Fred's French Road Trip!

If you were cruising down any of the autoroutes in France on your hols this year, you will no doubt have noticed that they all boast the most gorgeous illustrated signs to highlight places of cultural or historical significance (which quite frankly in France, is most places!) to the weary and bleary-eyed motorist! Well, this summer, our very own Fred Van Deelen was commissioned by APRR - Europe’s fourth largest motorway group - to create these stunning scraper board style works for their extensive route through Burgundy. The sublime golden tones exude a restful warmth whilst the burgundy subtly hints at the region’s best loved export! For an area so steeped in history, and with the signs standing whopping 6.5 metres high, this is a hugely prestigious commission for Fred - especially as they are planned to be in situ for the next 20 years! With work coming from all directions, Fred has had a busy year, so next time you are passing through, why not raise a glass or two to him!

Tiny Tantrums and Big Talent!

When it's time to clean up, or take a bath, or put on her coat, Tiny throws a terrible tantrum! Her parents are at their wits’ end, then one day, some friendly monsters show up... could they be just what this little girl needs to tame her tantrums?

Ella Okstad is in her element illustrating this adorable book designed to help children to better understand their emotions and hopefully stop ‘windows wobbling and birds falling out of trees’ when things don’t go their way! Her exquisite and playful artwork beautifully compliments this simple story of friendship. The whimsical settings and her on-trend Scandi colour scheme combine to create a serene and dream-like world while subtly reinforcing the overall message of the book - to remain calm, to share and to not waste time on such silly things like tantrums! Ella says:

When I first received Caroline’s text, I was very charmed. It has lots of energy to it. I had great fun drawing the fluffy monsters, making them move around on the page trying to ease Tiny whenever she has a tantrum. I had a few rounds with Tiny getting her just right. She had to be cute, but at the same time have a naughty and stubborn look behind that cute facade. I am very pleased how the colours turned out. I think that soft pastel suits the paper quality so well. It’s been a pleasure working with both the lovely people at Little Tiger and Caroline Crowe.

Told in bouncing rhyming text, this little lifesaver is sure to get the thumbs up from frazzled parents everywhere! 

Get your copy here!

Javier's Great Escape!

Join a ragtag group of pasta on their death-defying adventure in this hilarious new book illustrated by Javier Joaquin for Little Bee Books!

Javier has once again worked his magic to create the cutest carbs you will ever see and this lovable band will have to use their noodles and concoct a great escape if they are to avoid being somebody’s lunch! Javier hails from Argentina and his inspiration comes from his acute observation of people, architecture, fashion, design and music. From outraged Ramen’s crazy curls to neat and sensible Bow Tie’s geeky charm, each unique little pasta shape reflects the close attention to detail and characterisation for which Javier is known. He says of this commission:

"It was great fun working on this project. Especially in the creation of their characters. Granting each type of pasta with the right expression according to their personality was a challenge and inspired my enthusiasm for the project. I am sure kids will love this story, full of adventure and fun!”

You can grab your very own copy later this month so save those pennes because we can guarantee you will fall tortellini in love with it!

Get your copy here!

What a Find!

Thrilled to have stumbled across this wonderful little review by 'The North Somerset Teachers' Book Awards' of Ella Okstad's latest book Tiny Tantrum - out in September! Watch this space for more sneak peeks next week!

Alison Jay interview with The Letterpress Project

We are delighted to share with you the lovely interview The Letterpress Project did with world renowned artist Alison Jay. The Letterpress Project has asked authors and illustrators to think about what has inspired them as artists, what their favourite books are and how they relate to their audience, so follow the link and discover Alison's insight from her long and hugely successful career! See the full interview here.

David Dean Meets Michael Morpurgo!

Last week the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green unveiled their latest blockbuster exhibit to celebrate the work of Britain’s best loved story maker, Michael Morpurgo featuring the fabulously evocative illustrations by the wonderful David Dean, who has just redesigned 20 of his bestselling books with Egmont publishing! This unique exhibition showcases the notebooks and manuscripts that became the classics we all know and love today and even features Joey, the original life-size West End horse puppet from War Horse! Here is David with the man himself! Why not pop in for a treat - it's free and on until 25th February 2018!

Victoria Assanelli is Making Good Choices!

Fib or Truth? Loud or Quiet? Stop or Go? Life is full of questions when you are a kid (and an adult!!!) and these touching images by the versatile Victoria Assanelli are for an exciting new range of ‘choose your own ending’ books that ask children to consider the different consequences of their actions. In a departure from her usual fairytale genre, Victoria continues to work her magic on these charming educational resources, creating sympathetic and believable characters that will undoubtably help children facing challenging situations explore how their choices may affect those around them.

The ‘Making Good Choices’ series of 6 readers is out now in the US from Amicus!