A tremendously exciting advance copy of... ABC LONDON!

Hooray! ABC LONDON IS HERE.

I actually did a forward roll of excitement when I first had an email about this book from Frances Lincoln (this was back in the days when I lived and worked in my carpeted London bedroom). I spent last summer embroiled in a paper London, lack of sleep driving me to do ridiculous things like gilding the tops of the fence at Buckingham Palace with tiny fragments of first class stamp, not pausing to realise that it will be utterly impossible to discern the queen's minute gold eye peering out from the railings.

It is WONDERFUL to see the finished book.

Here's a sneak preview of P and Q, I'll post more of the illustrations when the book is published on 7th June!

ABC London will be available in all good bookshops, especially The Book Barge, where I'll be signing books on Saturday 9th June from 2-4pm at Barton Marina, Staffordshire.

More news about other book signings, especially one in London on Sunday 10th June, coming soon!

It's also had a nice mention in the Bookseller:

This unusual alphabet picture book really caught my eye. Celebrating London's unique, diverse culture with entries like "B for Brick Lane", it's got a contemporary feel and lots of gift book potential.
- Bookseller


 Hope you're having a super weekend!

Coming to a Book Barge near you!

There's more information in my last post, but if you're a Staffordshire local or fancy a day out it would be great to see you there!

All the fun of the Birdfair!

I had a brilliant day at Birdfair on Saturday, signing books and making magpies, woodpeckers, kingfishers and blue-tits with children in the Wildlife Explorers tent. They all made such beautiful birds, and there were lots I didn't photograph including a fabulous Magnus Magpie, but here are a selection.

 

Thank you to all the lovely, friendly people in the RSPB team for inviting me along.

Lollibop

Magnus and I will be at Lollibop festival in Regent's Park, London on Sunday 7th August for some Magpie's Treasure collaging fun!

Signing and Workshop on board The Book Barge!

Good morning! Just an update following my previous post here to say that if all goes according to plan, The Book Barge will be at Camden Lock on Sunday 26th. I'll be there from 3 - 5pm signing copies of Magpie's Treasure and running a collage workshop.

If you're in London it would be marvellous to see you there! I've created a Facebook event here so you can stay up to date with any last minute changes of venue as The Book Barge wends it's way from Oxford to London sometime this week.

Miser Mistle Thrush - The RSPB

I've just updated my website with the RSPB Wild Times illustration for November/December (hence the profusion of holly)! This time the story features a mistle thrush and song thrush (both rather similar), a flock or redwings and a blackbird.

 

I'll be at BirdFair 2011 with the RSPB on Saturday 20th August running yet another collage workshop and signing copies of Magpie's Treasure! There's more information about the fair here which is taking place at the Egleton Nature Reserve in Rutland, if you're looking for some summer holiday fun then come along - children under 16 get in free! See my previous blog post for information on signings and workshops in London over the next two weekends.

Signings and Collage Workshops Ahoy!

This Saturday, the 18th JUNE, I'll be at Bedford Park Festival in Chiswick, West London, from 10 - 11am running a collage workshop for children, reading Magpie's Treasure and signing books!

Supporting the community and some great casues, this year the festival is raising money for the Upper Room charity, which helps the homeless and vulnerable of West London and a Chiswick youth charity called CEDARS, a drop-in centre for young people.

On Sunday 26th JUNE I'll be on board the extraordinary floating, now travelling Book Barge in LONDON, somewhere on the Regent's Canal, for more collage workshop fun, book signing and most exciting of all (weather permitting) the chance to sit in a deck-chair on the lately astro-turfed roof of the boat reading Magpie's Treasure to all and sundry.

If you haven't heard about The Book Barge's amazing, adventurous tour to promote independent book-selling I urge you to illuminate yourself and have a look here: The Book Barge @ Large. Aiming to live off books for the duration of her six month tour, Sarah will happily swap a book for a startling variety of things from a shower to slice of cake. To find out what The Book Barge needs and where it currently is, you can follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Please come along if you're in the area, it would be great to see you there!

Just Imagine Window Display!

I spent 3 lovely days at Just Imagine in Chelmsford just over a week ago, visiting schools, installing the Magpie's Treasure window and giving a talk to their Illustrators Group. A big thank you to Nikki for lending me her window and organising the school workshops which were fab! For a chance to win a signed copy of Magpie's Treasure have a look here on the Just Imagine website!

Here are some photos of the window, more can be found on my Facebook page.

More Staffordshire Book Signings!

I've got a couple more Magpie's Treasure book signings coming up before Christmas, both of them are in the area where I grew up. I'll be at Byrkley Garden Centre on Sunday the 5th of December from 1pm and Waterstones in Burton-on-Trent on Saturday the 11th. Come along if you can, it would be marvellous to see you!

I also entered my the Association of Illustrators' Images 35 competition and was successful! The annual won't be published until September next year, but you can see my work in the current Images 34 exhibition which is touring the country until October 2011.

Magnus Visits The Book Barge

Yesterday Magnus and I went to The Book Barge in Barton Marina, Staffordshire for my first book signing of Magpie's Treasure! It was brilliant, thank you so much to everyone who came along and to Sarah for hosting the event in her amazing, floating book shop.

The collage workshop was a lot of fun, even if The Book Barge did descend into a papery chaos as children made beautiful buttons and jewels for giant Magnus to wear! Unfortunately, somehow in the midst of all the glitter glue, chocolate and making sure I spelled everyone's names correctly, I neglected to take any photos of Magnus resplendent in his finery, but let me assure you he was a sight to behold!


If you ever happen to be in the area The Book Barge is absolutely definitely worth a visit. It's such a lovely bookshop and alongside a fantastic range of classic, contemporary and children's books are lots of interesting second hand books to peruse. I bought (well... my mum and dad bought it for me as a congratulatory present) a wonderful copy of Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows illustrated by one of my absolute favourite illustrators, John Burningham.

When I was little, my Grandpa would take me to the library van that came every week to the village and one of my favourites was Burningham's Where's Julius? Definitely one to look out for.

Magpie's Treasure Signing at The Book Barge, Staffordshire

My first book signing will be back in Staffordshire on the wonderful Book Barge on Barton Marina (near Burton-on-Trent) on the 29th of October! In a village not far from where I grew up, I will be reading and signing copies of Magpie's Treasure and also running a collage workshop for children. Drop in any time between 10am and midday, entry £1 per child, including refreshments  and 10% discount on the book.


Great excitement!