Why I wrote a picture book about war
So, how did I come up with GREEN LIZARDS VS RED RECTANGLES: A STORY ABOUT AND PEACE?
Back in December 2012, a painting on the cover of an art magazine caught my eye. The painting was ‘8 Red Rectangles’, by Kazmir Malevich. I was strangely transfixed by it, but I couldn't quite figure out why I found it so stimulating, and this played on my mind.
8 Red Rectangles
The next day, I awoke with a clear image in my head of lizards lounging on red rectangles (lizards were fresh in my mind because I'd been drawing them, along with other reptilians, at a local safari park).
Lizards and rectangles were an odd combo, but something about this image of reptiles and shapes was strangely appealing, so I headed straight to my studio to figure out why.
I drew lizards. I drew rectangles. I drew lizards sat atop rectangles and rectangles being lifted by lizards. The lizards multiplied as did the rectangles, until I ran out of space on the page. I was scratching my head - it seemed totally nonsensical that I should feel a story coming on. What exactly are these lizards and rectangles trying to tell me? How can these two very different entities exist in the same book to form a story?
And THAT’s when it hit me. They don't want to coexist!
The lizards and rectangles are completely different. They can’t seem to find a way to relate to each other, to make space for each other. But the one thing they clearly have in common is THE PAGE on which they both exist. They’re in the same book, which means they HAVE to co-exist whether they like it or not, unless.... war!
I played around with this war of shapes and reptiles. I sketched clever ways of showing the two adversaries pushing each other off the page. I had no idea how the two would eventually find a way to fit nicely (and peacefully) on the last page, but I knew they would, somehow.
“The more I drew, the more I pondered the complexities of war - the unfairness, the futility. Not all of the lizards and rectangles want to fight. They’re just caught up in the chaos of it all.”
The more I drew, the more I pondered the complexities of war - the unfairness, the futility. Not all of the lizards and rectangles want to fight. They're just caught up in the chaos of it all. Some are fleeing for safety. Some are trapped. Some are unknowingly harming their allies (some lizards are pushing a rectangle over without realising they’re squashing their teammates on the other side).
One brave lizard questions it all, but he is mercilessly silenced by a towering rectangle, and this leads to an even larger war.
Eventually, ‘enough is enough’ cries one red rectangle. The lizards and rectangles are too tired to fight anymore. They gather for a truce, and they finally find a way to co-exist (or rather, I finally manage to figure out a creative way to fit them nicely on the same page).
The lizards are green, the complimentary colour to red - an irony which made total sense. Finding the right hues was a bit tricky because I'm red-green colour-blind (another irony) but I got there in the end.
So, two days after stumbling on an inspiring piece of art, I had what I felt was a powerful and important (yet not too heavy-handed and strangely fun) story concept about war and peace. It took me about one month to finish my dummy book, which was just in time for my class's graduation show.
GREEN LIZARDS VS RED RECTANGLES was one of three books I exhibited at my classes graduation show at Foyles in London back in February 2013 (the other two were PLEASE MR PANDA and THE QUEEN’S HAT). I knew it was a bit ‘out there’ (I remember showing it to someone for the first time and seeing their perplexed reaction to the title and imagery).
Two years later, the book was published by Hodder Children’s in the UK. Scholastic published it in the USA. It’s also available in a number of other countries, too.
Creating this book was a fun and challenging exercise in design. More importantly, it allowed me to do something I have always wanted to do which is to tackle an important issue within a picture book. I have to thank my UK publisher, Hodder, for believing in this book in the first place. They admitted it was a brave step for them - it’s their first and only picture book about war.
Upcoming event with The National Trust
I'm very much looking forward to taking part in the National Trust's first Children's Book Festival on Saturday, March 5th at Wray Castle in The Lake District, UK. Please find more details HERE.
The Monster in the Hood is about to rock your world
The woods are SO 2000.
Waterstones, Salisbury
This monster lives in a gritty neighbourhood deep in the city. And everyone is scared of him. Everyone except an exceptionally brave trio of street-smart friends, that is.
But you should NEVER, EVER judge a book by its cover, especially if the book happens to be about a rumbly, grumbly, and very hungry monster.
I cannot tell you how excited I am about this book! I don’t want to give away too much, but it’s SO much fun to read out loud - and although it’ll make you SCREECH and SQUEAL I guarantee you’ll fall in love with the fuzzy one-eyed monster.
The book won’t drop until June in the UK via Oxford University Press - but I wanted to let you know that you can now pre-order it online HERE.
Storytime Magazine
Photos from 2015
What a year it's been! I feel incredibly blessed to have had so many fantastic opportunities. The year started with a trip to NYC to promote Please Mr Panda and it ended with a musical adaptation of The Queen’s Hat, by the London Symphony Orchestra. My Shaun the Sheep raised £15,000 for charity, The Queen's Hat won Evening Standard's Oscar's First Book Prize and Betty Goes Bananas book one and two, and Mr Panda book one and two, topped charts overseas. I held countless events at libraries, bookstores, charities and schools. And I made a load of new friends, too.
In no particular order, here are a bunch of photos from 2015.
Mr Panda and that Hat at the Ideal Home Show at Christmas
Me and Julia Patton holding each other's books after our signings.
Book store, Bangzo, kindly invited me to do a spot of book signing at their stand in the Ideal Home Show at Christmas. Of course, I accepted!
Sadly, I didn’t get much time to shop (which was probably a good thing). But that didn’t matter because I had a fantastic time meeting authors, catching up with friends and meeting lots of nice people who stopped to say hello.
I wished lots of Merry Christmas's inside copies of THE QUEEN'S HAT and PLEASE MR PANDA, and I read PLEASE MR PANDA to an audience of Christmas shoppers.
This is a super short blog post, but I just thought it’d be nice to share these photos of my afternoon.
Also, it was snowing there. Fake snow. It was amazing.
It was great to meet (from left to right) Andrew Davis, Angie Lake & Myra King.
Reading Please Mr Panda
London Symphony Orchestra perform The Queen's Hat
Me and the hugely talented composer/presenter, Rachel Leach.
I feel incredibly honoured that the London Symphony Orchestra's Autumn concert was based on my debut picture book, THE QUEEN'S HAT. The spectacular concert took place twice on Tuesday and twice on Wednesday at London's famous Barbican Theatre. I attended the Tuesday morning performance alongside teachers and hundreds of pupils who came wearing hats of their own, ranging from sporty caps and smart trilbies to pointy witches and wizard hats.
As Her Royal Highness dashed after her bonnet, followed by hundreds of guards, the orchestra performed incredible music that really brought to life each London landmark in the windy chase. Featuring music by Walton, Elgar, Mussorgsky and Rossini amongst others and two brand new songs written by composer, Rachel Leach, alongside large animated images from the book, this really was a feast for the eyes and ears.
I especially liked the two new songs written and performed by Rachel Leach. 'Catch that Hat' and 'The Queen's Hat'. In fact, 'Catch that Hat' is very catchy indeed. It's currently playing on a loop in my head. Hearing these songs reminded me of when I use to write songs. I really enjoy songwriting, but in my early twenties I gave up pursuing a career in music because in the end I kept gravitating more towards writing stories and illustrating. Plus, I never really quite knew where to place myself in the field of music. And because of the issue of translating picture books, I've moved even further away from rhyming. But I absolutely love the thrill of songwriting, and watching Rachel and the LSO has hugely inspired me. I couldn't help but think how amazing it would be to collaborate with musicians to turn a story into a musical (what can I say, I've always been a dreamer).
The event was organised especially for schools by LSO Discovery: an education and community programme that makes the London Symphonic Orchestra relevant in the lives of thousands of people beyond the concert hall by holding workshops, projects and masterclasses. Each school that attended had been given a THE QUEEN'S HAT project pack prior to the concert. The pack contained fun learning activities alongside useful information about the concert. It was clear to see that the pupils thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I was impressed with how well prepped they were, especially when I realised they were all singing along to the two new songs!
Congratulations to everyone involved. It was a truly amazing concert and I loved every second of it.
Photo courtesy of London Symphony Orchestra's Twitter
Class transformed into Mr Panda's production Site
I love seeing how teachers use my books in the classroom. THE QUEEN'S HAT is proving very popular for teaching geography, creative writing, pronouns and even music (thanks to the London Symphony Orchestra's recent adaptation of the book).
Now it seems that PLEASE MR PANDA is working its way into the learning environment, too, in spite of Mr Panda's permanent glower. Plus, it appears to be presenting the perfect excuse for teachers to dine on doughnuts during recess! I know this because I've seen the tweets.
Some classes have decorated paper doughnuts (Pollock would be proud) and others have made wacky doughnut chains to decorate their classroom with. Some teachers have conducted fun reenactments of the manners-themed story to really drive home the book's message of not forgetting that elusive magic word. Other teachers have focused more on the black and white animals featured in the story. At a recent school visit, one pupil proudly pointed out that Mr Panda does not like doughnuts because pandas like bamboo.
But just the other week I was blown away with what one particular school did with PLEASE MR PANDA. Not only did they transform a class into a fully operational doughnut production site, but they also cleverly delivered a series of lessons that related to different parts of their modified classroom.
With help and inspiration from his creative peers, Mr Thompson turned his class into an interactive doughnut factory. To the right are some photos of the class.
Burdett-Coutts & Townshend Foundation CE Primary School was a abuzz with fun activities based on Mr Thompson's inventive expansion of my book.
There were many fun and educational tasks to be carried out in order for the factory to run smoothly and effectively. But first, the pupils had to apply for their preferred job role by filling out a simple application form. And I can gather from the photos that there were many jobs on offer.
There's the customer-service based role of answering the phone and taking orders. There's the role of mixing ingredients and not burning doughnuts in the oven. There's the task of operating the cash register. And there's the doughnut truck driving role.
I'm guessing a cleaner was required at the end of each shift to sweep up the mess, or perhaps that role got lumbered with the teacher and TA. Every job has its perks though (yes, I did notice the real-life doughnuts in the photos).
Each role has it's own lesson, but what's wonderful is that they've all got one thing in common. They all encourage pupils to cooperate and work together as a team, and this is probably the best lesson of all.
Doughnut factory duties aside, the children also created an amazing gallery of chalk-drawn characters from the book (the lemur, the ostrich, the penguin, the whale, the skunk and the titular panda). You can see some of them on the wall in one of the photos.
I'd like to thank Mr Thompson and the school for allowing me to share these photos on my blog. Now that I've posted this article, I have a feeling that Mr Panda's doughnut factory is going to expand, like a franchise!
Oh, and if you do remodel your classroom, don't discard your materials because doughnuts are set to feature in the next two manners-themed Mr Panda picture books!
Thanks again, Mr Thompson, for tweeting me your photos. I look forward to meeting you and your class in World Book Week next year!
A Very Special Visit to The Alligator's Mouth
Illustrated by the one and only Chris Riddell!
On Saturday, Richmond was buzzing with rugby banter. Footpaths carried a heavy stream of supporters to the big match (or the pub) and just about every other pedestrian had a Kiwi accent.
I, however, was not going to the match (or the pub). I had a date down at The Alligators Mouth in a quaint, little side street a side-step away from the river of Rugby fans.
The Alligators Mouth is new independent children's bookstore in the heart of Richmond run by a friendly trio of passionate booksellers: Tony, Margaret and Mark. I heard rave reviews about this shop not long after it opened, which if I can remember rightly from my conversation with Tony, was May this year. Since opening, they've had special visits from the likes of Jacqueline Wilson, Axel Scheffler and Chris Riddell, and that was in one day!
Naturally, I couldn't wait to visit.
I was particularly excited to discover that the shop had managed to acquire some copies of the not-even-officially-published-yet GREEN LIZARDS VS RED RECTANGLES, which presented the perfect opportunity for me to incorporate the battling reptiles and shapes into my event.
Another nice surprise was a call from my friend, Jane Elson, author of award-winning A ROOM FULL OF CHOCOLATE and Carnegie-nominated HOW TO FLY WITH BROKEN WINGS, to say that she was coming to my event, which meant I had at least one guaranteed audience member!
But thankfully, I had more than one audience member. Phew! I recognised retweeters, and I met some big fans of Mr Panda, including a mother who is planning a Mr Panda themed party for her child's 1st birthday.
Me, Jane, our books and the Alligator on the bag.
It was a brilliant event. I read most of my books. We took a crazy trip with The Queen across the United Kingdom, spotted the butler (and an alien, surfing police officers, Mo Farah and more) and we drew Mr Panda with shapes and letters.
After my event I bought some books for myself (of course!) before devouring an entire margerita pizza in the restaurant next door.
All in all I had a great time. What a fantastic shop!
Thank you to Mark, Toni and Margaret for having me, and for finding me a Sharpie to sign with! Thanks also to Jane for coming along (and taking photos). But mostly, thank you to all who came for making the event so enjoyable.
So, If you're reading this in London (or even New Zealand), take note, The Alligator's Mouth is well worth a visit (and so is the restaurant next door).
Below are some photos of my event, taken by Jane and Mark.
Spotting the butler!
The Draw 50 Books by Lee J. Ames fostered my love of drawing
Last week, a parent asked me a question while I was signing THE QUEEN'S HANDBAG for his son.
He asked for advice on how to foster his 8 year old's love of drawing. My advice was something along the lines of 'borrow how-to-draw books, have fun, and keep on drawing'. But I wish I had a better answer. Something more specific. Sometimes it's hard to come up with bite-sized answers to big questions.
And this got me thinking.
What helped me when I was 8?
What 'how to draw' book was my 'go to' source of inspiration? Suddenly it all came flooding back to me.
A 1980's Draw 50 book. Click to enlarge
The 'Draw 50' books by Lee J. Ames! I was obsessed with them!
They helped me learn to draw! And there were so many of them!
Draw 50 Famous Cartoons
Draw 50 Famous Famous Faces
Draw 50 Boats, Ships, Trucks and Trains
Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures
Draw 50 Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals
And so on.
I loved drawing the famous cartoons, like Dagwood, Blondie, Hagar the Horrible, Scooby Doo and Felix the Cat.
I loved drawing the famous faces of Charlie Chaplin, William Shakespear, Muhammad Ali and Elizabeth Talyor.
These books were hugely popular in Alamogordo Library, which made it all the more exciting to come across 50 new things to draw!
I borrowed them week in and week out.
The 'Draw 50' books were filled with deceptively simple line-work and iconic imagery, and I loved that about them.
(Deceptively simple line-work and iconic imagery? Wait a second, could it be that Ames' influence is permanently etched into my creative psyche?)
I enjoyed drawing people in the minimalistic way that Ames did. With Ames' guidance, I could encapsulate the character of an icon with a series of simple strokes. This makes me think of THE QUEEN'S HAT books. How many times did I have to draw the Queen before getting it right? Countless drawings were discarded before I devised the few deft lines that somehow captured her character.
A 1980's Draw 50 book. Click to enlarge
I enjoyed drawing iconic cartoon characters, just like the characters in 'Draw 50 Famous Cartoons'.
Fred Flintstone, Felix the Cat and Yogi Bear are all very distinct. What is it that makes them so distinct, so unforgettable? How is it that their personalities pop off the page? Is it their expression? Is it what they're wearing? Maybe it's in their posture? Or is it just how they're drawn?
And isn't it amazing how a simple line can convey an emotion? This is something else I learned from Ames' books. You have to get that line just right. If you don't, the whole picture is off.
Sometimes all it takes is a tiny mark of the pencil to turn a grumpy face into a, well, less grumpy face.
So, yeah, these were the books that helped me learn to draw better when I was a kid, and they made quite an impression on me.
And they are still in print! At least I think they're still in print, based on the fact that a whole load of new-ish editions are listed on Amazon. Not only are they still available to buy or borrow, but Ames went on to illustrate even more 'Draw 50' books, so now you really are spoilt for choice.
Draw 50 Famous Caricatures
Draw 50 Endangered Animals
Draw 50 Aliens, UFO's Galaxy Ghouls, Milky Way Marauders, and Other Extraterrestrial Creatures
Draw 50 Animal Toons
And so on.
So, the next time someone asks me for advice on how to foster their 8 year old child's love of drawing, I'll know exactly which books to recommend - the Draw 50 books by Lee J. Ames!
Oh, and the Ed Emberly drawing books. But maybe I'll save them for another blog post.
(I'd like to say a special thank you to scrapbookolie98 for sending 'Draw 50 Famous Cartoons' from the States.)
For Teachers: Lesson Ideas From Around the World
From decorating doughnuts to acting out plays to learning about geography and jungle themed Reading Corners, TEACHERS from the UK to Australia have invented CREATIVE LESSON PLANS and FUN ACTIVITIES based on my books.
In response to the many emails I've received from teachers, I've created a web page devoted to lessons and activities especially for teachers, librarians and booksellers.
Most of these lesson and activity ideas are suitable for KS1 (ages 5-7) pupils, but they can also be tailored for younger pupils. I have indicated a recommended age group next to each lesson based on my experience from school events, but you can tailor them for just about any age group.
Press HERE to visit the corner of my site that's especially devoted to teachers and librarians.
Have fun!
Broadwater Primary School pupils showing off their new headgear in a musical parade. (Photo by Emerson Wimsey)
The Queen's Handbag TOTALLY reimagined by school pupils
Year 3 of Ramsey Junior School in Cambridgeshire totally reimagined my latest release, THE QUEEN'S HANDBAG, in the most creative way!
By replacing HANDBAG and rewriting my synopsis (and adding other famous landmarks from around the world) they made up their very own royal adventures.
The teacher simply created a small booklet of blank pages. On the cover of the booklet is THE QUEEN'S *BLANK*. On the back is my back-cover synopsis for THE QUEEN'S HANDBAG (below). But the teacher cleverly omitted key words so her pupils could then use their imagination to fill in the blanks.
The pupils filled the blanks in with words like GOLDEN POTS, NINJA MONKEY, SPITFIRE, HELICOPTER, CHEEKY HORSE and GOLDEN BANANA.
Click to enlarge
Then they wrote and illustrated their very own adventures, which include lots of other famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower.
Some even added their very own final 'butler' scene just like in THE QUEEN'S HANDBAG and THE QUEEN'S HAT.
I think this is such a brilliant idea! I'm mightily impressed by all of these funny, imaginative and totally bonkers additions to THE QUEEN series!
Below are some photos of the class's work. Absolutely Amazing!
Please Mr Panda Nominated for Kate Greenaway Medal
Reading Mr Panda on National Libraries Day at Royal Wootton Bassett Libraray.
I am absolutely thrilled to say that my third picture book, PLEASE MR PANDA, has been nominated for the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal!
It's an honour to be included with so many amazing authors and illustrators.
Thank you to the librarians that nominated my book. I am truly grateful.
And so is Mr Panda, despite his somewhat sour demeanour.
You can see the full list of Kate Greenaway nominations HERE.
You can see the full list of Carnegie nominations HERE.
MR PANDA GETS A GOLD STAR FROM NAPPA!
PLEASE MR PANDA has won a GOLD STAR Award by NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards)!
NAPPA is one of the longest running and most respected awards programs in the USA and are continuously celebrated as the "go-to" source for parents and professionals seeking the best products for their children and families.
This is a massive accolade for Mr Panda.
The WAR is about to begin
My 6th picture book is about war and peace, and it's going to published very, very soon. The UK release is Nov 5 and it will be available in the States at the end of this month. It's called GREEN LIZARDS VS RED RECTANGLES.
Aspiring and Published: What's the difference?
Aspiring Children's Author. That was my Twitter bio.
I would look at other authors' Twitter profiles and their bios said things like,
Bestselling Author
NY Times Bestselling Author
Award-winning International Bestselling Author
That was a couple of years ago. But am I really no longer an aspiring author now that I'm published?
Just because my work was seen by the right publisher at the right place at the right time do I no longer need to aspire? Is that it? Job done?
Just lately I've been thinking about this adjective commonly used to describe unpublished authors, and it got me thinking.
Yes, writers and illustrators aspire to get published. We hope our work will excite an editor. We fantasise about signing on the dotted line. But more importantly, I think we aspire to tell mind-blowing, thought provoking, life enhancing, omg-that's-totally-amazing stories.
I don't think we really ever stop aspiring.
I still aspire to draw better pictures. One of these days I might actually draw a horse without having to redraw their anatomically confusing legs a thousand times over before getting it right.
I still aspire to write better. My blog posts are probably littered with grammatical errors. I recently bought a book called 'Grammar for Grown-ups' to help me with that.
I still aspire to tell the perfect story. When is that next bolt of inspiration going to strike? Will it ever strike again? Yes, it will. It definitely will. I hope.
I think most creatives probably feel this way about whatever it is they do, and I'm not entirely sure what spurs it on.
Maybe it's an insecurity.
Maybe it's an obsession with perfection, if there is such a thing.
Maybe it's some kind of mystic calling.
Maybe it's all the knock-backs.
Maybe it's all the praise.
Maybe it's a desire to make the world a better place.
Maybe it's a desire to make your world a better place.
Maybe it's all of the above and then some.
I'm not entirely sure.
But what I do think is that, as long as we continue to really care about whatever it is we want to do in life, we will never stop aspiring.
After all, I am still as much of an aspiring author as I was before getting published, despite what my Twitter bio might say.
Very First Sketch of Betty
Hey, look what I found while rummaging through some old drawings, the very, very first sketch of Betty. And now she's an international superstar (or at least she thinks she is).
The title might have been BETTY'S BAD DAY but BETTY GOES BANANAS is so much better.
Number 1 bestselling children's book in Taiwan.
NY Times Review
A scene from the sequel - BETTY GOES BANANAS IN HER PYJAMAS.
A scene from the sequel - BETTY GOES BANANAS IN HER PYJAMAS.
A scene from the sequel - BETTY GOES BANANAS IN HER PYJAMAS.
Summer Events: Bath, Luton Hoo, Henley, Askews, Library Visits & More
Ideally, I'd like to write individual blog posts for each of my events. But this summer has been pretty manic, so I've fall a little behind with my blog. Here are some of the photos from several of my events over the past few weeks. It's been a lot of fun!
Bath Festival. I'm in the famous red chair!
Bath Festival. OK, so now I've got to share the chair with Jo Empson, Sophy Henn and John Mclay.
An event with Askews Library Services in Preston.
This is at the Yaxley YakketyYak event, held by Cambridgshire Libraries. I'm with Trudi Esberger and Marion Lindsay. These antennae are by Trudi, based on her picture book THE BOY WHO LOST HIS BUMBLE.
An event with Wokingham Libraries
Another fun event with Wokingham Libraries
Signing stock at Cirencester, Waterstones.
Lots of books to sign! 400, I think!
Hoo's Kids Book Fest in Luton
Hoo's Kids Book Fest in Luton
Hoo's Kids Book Fest in Luton
Henley Literary Festival
Henley Literary Festival
Edinburgh Book Festival
4 days, 5 events. Here are some photos from my fantastic stay in Scotland for the Ed Book Fest, in no particular order.
A banana shirt (a nod to Betty Goes Bananas) for one of my events.
All set for my Outreach event at Netherthird Primary School in Cumnock.
Author's yurt
Just before my second event
THE QUEEN'S HANDBAG goes to Edinburgh Castle, just like in the book!
With the lovely Vivian French at Netherthird Primary Shool in Cumnock.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Drawing simple animals at an Outreach event.
In the yurt with Steven Lenton and Philip Ardagh
In the yurt with the dynamic duo, Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre
Books Are My Bag 2015 - Goldsboro & Waterstones Richmond
Books Are My Bag Day - a celebration of brick And mortar bookstores across the UK - took place last Saturday. I travelled with Hachette's Kat to two London book stores (three, if you count our meeting point: Waterstones Trafalgar, where I signed a few Mr Pandas and Queen's Hat & Handbag books).
Our first visit was Goldsboro Books, a treasure trove of limited edition, rare and very special signed books. Did you know that they were the only bookshop in the World to have signed copies of The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith, who of course turned out to be none other than J.K.Rowling? How amazing is that?
Kat and I could've easily spent hours perusing in Goldsboro. I definitely plan on returning!
Then we took the tube to Richmond to say hello to the friendly staff at Waterstones. I held an intimate reading of PLEASE MR PANDA and the newly-realesed-in-hardback The QUEEN'S HANDBAG. And I did a bit of drawing too, of course!
Below are some photos from our day. Thank you to Goldsboro and Waterstones Richmond and Kat!
You can purchase a signed The QUEEN'S HANDBAG direct from Goldsboro. If you're lucky you might receive one (of four) with a 'sneaky swan' drawing inside - here: https://www.goldsborobooks.com/product/the-queens-handbag/
Me and Kat
Can you spot The Queen and corgi?
Selfie at Goldsboro's!
Making my mark on a big page of signatures.
Reading at Waterstones in Richmond
Life as a Colour-blind Illustrator: An Article for Foyles Blog
You can read my guest blog on the Foyles Bookstore Blog:
http://www.foyles.co.uk/Public/Biblio/Detail.aspx?blogId=1713