Little Fish and Mummy on Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day! Walker is celebrating with a lovely, brand-new shaped board book from the world of Hooray for Fish! In this heart-warming rhyming story from the wonderful Lucy Cousins, Little Fish is having a special day, just him and Mummy Fish:

My mummy’s orange just like me.

We both have yellow spots.

I love my mummy very much,

I know she loves me lots.

  

It’s got the team thinking about all the things we share with the mum-figures in our lives, related or otherwise. No one’s mentioned yellow spots, but here are some choice love-filled testimonies from us all:

Nghiem Ta, Art Director

When I was growing up, my mum was strict and fearsome. To us kids, all she did was work and cook... all the little things we took (and take) for granted! Now, as a grown-up, I see my mum as the wonder she is. She’s accomplished so much on her own and is such an inspiration to me.

And she still cooks amazing food! Yum!

Isabelle Gamon, Art Director

When I was a child, I desperately wanted a Barbie Dream House, but couldn’t buy one. Instead, my mother spent a week building my doll her very own home, complete with real wallpaper and hand-knitted furnishings. This to me sums up all that is wonderful about my mum: she is resourceful, creative, dedicated, and filled with unconditional love.  It also might be why I’m now obsessed with Grand Designs...

Bonne fête des mères, maman. Bisous.

Ruby Constable, Assistant Editor

When I was little, my grandma used to tell me the most extraordinary bedtime stories, which turned out were actually the plots of famous book and films. My absolute favourite was Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontë’s version is alright, but my gran does a satisfyingly terrifying Bertha impression and could tell the whole story in the ten minutes before lights out. She also made up a beautiful lullaby about butterflies, which I later discovered had the same melody as The Godfather theme tune. 

Happy Mothers’ Day gran. You’re weird, I love it.

Hannah Whitaker, Senior Creative Editor

When I was a six, my father made me a beautiful dolls house which I used to play with all the time. My daughter Amelia - who is eight - has it in her bedroom now, and we love to spend time together moving all the furniture around!

Inês Amaral, Designer

Me and my mum both love cabbage, steamed fish and chewing on bones. Not a pretty picture, but my mum’s satisfaction with having food companion makes it very worth it.

Happy Mother’s Day mum, you are and always be my inspiration, moral compass and favourite chef.

Rachel Boden, Senior Commissioning Editor

My children and I share a love of books. Funny ones, sad ones, magical ones. I still read to them every night. We do silly voices – my seven-year-old daughter does an excellent Texan drawl for completely inappropriate characters (e.g. Rainbow Fairies). No room is complete without a shelf of books, as proven when my son built himself a house in Minecraft, aged 6, and included a golden throne and a floor-to-ceiling bookcase. I am hoping for a golden throne as a Mother’s Day gift this year…

What special thing do you share with the mothering figure(s) in your life? Let us know below! And don’t forget to pick up a copy of Little Fish and Mummy, swimming into a bookshop near you!

Top new picture books for April!

A brilliant selection of picture books out this month; there are hiding fish, fruit-stealing elephants, and Nancy once again explores London, this time in paperback!


Where is Little Fish?

Little Fish is playing hide-and-seek with his fishy friends. Can you find him? Babies and toddlers will love searching for Little Fish behind the coral, beneath the shell and inside a treasure chest. 

This gorgeous lift-the-flap book features the vibrant artwork of Lucy Cousins, multi-award-winning creator of Maisy.



Count with Little Fish

Join Little Fish on an underwater journey, and count from 1 to 10 along the way. Little readers will love Lucy Cousin’s bright, bold characters and will delight at the final page, teeming with colourful fish of all shapes and sizes. 

Inspired by Hooray for Fish!, this charming counting book features the spotty Little Fish and his fishy friends! Perfect for babies and toddlers and fans of Lucy Cousins.




No, Nancy, No!

From Alice Tait, illustrator of the iconic London Range, comes a stylish, action-packed lift-the-flap book – the perfect introduction to the capital city for first-time sightseers! 

Blending her joyful London scapes with the story of a mischievous little girl, Nancy, and her long-suffering dachshund, Roger, Alice creates a wild and calamitous chase by boat, bus and bike across all of London's most famous and best sights – from Buckingham Palace to the Tower of London…


Ruby in the Ruins

Ruby and Mum have lived through the terrifying London Blitz and are waiting for Dad to come home from the war. Ruby hardly recognizes the tall man who steps off the train, but when she falls in the ruins nearby, there’s only one person who she wants to rescue her. 

A classic picture book about family love, set in post-war London, from the much-loved and award-winning Shirley Hughes.



That Fruit Is Mine!

One day, deep in the jungle, five elephants discover a new tree – a tall tree – and, atop that tree, the most mouth-wateringly delicious fruit any of them had ever seen. “MINE!” each elephant cries. “Mine, mine, mine, mine, MINE!” But who will get there first? And will the elephants spot the five tiny mice, planning and plotting, slowly approaching that tip-top branch? 

 With fresh vision, hilarious characterization and beautifully textured art, Anuska Allepuz tells a tale of teamwork and sharing; a comedy and fable with a contemporary edge.


King of the Sky
           
Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Starting a new life in a new country, a young boy feels lost and alone – until he meets an old man who keeps racing pigeons. Together they pin their hopes on a race across Europe and the special bird they believe can win it: King of the Sky. Nicola Davies’ beautiful story – an immigrant’s tale with a powerful resonance in our troubled times – is illustrated by an artist who makes the world anew with every picture.


The Pencil: 10th Anniversary Edition

A special 10th anniversary edition of a modern classic, The Pencil is a playful, witty, wonderfully quirky story about the power of imagination. Say hi to Banjo! Once a pencil draws him, there's no telling what will come next – a dog, a cat, a chase (of course), and a paintbrush to colour in an ever-expanding group of family and friends. But it's not long before the complaints begin – "This hat looks silly!" "My ears are too big!" – until the poor pencil has no choice but to draw … a rubber. Oh no!  With gorgeous golden foil on the cover and spine, this edition is one to share and treasure.


Pick up copies of all these books at your local bookshop.

Little Fish

Hello, I am Little Fish!

Today is a very special day for me: Walker Books has published TWO new books about me and my friends!

Making books is SO much fun. It takes a long time and lots of hard work, though! I’ve made a special photo montage of all the best bits – come and have a look.

Here are the Design and Editorial team talking through the story. They help decide how the book will look and what it will say! Can you spot me listening in?

Here I am with Mummy Fish in the sparkly PR and Marketing department! They help people hear all about the brilliant books that Walker makes.

I got flown all the way to Italy for the Bologna Book Fair! I still prefer swimming to flying, but it was so much fun.

The book fair is where publishers display all the fantastic books they’re making for the next year.

Even little fish like me need a break. Lucky for me, Walker Books is right by Vauxhall City Farm, so I got to visit all sorts of animals and make new friends like this flip-flap fantastic goat! No fish, though…

Wow! Look at these splish-splashing books. These are called “advance copies”. They’re copies of the new books that come into the office before they hit the shops so that everyone can read through one more time to be sure they’re absolutely perfect.  

 WIN!

You can pick up copies of my new books Where is Little Fish? and Count with Little Fish in your local bookshop, but we also have five sets to giveaway to some lucky readers! To enter, just email your name and address to competitions@walker.co.uk with ‘Little Fish' in the subject line for your chance to win.

Competition closes on 7th May 2018. Terms and conditions apply.