Steve Antony 2/25/15 Steve Antony 2/25/15

Just Imagine's A to Z of 'Can you name the illustrator?'

Just Imagine in Chelmsford currently house a mightily impressive Alphabet wall. It's a bit of a who's who of children's book illustrators! But can you name all of the artists? Feel free to hazard a guess in the comments.

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Catching up with event photos

I've just been updating my 'Events' album on Facebook and found a few photos I'm not sure I've actually posted on this site yet, including these.

I met Oliver Jeffers after my event with Save the Children and Discover Centre at Westfield Shopping Centre. — I met Oliver Jeffers after my event with Save the Children and Discover Centre at Westfield Shopping Centre.

A fly-by visit to Imagine Centre in-between school events in Chelmsford resulted in this photo.

One of many photos taken at Barnes & Noble in New York. Over 650 B&N stores joined in!

Me at the Mr Panda launch hosted by Hodder Children's.

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Professor Banana Reviews Betty Goes Bananas

Professor Banana calls 'Betty Goes Bananas' a "masterpiece"! Wise words from a wise banana (or Travis Jonker, elementary school librarian in Michigan, reviewer for School Library Journal and 2014 Caldecott committee member). Read his full review HERE! It's the most amusing review I think I've ever seen.

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Keep Calm and Listen to Mr. Toucan

I love this image I discovered on Random House's Twitter yesterday.

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Please Mr Panda - Lesson Tips & More

This blog is intended for people who have already read Please Mr Panda, so here's a big SPOILER ALERT! Firstly though, as you may or may not know, there are now seven books in the Mr Panda Series, and it’s been optioned for TV (so look out for a new Mr Panda cartoon series plus toys). Below are all the Mr Panda books, which you can purchase from just about any bookstore, along the MR PANDA toy which you can buy here: https://www.steveantony.com/blog/2020/7/14/mr-panda-plush

For convenience, and because the books are published all over the world, here are a couple of Amazon links.

Amazon UK

Amazon USA

Aside from being a sneaky lesson in manners, 'Please Mr Panda' is a guessing game. Why does Mr Panda appear to be teasing the animals by retracting his offer of colourful doughnuts? Hint: THE CLUE IS IN THE TITLE.

Mr Panda steps into the book and asks Penguin, "Would you like a doughnut?" Penguin responds, "Give me the pink one."

At events, before I reveal whether or not Penguin (Skunk or Whale) receive a tasty treat from Mr Panda, I ask the audience to raise their hands if they think the animal WILL get a doughnut. Then I ask them to raise their hands if they think the animal will NOT get a doughnut.

The following page prompts my next question: "Why didn't Mr Panda give Penguin (Skunk or Whale) a doughnut?" This elicits all sorts of creative responses.

It is because he wants them all for himself.

It is because he wants some alone time.

It is because the skunk smells.

It is because he is very, very hungry.

And at least one child will say something along the lines of, "It is because Penguin was not polite."

We carry on witnessing and questioning Mr Panda's retractions until we reach a page where Mr Panda asks the reader, "Would anyone else like a doughnut?" At events, this is always met with a resounding "Yes, please!" from the audience. By now, most of them have figured it out.

Then Lemur pops into the book upside-down and asks Mr Panda very politely, "May I have a doughnut, Please Mr Panda?"

"Raise your hand if you think Lemur will get a donut.", I ask the audience. Almost everyone raises their hand.

Lemur doesn't just get a doughnut. He gets all of the doughnuts.

"Thank you very much. I love doughnuts." he gleefully announces.

At this final point of the story, I ask the audience why Lemur was rewarded. Almost every hand is raised.

"It is because Lemur said..." and the audience finish my sentence with a big smiley "PLEASE!"

I won't give away Mr Panda's final statement of the book, or as Times reviewer, Alex O'Connell, puts it, "the jam in the middle of the doughnut."

This, in itself, could potentially spark a fun conversation.

This is just a simple illustration of how you can use the book in your class, but please do check out my Activities Page for lesson tips and fun activities for the class, and there’s my Printables Page, too.

You can see inside art from all of my Mr Panda books, plus ‘to buy’ links, HERE.

And below are all of my other books which, again, you can purchase on Amazon or Barnes and Nobles, Waterstones, indie stores or wherever you like, or you can borrow them from the library!

To see more information on each book, plus the insides, please visit my Books page.

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Mabel's Fables Mr Panda Display

This is amazing! A fantastic 'Please, Mr. Panda' window display at Mabel's Fables in Toronto.

Check out all of the other displays on their website.

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The Queen's Hat shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize

I'm going to keep this blog post simple.

YIPPPPEEEEEEEEEE!

It's so nice to get this sort of recognition alongside such talented writers and illustrators, including MA classmates Victoria Turnbull and Suzanne Barton.

My local paper, the Swindon Adveriser, even ran a surprise article about it (below), and I spoke on BBC Cambridgeshire about it, too.

Check out the whole list below. Good luck to everyone!

Best Illustrated Book

The Queen's Hat by Steve Antony (Hodder / Hachette Children's)

The Dawn Chorus by Suzanne Barton (Bloomsbury)

Blown Away by Rob Biddulph (HarperCollins)

Where Bear? by Sophy Henn (Puffin)

Atlas of Adventures by Lucy Letherland, words by Rachel Williams (Wide Eyed Editions)

The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull (Templar)

Best Fiction for 5-12s

Girl with a White Dog by Anne Booth (Catnip)

Cowgirl by G.R. Gemin (Nosy Crow)

Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen (Random House Children’s Publishers)

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens (Random House Children’s Publishers)

Violet and the Pearl of the Orient by Harriet Whitehorn, illustrated by Becka Moor (Simon & Schuster)

A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson (Usborne Publishing)

Best Book for Teens

The Apple Tart of Hope by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald (Orion Children's Books)

Half Bad by Sally Green (Penguin)

Dead Ends by Erin Lange (Faber & Faber)

Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill (Quercus)

Smart by Kim Slater (Macmillan Children's Books)

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton (Walker Books)

Steve Antony 2/7/15 Steve Antony 2/7/15

National Libraries Day at Royal Wootton Bassett Library & 3 Reasons Why I Love Libraries

Happy National Libraries Day!

I love the library for many reasons, but here are just three.

Reason 1. Everyone is welcome! And whether you like reading about vampires, pirates or princesses; or learning new skills; or solving mysteries - there is something for everybody!

Reason 2. Librarians: the heart and soul of the library. Their passion for and knowledge of books is invaluable. Even if you don't know what you're looking for, they'll find it.

Reason 3. The books are free (as long as you return them on time)! When I was a kid I would go to the library every week without fail. I didn't always read all of the books I borrowed (and I still don't) but there was, and still is, something very satisfying about walking out with a stack of books.

Today I went to Royal Wootton Basset Library to hold an interactive story event. What a brilliant library! Those guys in Royal Wootton Basset are very lucky.

How cool was it to see 'Betty Goes Bananas', 'The Queen's Hat' and 'Please Mr Panda' in the library? Very. The novelty will never ware off.

We read books and drew pictures. A friend of mine did take some photos of the event. Here are a few.

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UK Betty paperback published today!

The paperback of 'Betty Goes Bananas' published today in the UK by Oxford University Press!

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Art and Coffee Trail in Swindon

I'm taking part in this fantastic art trail taking place in my hometown of Swindon. Below is all you need to know about it. You can also win a free coffee for a year by entering a draw (details below). It was great to be asked to take part in such an innovative and exciting new project. (My work won't be for sale, but you can look at it while sipping.)

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Vote! Betty Goes Bananas shortlisted for Nottingham Children's Book Award

Betty Goes Bananas is short-listed for Nottingham City Council's Children's Book Awards, alongside 'One to Ten Animal Mayhem' by Thomas Flintham and 'Found' by Saline Yoon. Listen, enjoy and vote for your favourite HERE.

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Peters Booksellers Panda Display

Check out these amazing photos of the Reading Café display at Peters Booksellers showroom. I love it!

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Mr. Panda in New York City: Barnes & Noble, Books of Wonder & More

'Please, Mr. Panda' (as opposed to the UK's non-punctuated 'Please Mr Panda') was published in the States by the wonderful folk at Scholastic on December 30th.

Last week, I jetted off to the Big Apple for a promotional blitz.

It all centred around the fact that 'Please, Mr. Panda' was chosen by Barnes & Noble as their 'Picture Book of the Month'.

This is a big deal. Barnes and Noble is THE biggest bookstore in the States, with over 640 outlets scattered across the country.

'Please, Mr. Panda' was also chosen as Barnes and Nobles' very first Storytime event.

This is an even bigger deal, because this meant that 'Please, Mr. Panda' was read in over 640 Barnes and Nobles across the States - at the same time. The mind boggles.

The book features on a stepladder in every B&N this month.

My US adventure began on Wednesday. I hopped on a BA flight from Heathrow to Newark. The plane food was good. Vegetarian curry. It was all they had left. But I am a vegetarian (sometimes pescetarian), so that suited me down to the ground. The random movie - which I can't remember the title of - was good too. It starred the vampire from Twilight and Julianne Moore.*

I arrived in Newark. The airport was covered in a thin sheet of snow. The pilot warned us to wrap up.

The immigration queue was two hours long. The ride from Newark to my hotel in New York took one hour. When I arrived I didn't have time to eat crisps (I mean chips) in bed and watch American TV. I had to get freshened up ready for a dinner with Scholastic, which was amazing! It was a late night.

The next day, I visited Hamilton Park Montessori School in New Jersey, along with my lovely publicist, Sheila Marie, and read the Panda book to two large groups of 3-6 year olds. Some nice staff from Word Bookstores joined us. The kids laughed at Mr. Panda's words and they applauded at the book's magic word moment.

Later that day, I signed stacks of books at Scholastic headquarters back in New York. I met more lovely people at Scholastic, while signing.

That evening I dined with Scholastic and Barnes & Noble. Another enjoyable evening.

The next day, my publicist and I visited PAUMD School in New York City. It was a grand, old building, a bit like something out of Harry Potter. It's a fantastic school that buzzes with creativity.

Later, I signed more books at Scholastic and then I held a presentation about my work in front of 30 or so (maybe less - it seemed like loads) people from the team.

That evening, I dined with more people from Scholastic. It was a real pleasure to have the opportunity to meet more of the team.

The following day was the big day: the day of the Barnes & Noble event. The day when every B&N store in the States read the Panda book at the same time. Fortunately, I never had the time to allow myself to get all nervous about it. Plus, I have already done a bunch of events, and I felt really comfortable with what we had planned for this one. I just read the book, asked questions, drew Mr. Panda and made up a new story for Mr. Panda with help from the audience. It was a lot of fun!

That afternoon I did a bit of sightseeing with Lori and Ken from Scholastic.

Later that evening, Ken and I ate at Panna 2, a completely bonkers, but utterly fantastic and completely unforgettable, Indian restaurant. Google it.

The next day, Sunday, was my last day. On this day, I joined Susan Verde, Stephanie Ruble and Jimbo Matison for a panel event at Books of Wonder: New York's oldest independent children's bookstore.

Afterwards, Lori, Sheila Marie and I went to a coffee shop across the road where I had possibly the richest and yummiest hot chocolate I have ever had. Then my taxi arrived. I waved goodbye. Heavy traffic prolonged the goodbye wave. It was time to head back to my hotel, pick up my suitcase and leave the Big Apple.

What an incredible trip! I heart NY. And I even have a souvenir. A pair of gloves that don't have a hole in them (Thanks, Ken)!

Here are some photos, in no particular order. There are loads more on my Instagram.

Also, check out the #pleasemrpanda hashtag on Twitter and Instagram. Mr. Panda is trending.

Jimbo Matison, Susan Verde, me & Stephanie Ruble at Books of Wonder

Me on that big piano in that big toy shop in New York