Tim Hopgood, author and illustrator shares his love of Louis Armstrong’s world-famous song What a Wonderful World and takes us behind the scenes of making it into a picture book and getting it published. One Father’s Day about five, six years ago my daughter gave me an old vinyl copy of Louis Armstrong’s rendition of What A […]
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Tatyana Feeney is author and illustrator of a brilliant series of books that tackle everyday toddler troubles. From losing a favourite blanket ( Small Bunny’s Blue Blanket ) to likes and dislikes ( Little Owl’s Orange Scarf ), her simple story and minimalist artwork speaks volumes. Where did the idea for her new book Little Frog’s Tadpole Trouble which deals with a new baby in the family come from? I have quite […]
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 moreI love the comparison that’s often made between picture books and theatre. I’ve always felt shy about being on stage, but in illustrating picture books, I discovered I could be director, stage designer and a whole cast of actors, all from behind the scenes. For my latest book, this analogy even helped me discover a […]
Read moreWith his lovely new board books about to hit the shops, Winnie the Witch’s lovable cat Wilbur joins us to reflect on his best moments so far in his adventures with Winnie… They say that cats have nine lives. Well it’s certainly true in my case! I can think of nine nail-biting (or should that […]
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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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