Helen Mortimer, commissioning editor at Oxford Children’s Books takes us behind the scenes of a brand new edition of the classic The Wind in the Willows , retold by Tom Moorhouse, author of The River Singers and illustrated by the brilliant David Roberts. ‘Have you heard about the Toad?’ With these words, Kenneth Grahame first introduced his enduring character in […]
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Everybody’s fiendishly favourite time of year is almost upon us once again. And if you’re looking for inspiration both for party ideas and reading recommendations for younger children, then look no further. Of course, every child’s favourite is WINNIE THE WITCH by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul, and she has everything you need for your Halloween […]
Read moreTim Warnes on the joy of illustrating the Boris books and his inspiration behind some of the characters. I love working on the Boris books! They’re such great, warm-hearted stories, that working on Boris Gets Spots was like going back to an old pair of cosy slippers – comfy and relaxing! And I have to say I think […]
Read moreKaren George shares her journey to becoming a published illustrator, with a little help from Waterstones and Julia Donaldson… In 2009, I won the Waterstones/Macmillan ‘Picture This’ competition, beating 900 hopeful unpublished illustrators to the top prize of illustrating Freddie and the Fairy for Julia Donaldson . The timing of the competition was perfect for me, my […]
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Picture book author Ann Bonwill on the key to tackling preschool social issues in picture books (without need of a soapbox) When my editor, Helen, expressed interest in a sequel to I Don’t Want to be a Pea! , I was thrilled. I had come to love my characters, Hugo and Bella, and the chance to write about them again was exciting. […]
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