but fear not! Beautifully illustrated by Carmen Mok, Ride the Big Machines in Winter will make you fall in love all over again with the snow and ice as the big, powerful winter machines go about their daily work in the freezing towns, cities, lakes and seas! Out today from HarperCollins!

David Dean: The Barefoot Book of Children

Stunning new work from David Dean!
Empower tomorrow's global citizens to grasp today's critical social issues with The Barefoot Book of Children. Hand-painted illustrations and straightforward text directly engage the reader, inviting children to ask themselves: How do other children live? How are we different? And most importantly: How are we alike? The Barefoot Book of Children is a playful, powerful and thought-provoking celebration of both the big ideas and the everyday moments that reveal our common humanity and tie us all together.

Livia's Festival Flags!

The amazing Livia Coloji has been very busy recently preparing artwork for posters, t-shirts, entry bracelets, banners and activity booklets for the wonderful PLAI Festival in Romania! PLAI is an international world music and art festival that takes place every year in the second weekend of September at the Banat Village Museum, Timisoara Romania and this year Livia was tasked with creating all of the promotional items for this unique event!

The idea for PLAI was born on a summer day in June, after a visit to the Banat Village Museum. The location continues to be very important for the festival, an event that celebrates Romania's diversity and multicultural heritage. An event for people of all ages, full of activities designed to spark passions and music from all around the world, diversity, in all its forms, has a special place here. 

Here are some of Livia's beautiful artworks for the festival - we think she did an amazing job!

Wonder Women!

Maria Merian discovered the truth about metamorphosis through studying caterpillars and documented her findings in gorgeous paintings of the life cycles of insects. More than a century later, the intrepid and patient Mary Anning discovered fossils that would change people’s vision of the past. Across the ocean, Maria Mitchell explored the starry sky through a telescope and longed to discover a new comet and after years of studying the night sky, finally did.

This gorgeously written novel in verse about three girls in three different time periods who grew up to become groundbreaking scientists is the wonderful Victoria Assanelli's  latest collaboration. Told in vibrant, evocative poems, this stunning novel celebrates the joy of discovery and finding wonder in the world around us. 

Learn how three fearless and remarkable girls became three celebrated scientists whose innovations influenced modern science and changed perceptions about the role of women! Available now and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

An Autumnal Ark!

Children can join in with the story of Noah and his journey with the animals as they lift the flaps on every page to see what is hiding beneath in this gorgeous little book Illustrated by Livia Coloji! This latest collaboration with Lois Rock and Lion Children's Books sees Livia's endearing animal 'pairs' being loaded onto, and living in, the ark before finally being set free in their new home after the flood. 12 fun-packed pages allow children to discover Noah's tale and discover hidden parts of the story on every page! A great read for rainy Autumn days!

A Novel Nativity!

Did you know there are only 97 days left until Christmas?! In light of this frightening news, here is a sneak peek at the festive delights that the amazing Livia Coloji has been hard at work on for the last few months! A beautiful collaboration with Lois Rock and Lion Children's Books, the 'Look Inside - Nativity' board book, is a celebration of the Christmas story like no other. In this little gem of a book, Livia's rich illustrations with flaps to lift and discover what's hiding beneath, will transport children to Bethlehem as they join Mary and Joseph on their journey to the little manger where their child will be born.

Bistra Masseva shortlisted for Cheltenham illustration Award 2016

We are proud to announce that Bistra Masseva will be part of the 38 exhibitors displayed for The Cheltenham Illustration Awards 2016 - Tales of Nonsense exhibition! She beat over 1000 entries to be part of the shortlist, which will be exhibited at The Wilson art gallery and museum, Cheltenham from the 24th September - 15th January 2017. Congratulations to her!

Twelve Dancing Princesses!

Dazzlingly illustrated by Alison Jay and published by little bee books, the enchanting Twelve Dancing Princesses is a retelling of an intriguing classic fairytale! Although they are locked in their room each night, every morning the princesses wake up with their slippers worn through, as if they had been dancing all night long! Who will solve the mystery of the tattered shoes and claim one of the princesses as their bride? Out now!

Have a simply peachy birthday Roald Dahl!

Who else could pull off writing a story about a humungous fruit!? Happy Roald Dahl Day from The Organisation! This beautiful brand new illustration is courtesy of the marvellous Alison Jay and available NOW in her Etsy shop! Inspired by Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach" this is what would have happened if the giant peach had not been flown to New York by seagulls and if it hadn't gone rotten but grew into a tree for all the insects to live in. An entomologists dream! To see all of her marvellous work click here!

Barbara Bongini: Fairy Gardens Magic Painting!

Check out the brand new book featuring Barbara Bongini's wonderful illustrations published by Usborne - Fairy Gardens Magic Painting!
Brush the pages of this book with water and see the fairies and flowers in the enchanted garden burst into beautiful colour! Each page has intricate, black and white illustrations of a fairy garden covered in snow, a lake of lily pads, a fairy fruit patch and lots more.

Carmen Mok rides the big machines in winter with Harper Collins!

We are excited to share with you the brand new work from Carmen Mok! She has been busy illustrating 'Ride the Big Machines at Winter for Harper Collins!Climb aboard snowplows, rail plows, salt trucks, the iconic Zamboni and many more snow and ice vehicles in this bright, action-packed, ride-along adventure for the very young.

Aliona Bereghici wins Latino Book Award!

We are thrilled to announce that 'Sky Painter', illustrated by Aliona Bereghici, and published by Two Lions, has just won the 2016 International Latino Book Award for Best Educational Children’s Picture Book in English!The International Latino Book Awards recognise the best achievements in Spanish or Portuguese literature each year. They are produced by Latino Literacy Now, an organisation co-founded by Edward James Olmos and Kirk Whisler and Reforma, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos. Congratulations to Aliona on a gorgeous book!

The Countdown Begins!

The countdown begins to Roald Dahl Day next week! 5 days, 12 hours and 32 minutes to be precise, until the 100th anniversary of Dahl's birth! Get the party started in good time by downloading one of these free Party Packs at http://www.roalddahl.com/…/roald-da…/party-pack-registration

"Tremendous things are in store for you, many wonderful surprises await you!" - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl

Playing Peekaboo with Gareth Lucas!

Gareth Lucas' bold and beautiful colour illustrations lift to reveal hidden surprises and will keep youngsters engaged as they learn. This great addition to the Silver Dolphin Books 'Peekaboo Pals' series is available now. 

'Who is flying high one moment, only to come down low the next? 

Who is quiet with anticipation of a loud celebration?'

In 'Peekaboo Pals Opposites', children will lift the flaps and be delighted by the amusing antics of the illustrated animals while learning about opposites!

Richard Johnson goes back to school!

Here are some fab pics of a huge classroom mural that Richard Johnson helped a class from a school in North Lincolnshire create! Attending as a 'visiting artist' Richard talked to the children about his work, answered their questions, then helped them design and produce this 'Art Monster' trompe l'oeil mural that bursts out of their classroom wall! The children's amazing artworks were cut out and added to the mural with the idea that it will continue to evolve over the coming months! We love it - what do you think?

The Big Little Bookroom Adventure!

Newsflash! Shane McGowan has just attended the launch for his latest book 'Zelda's Big Adventure' at The Little Bookroom in Melbourne, Australia that first opened its doors to the public on Friday the 13th October, 1960! Albert Ullin, after studying literature and languages and working extensively in the book trade in Australia and internationally, decided to focus his love for contemporary children's literature and illustration into an Australian first: he would open a bookshop devoted solely to children's books! We think he must have been on to something for this little gem to still be open and thriving 56 years on!

Una Woods is Illustrator of the Week!

Our artists are popular this month!!! Huge congratulations to our very own Una Woods who is Childrensillustrators.com's illustrator of the week! Una says:

"I love illustrating pictures for children. My colourful and quirky illustrations are created either by hand using liquid acrylic paint and colouring pencils or created digitally using Illustrator and Photoshop. I have worked on a vast variety of projects including books, posters, interactive games and websites."