Visit to Nutshell Studios on Indie Booksellers Week

Sienna's doughnut is better than mine.

Last week was Independent Booksellers Week. Independent Bookshop Week is part of the Books Are My Bag campaign, and seeks to celebrate independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland. Many authors and illustrators took part by visiting independent booksellers. 

On Saturday, I visited Nutshell Studios, an independent children's bookshop, which is situated in Barleylands Craft Village in Billericay, Essex. But I wasn't the only visitor. Mr Panda made an appearance too, doughnuts and all! Well, Mr Panda was actually the lovely booksellers at Nutshell Studios, Michelle and Hazel, who took turns wearing the costume. The store itself is full of charm. It doubles up as an art studio, which houses the brilliant artwork of Michelle Williams and Hazel Williams, two sisters who share a passion for children's book illustration and literature.

Below are some photos from my event. If you would like to learn more about Independent Booksellers Week, please visit independentbooksellersweek.org.uk If you'd like to learn more about Nutshell Studios, please visit thebooknut.co.uk. You can view the amazing artwork of Michelle and Hazel here: www.thebooknut.co.uk/illustration-gallery Thank you to Nutshell Studios and Jo Byatt for taking some of these photos. 

As I walked in, this is what I saw. Wow! Check out the deflated Mr Panda in the reading corner.

I never tire of doughnuts. But maybe I should write a book about lettuce.

Signage featuring the Independent Booksellers Week hashtags.

Drawing with crayons.

Mr Panda's on the loose! I wonder what that man is thinking, over there.

Mr Panda's beat.

Monet's snazzy doughnut.

From left to right: me, Jo Byatt, Mr Panda (Michelle) and Hazel. Fellow illustrator and friend, Jo Byatt, dropped by with her husband Peter and daughters, Monet and Sienna. 

Jo Byatt's daughter, Monet, cheekily pops into the frame with her mum's illustrator debut, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!, written by David Styring and published by Igloo Books.

Books and doughnuts!

Michelle, who is also a teacher, read Mr Panda to me along with one of her pupils. 

Me, Mr Panda (Michelle) and Hazel, proudly wearing her Independent Bookshop top.

Drawing Mr Panda.

Showing some people some roughs from the development stages of Please Mr Panda.

Drawing Mr Panda on doughnuts. 

More drawing.

Sienna is telling me all about her fantastic picture book characters. 

Talking books: The Kate Greenway Special on Down the Rabbit Hole Radio

Katherine Woodfine and Melissa Cox kindly invited me and fellow author-illustrator, Helen Hancocks, to join them in discussing the Kate Greenaway shortlist on Down the Rabbit Hole Radio on Resonance 104.4 FM. You can listen to the show below. It was a fun discussion. If only we had more time!

Down The Rabbit Hole - 30th June 2015 by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

The Sun's 5 Star Review of Please Mr Panda

The Sun Newspaper has reviewed PLEASE MR PANDA!

Thanks, Zak!

Littleport Primary's Amazing Queen's Hat Drawings and Stories

Check out these amazing drawings and stories (inspired by The Queen's Hat) from Littleport Primary School. I've had a good look at all of the stories and drawings and it looks to me that Littleport have some very talented  and creative pupils in their midst! Below each photo is a little comment from me about each piece. 

Brilliant! Very eye-catching. The Queen is looking very regal!

Very funny and creative! I love the Harry Potter spin on this!

Thats very kind of you to say, Erin! You're very good with words, too!

I love that this is a diary entry. It's such a great idea and very well written. Love the guard, too!

Thanks, Tilly, for your letter! I'm glad you liked the illustrations. Look out for a lot more characters in The Queen's Handbag!

Cheers, Ben! A fantastic book review! I give your review five out of five!

This is a great peice of writing and I love the little illustrations, too. I especially like that you've drawn the hat right in the middle.

This would've made a great addition to the book! Brilliant!

Excellent! The ending of this made me laugh out loud.

Fantastic! A great choice of colours. I spot the butler! 

Another eye-catching drawing. Very iconic!

Is that guard carrying a missile launcher?! I love this drawing. I want to know what happens next!

It looks like you all had a lot of fun! Keep drawing and writing! 

The Story Musuem & Oxford Festival of Nature

I was lucky enough to spend a whole day at The Story Museum's 'Illustrator's Zoo', as part of the Oxford Festival of Nature. I drew an A-Z of endangered animals, taught a class how to draw amazing animals, made doughnut art, chatted to lots of budding illustrators, and explored the many magical rooms in the museum.

Here is my day, in 35 Instagram snaps (with captions).

The day started with reading PLEASE MR PANDA and making doughnuts for the museum's 'ABC…Story!' morning session.

'Deconstructed Panda and Constructed Doughnut' by Olympia (age 3?)

Before heading to my studio to draw, I did a bit of light reading. I read ABIGAIL by Catherine Rayner and...

THE ASK AND THE ANSWER by Patrick Ness and...

TIME FOR BED, FRED! by Yasmeen Ismail and...

OLIVER AND PATCH by Claire Freedman and Kate Hindley and...

BEANO comics!

I had a go on The Story Wheel, too.

I chose key number 5, but what's inside the box! The clue was 'chocolate' 

Ah, one of my favourite childhood reads! Any guesses?

I entered the rhyming room. On the walls were beautifully painted murals, by...

Helen Cooper...

from her...

award winning picture book...

THE BABY WHO WOULDN'T GO TO BED.

Then there was the lullaby room.

A very sleepy room. Inside were...

napping cats...

giant feathers and a harp.

After my exploration, it was time to settle into my studio for the day. Here, my sketchbook is opened on a page of fish drawings. In the studio, I was surrounded by amazing art by the likes of Mo Willems...

Chris Haughton...

and Clive Goddard.

I drew an A-Z of endangered animals, while visitors popped in to watch and say hello.

I spoke to lots artists of all ages. We spoke about endangered animals, and I gave some tips on how to draw animals. I was given a few tips, too!

This wasn't part of the A-Z. I sketched this just before my 'How to Draw Amazing Animals' class. I taught the class of eager artists how to draw animals (from each animal group) by starting with basic shapes. We started with a stick insect and ended with a salamander. I threw in a dragon at the very end just for fun.

Here I am, just before the class. It's hard to make out, but I'm holding the logo for the Oxford Festival of Nature.

Here's the sign for the class, just outside.

Here I am with Stacey, from the Oxford Festival of Nature.

After the drawing class, I went back to my studio to sign some books. While there, I had several visitors, including fellow twitterer (and book blogger) Child-Led Chaos!

Visitors flicked through the newly published BETTY GOES BANANAS IN HER PYJAMAS and the yet-to-be-published THE QUEEN'S HANDBAG.

Before finishing for the day...

I enjoyed poring over art in the Illustrators exhibition...

and then had a caffeinated beverage in the...

Story Museum's wonderfully topsy-turvy...

...cafe. And just as I was leaving, Lucy Atkins arrived for the launch of her latest book, THE OTHER CHILD. It's all happening in The Story Museum!

Thanks, Tom, Cath and Sarah (from the museum), Stacey (from the Oxford Festival of Nature) and everyone that came to visit. I had an amazing time.

For more information on The Story Museum, go here: http://www.storymuseum.org.uk

For more information on Oxford Festival of Nature, go here: http://www.oxfordfestivalofnature.org

Betty Goes Bananas Contest Entries and Winners

"Cue knowing sighs from parents everywhere..." The Bookseller

Today BETTY GOES BANANAS IN HER PYJAMAS is published, which means it's time to announce the two winners of my 'Draw Betty' contest and post all 39 entries! Each winner will receive a signed copy of BETTY GOES BANANAS IN HER PYJAMAS.

Thank you to Daily Doodle for setting the 'draw Betty' challenge on Twitter. It's been so fun seeing all of the wonderful and wacky Betty drawings on my Twitter feed.

Without further ado, here are the entries, followed by the winners! All of the entries came via Twitter, so I've embedded each twitter post, so that you can easily visit (and follow) each talented entrant.

@MrSteveAntony @RachelClowes - Lovely character - More tribute to your wonderful book pic.twitter.com/PXZodHUvII

— Damien Jones (@Illio_Jones) May 13, 2015

@MrSteveAntony @OUPChildrens Here's my awful effort, but BETTY is looking very angelic pic.twitter.com/1AsxWwo6gW

— Glenn Marvell James (@HoltHarlequin56) May 13, 2015

My version of @MrSteveAntony 's character Betty by Rachel Clowes age 10 and a bit 🍌🍌🍌 pic.twitter.com/xaalYY7KGP

— Rachel Clowes (@RachelClowes) May 13, 2015

Looky here @MrSteveAntony Lucy's finished #Betty pic.twitter.com/3RDVN02nYz

— Sarah Yewman (@sarahyewman) May 13, 2015

And here's my Betty @MrSteveAntony ;) Poor Mr Toucan is on the receiving end of this tantrum! pic.twitter.com/8HoXlH7Zdf

— Picturebooks Blogger (@pbooksblogger) May 13, 2015

Hey @MrSteveAntony Betty had a go at baking. Maybe she should take lessons from Mr Panda. pic.twitter.com/7kgnQK2w0P

— Ariane Hofmanniyar (@arihoma) May 15, 2015

@MrSteveAntony here's my drawing of Betty, with a wee bit of help from Mr. Panda! #BettyGoesBananas #PleaseMrPanda pic.twitter.com/My3osVWK35

— Rikin Parekh (@r1k1n) May 15, 2015

@MrSteveAntony Monet's chilled out Betty counting bananas! pic.twitter.com/gRjGH2UFfH

— Jo Byatt (@JoanneByatt1) May 15, 2015

.@MrSteveAntony just before succumbing to sleep last night, doodled a juggling Betty in my bedside notebook ;0) pic.twitter.com/qNsiwbkaKy

— Colin West (@mooseandmouse) May 16, 2015

@MrSteveAntony #BettyGoesBananas Betty has a summer makeover & isn't sure of the results! 😆 By Gemma Aged 36🙊 pic.twitter.com/Kyq3DItsqa

— Gemma M (@gemmalouise2105) May 16, 2015

Had loads of fun today making a version of @MrSteveAntony Betty - here's a slightly better image. pic.twitter.com/NRdKzgvFeZ

— Cathy MacLennan (@cathy_maclennan) May 18, 2015

A quick Betty doodle for @MrSteveAntony #BettyGoesBananas pic.twitter.com/kBAW3Bvhk8

— Steven Learmonth (@stevencandraw) May 18, 2015

A quick drawing of @MrSteveAntony's fabulous character Betty! pic.twitter.com/s1ETM5p6Vp

— Grace Sandford (@GraceSandford) May 19, 2015

@Daily__Doodle @MrSteveAntony Betty & Mr Panda discuss doughnuts #Betty pic.twitter.com/nRn3NIzAS9

— John Paterson (@tartanbaffies) May 25, 2015

Here's my take on #Betty by @MrSteveAntony for today's (and tomorrow's) @Daily_Doodle pic.twitter.com/HFmYEJbsFJ

— Dark Derek (@DarkDerek) May 25, 2015

#Betty @Daily__Doodle Waiting for a delayed flight at airport: did two~ the fun one by SA: pic.twitter.com/myweLW746N

— VL Durand (@VlDurand) May 25, 2015

#Betty @Daily__Doodle and my attempt: pic.twitter.com/8h8FHjx5Ap

— VL Durand (@VlDurand) May 25, 2015

@MrSteveAntony #Betty pic.twitter.com/j2JhdIctuW

— Josephine Goodchild (@JoanneGotTwited) May 25, 2015

@Daily__Doodle @MrSteveAntony my go @ your fab #Betty. Biro on paper, coloured with @mangastudio 5 @FRENDEN brushes pic.twitter.com/U9wVMrANPW

— Stephen Conroy (@hometimenow) May 25, 2015

@Daily__Doodle @MrSteveAntony here's my go at #Betty pic.twitter.com/OT4jFv5zKr

— Deborah Partington (@DebIllustration) May 25, 2015

i call this 'still life' by #betty @Daily__Doodle @MrSteveAntony pic.twitter.com/GFGMo9yLjS

— lauripop (@thirtyeggs) May 25, 2015

@Daily__Doodle @MrSteveAntony #Betty Betty rides bananas pic.twitter.com/IVFbzzrAxu

— Marianne Lenzing (@marianne6219) May 25, 2015

What an awesome creation from an awesome fellah! #Betty @MrSteveAntony #DailyDoodle @DailyDoodle pic.twitter.com/9V1KtBcr4r

— ReadItDaddy (@Readitdaddy) May 25, 2015

#Betty for @Daily__Doodle @MrSteveAntony pic.twitter.com/kXycHdJIa7

— Mith (@doodlekaari) May 26, 2015

@Daily__Doodle @MrSteveAntony #Betty illustration hope you like pic.twitter.com/mwQxmRO7QZ

— Jonathan Wallace (@JWallaceAnimate) May 26, 2015

Here's my #Betty for @Daily__Doodle @MrSteveAntony :D pic.twitter.com/yZBF9AYhZe

— Chloe Douglass (@chloillustrates) May 26, 2015

#Betty for @MrSteveAntony @Daily__Doodle by Teddy (age 5) pic.twitter.com/tcqpMPe0Rv

— Fiona Lumbers (@fionalumbers) May 26, 2015

Is that a banana split, #Betty ? @Daily__Doodle @MrSteveAntony pic.twitter.com/5AY2WNMbFy

— Eline W. (@El1neW) May 26, 2015

My take on #Betty and her bear for @Daily__Doodle and @MrSteveAntony pic.twitter.com/rK9ZAZwT4Y

— Michael McCabe (@justadoodlin) May 26, 2015

How to draw #Betty @MrSteveAntony ,misread by Alejandra Tilve #DailyDoodle @DailyDoodle. pic.twitter.com/nZFPHURSht

— Alejandra Tilve (@a_tilve) May 26, 2015

#Betty for @Daily__Doodle , @MrSteveAntony pic.twitter.com/zhiIiPWGV8

— Kelly S (@starkelstar) May 26, 2015

@Daily__Doodle #Betty @MrSteveAntony hope I haven't missed it, been camping and just seen this so its a super quickie pic.twitter.com/CHPw5fY0HO

— Steve Brown (@SteveSketchesIt) May 26, 2015

#Betty @MrSteveAntony #DailyDoodle @DailyDoodle Today's Doodle! Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/Cj11SZH9VI

— Wendy Lucy (@WendyLucy) May 27, 2015

More #Betty for @DailyDoodle #DailyDoodle Ook! pic.twitter.com/w5XcTQvth0

— ReadItDaddy (@Readitdaddy) May 26, 2015

@MrSteveAntony @Daily_Doodle Here's a trailor-betty. With the image attached pic.twitter.com/xDFDfqaS5z

— Bert Schaafkaas (@Schaafkaasnl) May 27, 2015

@Daily__Doodle @MrSteveAntony Couldn't resist having a go! pic.twitter.com/emu2N5JLjI

— Laura Watkins (@laurawatkins1) May 27, 2015

Adapting Betty to my own (bananas) style :-) @Daily__Doodle @MrSteveAntony #Betty #doodle pic.twitter.com/cD4LwiUu53

— A Nutty Flavor (@anuttyflavor) May 27, 2015

@MrSteveAntony my Entry for the Draw Betty competition -fingers crossed becuase I want that book #shamelessbeg pic.twitter.com/Zl5i8PvwD7

— Charlotte Dyton (@CharlotteDyton) June 1, 2015

Grumpy Betty @MrSteveAntony pic.twitter.com/quPT1eMVmJ

— Jim Field (@_JimField) May 13, 2015

 

AND THE TWO WINNERS ARE...

How to draw #Betty @MrSteveAntony ,misread by Alejandra Tilve #DailyDoodle @DailyDoodle. pic.twitter.com/nZFPHURSht

— Alejandra Tilve (@a_tilve) May 26, 2015

#Betty for @MrSteveAntony @Daily__Doodle by Teddy (age 5) pic.twitter.com/tcqpMPe0Rv

— Fiona Lumbers (@fionalumbers) May 26, 2015

CONGRATULATIONS Alejandra Tilve and Fiona Lumbers!

Alejandra, I love the fun concept of your illustration.

Fiona, Teddy's drawing of Betty is absolutely adorable.

Please send your address details to betty@steveantony.com, and a signed copy of BETTY GOES BANANAS IN HER PYJAMAS will be sent to you!

THANK YOU to everyone that took part! They're all fantastic! I honestly wish I could pick more winners, as I know that a lot of time has gone into these drawings.

Please look out for other contests. Those of you who already follow me on Twitter will know that I hold regular contests there. Also, if you don't already, follow Daily Doodle for daily sketching fun!

Wychwood Festival

The first thing that caught my eye at the Wychwood Festival was PANDA NOODLE HOUSE. "Would you like some noodles?" "Give me the sweet and sour." "No you cannot have any noodles. I have changed my mind."

Is Mr Panda moonlighting as a noodle vendor?

At the festival, I joined several authors and Waterstones booksellers in the book tent, where authors held events throughout the day.

Here are a few photos from the festival. All in all, a great time! 

Here, I'm with the über-talented Petr Horáček.

Philip Ardagh kindly gave me this THE GRUNTS badge.

Signing books in the tent.

While at the festival, Philip Ardagh showed me this wonderful photo of him with Book Doctor (and children's book enthusiast) Kim Harte and PLEASE MR PANDA, taken at Children's Books Ireland for Writer's Week. Thanks, Philip, for sharing this photo.

The atmosphere was electric.

The weather was perfect.

The people were chilling.

And there were bubbles, too.

Hay Festival 2015

Speaking on BBC Wales. Photo courtesy of Richard Shakespeare

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On Wednesday, I held the first of two events at the Hay Festival: PANDAS, DOUGHNUTS, AND THE QUEEN’S HANDBAG.

During the event, I read PLEASE MR PANDA, and the audience were just as perplexed as Penguin when Mr Panda suddenly retracted his offer of doughnuts. But a few pages in it soon became a apparent to some children (and adults) that there was a method to Panda's madness. 

After reading PLEASE MR PANDA, we chased a rogue swan all over the UK with a bevy of bobbies in THE QUEEN'S HANDBAG. This was my very first reading of the book (the sequel to THE QUEEN'S HAT, to be published by Hodder Children's in October) at a festival. 

On Wednesday evening, I joined Eddie Butler, Moira Young, Tiffany Murray and Hannah Grace in the BBC TENT for The Arts Show, presented by Nicola Heywood Thomas. Eddie Butler, the BBC's voice of international rugby, spoke of his new novel, The Head of Gonzo Davies. Moira Young explained how one of the novels in her Dust Lands trilogy is to be made into a film by Ridley Scott. Tiffany Murray gave us a glimpse into her life through her novels, and I spoke a little about how being colour-blind has influenced my work. Live music came from Horizons artist, Hannah Grace, with her own composition, Broke.  You can hear the radio show by following this link: http://iono.fm/e/176614.

In the BBC TENT. Photo courtesy of filmryan.com

Thank you, Aby King, for taking this photo.

My second day at Hay was all about BETTY GOES BANANAS. We all screamed, kicked, cried and sniffled our way through Betty's first book, and then we beeped, honked, and barped our way through Betty's second book: BETTY GOES BANANAS IN HER PYJAMAS (which is out in a matter of days).

Some personal highlights of the festival came from chance encounters with friends and familiar faces in the green room. 

Thank you, Hay. And thank you to my wonderful publicists, Caitlin and Hattie, and Hay's Matt for keeping me hydrated during the book signings.

Hay!

Mr. Panda Drawings from Evergreen Children's Center, Ohio

Mr. Tim (or should I say, Mr. Panda)

Mr. Tim, superstar librarian and storyteller, sent me these brilliant drawings from one of his story time sessions with Mrs. Kinney's class of 4 year olds at the Beavercreek Community Library in Ohio. These drawings are 'thank yous' to Mr. Tim and feature their favorite book or their favorite moment from a book. The three drawings below feature moments from my doughnut/manners themed book, 'Please, Mr. Panda'. The teacher, Mrs. Kinney, added the writing for each young, budding artist.

Thanks, Tim, for emailing me these wonderful drawings! I think they're fantastic!

Thrilled to be on WHSmith's 'Authors to Watch in 2015'

I'm thrilled to be listed on WHSmith's ten 'Children’s Authors to Watch in 2015'. See the full list here: http://blog.whsmith.co.uk/childrens-authors-to-watch-in-2015/

DRAWING CONTEST: Win Betty's new book!

For your chance to win a signed copy of Betty's new book all you have to do is draw a picture of Betty and send it to betty@steveantony.com (or tweet me) along with your name and age (optional). All ages are welcome!  Two winners (one child, one adult) along with all of the entries, will be posted on my website on June 4th, so be sure to check to see if you've won! The deadline is June 2nd.

Below is a little lesson in how to draw Betty, but feel free to draw her in any which way you like!

Go bananas!

Betty Goes Bananas in her Pyjamas will publish by Oxford University Press on June the 4th.

Disclaimer: By entering this competition you acknowledge that the copyright of 'Betty Goes Bananas' text and illustrations is owned by Steve Antony.

It's National Doughnut Week!

National Doughnut Week has officially started! 

National Doughnut Week aims to raise money to support The Children’s Trust, the leading charity for children with brain injury, so that they can continue to provide much needed rehabilitation work at their specialist centre.

This year, Hachette Children's and I have partnered with National Doughnut Week by providing the campaign with some bespoke illustrations of Mr Panda (my picture book character famed, ironically, for his disdain of doughnuts) spreading the word of this incredibly important campaign.

I’m so pleased to be able to support the valuable work of The Children’s Trust and help raise awareness, and I'm thrilled that publishing news websites, including Book Brunch and Reading Zone, along with my local paper, have helped publicise the campaign.

Bakers across the whole of the UK are uniting for this cause and donating money earned from their doughnut sales to The Children's Trust.  I'm not so sure my homemade doughnuts would be all that edible, but I’m glad I can contribute with an illustrated one or two.

To find a participating bakery near you, please visit this page: http://nationaldoughnutweek.org/search.php#

For more information on The Children's Trust, please visit their website: http://www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk

Enjoy your doughnuts! But remember to say PLEASE!

Hachette have kindly sent a batch of freshly printed 'Please Mr Panda' books to The Children's Trust.

Children's Art Gallery

 I've created a children's gallery page for the brilliant drawings I often receive. Below are just a few. Click on each image for details.

And here's a tweet from a school I visited this week.

It has been great to hear the positive feedback from the visit from Steve Antony pic.twitter.com/vGzyrZ7qNY

— Church Langton (@churchlangtonps) April 30, 2015

The Queen's Hat wins Oscar's First Book Prize

Oscar's First Book Prize is such a personal, touching award. I so admire Oscar’s family for starting something that’s a really positive celebration of his life – thousands of people across the UK now know his name, and I’m so honoured to be part of it, as well as being part of a fantastic celebration of picture books. Each book on the shortlist is so brilliant!

To have won is very moving.

Oscar's First Book Prize, which is sponsored by Waitrose, is designed to find the best first book a child might pick up on their own, and was launched last year in memory of Oscar Ashton, Evening Standard’s executive editor and columnist James Ashton’s son, who was three-and-a-half when he sadly died of a heart condition in December 2012.

The awards ceremony took place last night at Hubbard & Bell, and the prize was presented to me by the lovely Gillian Anderson. 

It was a real pleasure to meet and chat with Oscar's parents and grandparents. It was also great to chat to everyone else on the shortlist, Richard Byrne, Tim Warnes, Lucy Tapper, Steve Wilson and Victoria Turnbill (a fellow MA grad).

Below is today's article in the Evening Standard. You can read the full article online HERE.

If you already haven't, I highly recommend checking out the shortlisted books. They are all amazing. Hedgehugs, written by Steve Wilson and illustrated by Lucy Tapper, Dangerous! by Tim Warnes, This Book Just Ate My Dog! by Richard Byrne, and The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull (all below).

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It's a girl!

Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

Mr Panda goes to Japan!

I literally jumped out my skin with excitement when I saw this.

Japanese Mr Panda! Published by Hyoronsha.

Betty Goes Bananas hits Number One in Taiwan!

For me, one of the most exciting things about getting published is seeing my work translated into different languages. The very idea of reaching into the lives of people thousands of miles away, in countries I've never visited, and in languages I can't speak, is hard to comprehend. But books can do that. 

Today, I was thrilled to receive the exciting news that Taiwan's edition of 'Betty Goes Bananas' is number 1 on the bestselling list at books.com.tw, Taiwan's largest online bookstore, and Kingstone Bookstore, one of Taiwan's major bookstore chains. Wow. 

Below is a pic of the Taiwanese edition of 'Betty Goes Bananas', along with some screen shots of Betty's number 1 status and her very own fun filled web page, along with and a video featuring an expressive banana talking about Betty (which has had no less than 6000 views in less than a month)! 

Thank you to all of Betty's new fans in Taiwan!

Betty is number 1 bestselling children's book at books.com.tw

Betty is number 1 bestselling children's book at Kingstone 

See Betty's very own website HERE.

See Betty's very own website, all in Chinese, by pressing HERE.

The Queen's Hat shortlisted for Oscar's First Book Prize

I am delighted to discover that 'The Queen's Hat' has been shortlisted for the Oscar's First Book Prize: a touching tribute to Oscar Ashton, the son of Evening Standard executive editor and columnist James Ashton, who was three years old when he died in December 2012 from an undetected heart condition.

It’s the second year for Oscar's First Book Prize, which is given to the best first book a child might pick up on their own. Last year, Benji Davies picked up the award for his heartwarming picture book, 'The Storm Whale' (pictured below).

Sixty submissions were whittled down to a long-list of ten, and the final five were carefully picked by a panel of judges: actress Gillian Anderson, Dame Marjorie Scardino, former Pearson CEO and the first female board director of Twitter, Rupert Thomas, marketing director of Waitrose, and Oscar’s parents, Viveka Alvestrand and Evening Standard executive editor and columnist, James Ashton. Gillian Anderson will present the award, sponsored by Waitrose, at Soho House, on May 7.

Below are the final five books shortlisted books for Oscar's First Book Prize. Congratulations, all!

Hedgehugs 
Written by Steve Wilson, illustrated by Lucy Tapper
(Maverick Publishing)

Dangerous!
By Tim Warnes 
(Little Tiger Press)

This Book Just Ate My Dog! 
By Richard Byrne
(OUP)

The Sea Tiger 
By Victoria Turnbull 
(Templar)

The Queen’s Hat 
By Me
(Hachette Children’s)

The final five were featured in today's London Evening Standard. You can read the full article online HERE.

Cambridge Lit Fest & Wokingham Libraries

Last week, I held three events with Wokingham Libraries and one event at the Cambridge Literary Festival. All of the events were much fun. Pictures were drawn, stories were told and photos were taken. Below are some photos from each of the events, plus captions.

The programme and my author pass for the Cambridge Lit Fest, last Saturday.

What great company to be in. I got to meet some of the authors in the green room and watch some of their events.

You can see how sunny it was!

Heffers kindly provided the books.

Drawing different hats for the panda.

We made up a new Mr Panda story.

Lots of budding artists!

Amazing mermaid drawings, by Aiden.

A quick shot of outside the window of the signing room at Cambridge Literary Festival.

Last Thursday, in Chapter One Bookshop in Woodley.

All set for my first event with Wokingham Libraries last Thursday.

With the lovely Cathy MacLennan at Chapter One Bookshop in Woodley.

My first event of the day with Wokingham Libraries.

Signing a book for Harry.

Event poster.

I read the next Betty book at the Wokingham Library events.

I gave a sneak peek of the sequel to 'The Queen's Hat': 'The Queen's Handbag'.

Shaun in the City Videos

Here are a few great Shaun in the City videos.

You can find more BAAA-rill vids of Shaun on Shaun in the City's official YouTube channel.