Commemorating World Refugee Day with The Day War Came

On the 18^th of June we commemorated Refugee Week with a special event for The Day War Came at The Book Club. We had author Nicola Davies and illustrator Rebecca Cobb on a panel with 100 chair illustrations up for grabs including pieces from Shirley Hughes, Shaun Tan and Nick Sharratt. Tickets were £20 with everyone receiving a randomly allocated chair illustration – all money from tickets has been donated to Help Refugees. 

A powerful and necessary picture book, The Day War Came shows the journey of a child forced to become a refugee when war destroys everything she has ever known. 

Imagine if, on an ordinary day, war came. Imagine it turned your town to rubble. Imagine going on a long and difficult journey – all alone. Imagine finding no welcome at the end of it. Then imagine a child who gives you something small but very, very precious... When the government refused to allow 3000 child refugees to enter this country in 2016, Nicola Davies was so angry she wrote a poem. It started a campaign for which artists contributed drawings of chairs, symbolising a seat in a classroom, education, kindness, the hope of a future. The poem has become this book, movingly illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, which should prove a powerful aid for explaining the ongoing refugee crisis to younger readers. 

50p from every paperback copy sold goes to the charity Help Refugees – find out more about their wonderful work at their website, helprefugees.org.

You can pick up a copy of The Day War Came at your local bookshop and you can find The Day War Came teacher's notes here.

WIN our May Picture Book of the Month - Hummingbird

A Nature Storybook about hummingbirds, beautifully told and illustrated.

"Jane Ray turns everything she touches to gold." Daily Telegraph

From Nicola Davies, one of the UK’s finest non-fiction writers, and from Jane Ray, one of the UK’s finest illustrators, comes an exquisite Nature Storybook about … hummingbirds! A hummingbird is smaller than your thumb and weighs less than a 20 pence piece – however you measure it, it’s tiny. But every spring, hummingbirds that have spent the winter in Mexico fly north to make the most of the warmer weather. They nest as far north as Canada and Alaska; a 2,000 mile trip! This is the story of one spring migration: of a tiny bird, its amazing journey and the people it meets along the way.

We have FIVE copies of Hummingbird with limited edition prints to give away!

To enter this competition just enter your name and email address below.

Competition closes midday on Wednesday 5th June 2019.   

Are you under 13? If so please do NOT provide your details. Please ask your parent or guardian to enter using their email address.

By entering this competition you confirm that you accept our terms and conditions of entry.

Name:

Email:

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Picture Book of the Month - A First Book of the Sea by Nicola Davies

A stunning anthology that blends poetry and information about the sea.

From Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton, the multi award-winning team behind Tiny and Lots, comes A First Book of the Sea, a spellbinding collection of poems about the oceans of the world and their shores. With this book, children can swim alongside dolphins and flying fish, pore over rockpools and sail from pole to pole and back, learning about everything from phosphorescence and plankton to manta rays and puffins – all in the comfort of their bedroom. 

Emily Sutton's exquisite watercolours capture the breathless excitement of a child's first glimpse of the sea, the majesty of ancient trading ships and the sheer, staggering wonder of the humpback whale. The perfect companion to international bestsellers A First Book of Nature and A First Book of Animals, this book is sure to enthral and inspire readers of all ages.

We're very excited to welcome Nicola Davies to Picture Book Party to talk about    A First Book of the Sea

There is nothing that makes me happier than the sea. As soon as that sliver of unmistakable blue is in my eye, I start to smile. It’s involuntary, automatic. It doesn't even have to be summer, it doesn't have to be daylight: the shimmering moonlight path, the sound of surf through a wound down car window, they have the same effect. I can't be near the sea without wanting to be nearer; I can't be by the sea without wanting to be in it or on it. Holidays without sea are just ‘time off’, OK but ultimately unsatisfactory. Any day with even a small amount of sea in, is a holiday.

I think I got it from my parents, both born and brought up on the Gower, where the sea was always a part of their lives, and in the end, the one thing they could always agree on. As a family we went to the sea whenever we could. No definite sea-based activities were ever involved; we didn't have a boat, there was no equipment and no toys, apart from my Dad’s tangled fishing gear and the two
plywood surfboards left over from my older siblings tenure in childhood. Our beach activities were Sitting and Looking, Walking Idly in the Shallows, Pebble and Shell Admiring, Rock Pool Peering. All collections were left on the beach, all creativity - sandcastles, sand and pebble art - were erased by the tide; impermanence made creativity playful, experimentation less risky. The closest we got to anything formal was Pebble Cake shop, a game played when I was very small; nothing since has ever been so satisfying as bargaining for rocks with pebbles.

My sea love as a child lead me to spending long periods on small boats studying whales. In spite of the fact that I was, and remain, the worlds worst, most sea sick and entirely incompetent sailor, I have never got over the simple delight of floating. It still seems like a magic trick. I push my kayak onto the water or catch a wave on my board and the sudden weightlessness is miraculous, a deep

surprise, whose visceral sweetness takes my breath every single time.

I’ve spent days - probably weeks - of my life simply staring at the sea, letting my mind wash about with the waves and tide. It has taught me to replicate that odd uncoupling of consciousness almost at will. I can let go and wander. I wandered a lot whilst writing A First Book of the Sea - trailed through the beaches and seas of my childhood; the big dunes of Llangenith, the sweep of Newgale, the boats coming into Aldeburgh with flatfish still flapping on the bottom, the salt marshes of Cley and Blakney with the skeins of Brent geese scribbled in their corners. I wandered too in the kind of dreams that the sea makes possible for us all; I imagined all the shores to which each shore is connected; the times that are linked by the sound of waves and the salt of the water, times with pirates and triremes, ichthyosaurs and trilobites and the depths of ocean trenches and the pull of the moon, and planets and stars that the water on our planet holds and divines. Imagining brought me all sorts of poems about animals and tides, real voyages and ones that we can only make in our hearts.



When I first studied whales, I did so on a cliff in Newfoundland. Sea mist would roll in off the cold Atlantic and the dry, wind pruned vegetation of the cliff top would soak up the moisture; sea birds would spend the day scouring hundreds of square miles of blue to return to their nests, under the rocks and heathers. I sailed from the open sea back to the arms of distant harbours. I saw, and lived every day the unity of the world. The sea is our connector: it links us to the salt water history of all life and the tiny oceans that each of the cells in our body hold; it links us to all places and all journeys, from the tiny perambulations of a limpet to the voyages of the Polynesian navigators but most of all it connects us, instantly, to the great power of the wild, to nature, our mother, before whom we are all little children.

Nicola Davies is an award-winning author, whose many books for children include A First Book of Nature, A First Book of Animals, Lots, Tiny, The Promise, King of the Sky, Big Blue Whale, Dolphin Baby, Just Ducks. She graduated in zoology, studied whales and bats and then worked for the BBC Natural History Unit. Visit Nicola at www.nicola-davies.com, or follow her on Twitter @nicolakidsbooks.



Emily Sutton graduated from Edinburgh College of Art with a degree in illustration. As well as illustrating picture books, she paints, sculpts and designs prints. Emily's first picture book, Clara Button and the Magical Hat Day,was published by the V&A. Her previous titles for Walker include Tiny, The Christmas Eve Tree and Lots. Visit Emily at www.emillustrates.com.

The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal goes to Town Is by the Sea!

We are absolutely thrilled that Sydney Smith has won the 2018 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for Town Is by the Sea, written by Joanne Schwartz.

Sydney's stunning illustrations show the striking contrast between a sparkling seaside day and the darkness underground where the miners of the town dig.

This beautifully understated and haunting story brings a piece of mining history to life. The ever-present ocean and inevitable pattern of life in a mining town has enthralled children and moved adult readers, as a young boy wakes up to the sound of the sea, visits his grandfather's grave after lunch and comes home to a cosy dinner with his family, but all the while his mind strays to his father digging for coal deep down under the sea.

You can watch Sydney talk about Town Is by the Sea here, and discover learning resources for all the shortlisted books here.

Sydney Smith has illustrated multiple children’s books, including The White Cat and the Monk, written by Jo Ellen Bogart, and the highly acclaimed Footpath Flowers, which was a New York Times Children’s Book of the Year, a winner of the Governor General Award for Illustration and shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. 

Find him on Twitter as @sydneydraws.



Also appearing on the shortlist from Walker Books: 

King of the Sky illustrated by Laura Carlin, written by Nicola Davies. Watch Laura discuss the book here.

A Fist Book of Animals illustrated by Petr Horáček, written by Nicola Davies. Watch Petr discuss the book here.

This is the 11th CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal win for Walker Books, you can find a list of winners below.

2018 Sydney Smith, Town Is by the Sea

2014 Jon Klassen, This is Not My Hat

2012 Jim Kay, A Monster Calls
2004 Chris Riddell, Jonathan Swift's “Gulliver”
2002 Bob Graham, Jethro Byrde- Fairy Child
2001 Chris Riddell, Pirate Diary
1999 Helen Oxenbury, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
1997 P J Lynch, When Jessie Came Across the Sea
1995 P J Lynch, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
1988 Barbara Firth, Can't You Sleep Little Bear?
1985 Juan Wijngaard, Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady

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.

Three Walker Picture Books Shortlisted for the 2018 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal

We are absolutely thrilled to say that three Walker picture books have made the shortlist of the 2018 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. You can see the full selection of titles below.

King of the Sky illustrated by Laura Carlin, written by Nicola Davies

A Fist Book of Animals illustrated by Petr Horáček, written by Nicola Davies 

Town is by the Sea illustrated by Sydney Smith, written by Joanne Schwartz

Good to luck to all the illustrators shortlisted! You can pick copies of all these books at your local bookshop.

PREVIOUS KATE GREENAWAY MEDAL WINS FOR WALKER BOOKS:

2014 Jon Klassen, This is Not My Hat
2012 Jim Kay, A Monster Calls
2004 Chris Riddell, Jonathan Swift's “Gulliver”
2002 Bob Graham, Jethro Byrde- Fairy Child
2001 Chris Riddell, Pirate Diary
1999 Helen Oxenbury, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
1997 P J Lynch, When Jessie Came Across the Sea
1995 P J Lynch, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
1988 Barbara Firth, Can't You Sleep Little Bear?
1985 Juan Wijngaard, Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady

WIN King of the Sky by Nicola Davies

A powerful and beautifully illustrated story about migration and the meaning of home.

King of the Sky is a breathtaking new picture book by children's author Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin, winner of the Bratislava Illustration Biennale and the Bologna Ragazzi Prize for Illustration. 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.


Behind the scenes with Nicola Davies

We’re excited to welcome Nicola to the Picture Book Party blog for a behind-the-scenes on the inspiration behind King of the Sky.

As we were putting together A First Book of Nature the illustrator Mark Hearld asked me to write a poem about pigeons. At the time, I'd just moved to a house with a view of an old Victorian hospital. All day pigeons would strut and play on the roof top, pirouetting like weathercocks. So the poem came easily.

And it got me thinking.

I read about pigeons; wild ones, domestic ones, message carrying ones, racing ones. I watched videos of tough northern blokes cuddling their racing birds with heart-breaking tenderness. I read how they navigate - learning the shapes of their local landscape by that characteristic flying in circles thing they do; recognising the smells of home, so that downwind they can follow the scents to their loft.

Something else got in with the biological information in my head - belonging and what happens when you have to change where you live and make a new home.

All of it sloshed around in my mind until one night I heard a song written about the real Sheffield racing pigeon “The King of Rome” that won a race to the North all the way from Italy. Another component of the story fell into place.

The final piece of the jigsaw was the setting. I wanted a displaced people and found what I needed when I remembered my mum’s stories about sitting in the Italian ice cream parlour in Gowerton. Italian families had come to Wales in the 20s and had found a culture like their own, centred on family, where singing and high emotion were both valued.

So I wrote a story set on my own doorstep, and connected with my own family history in South Wales.

I read it aloud at a conference and two wonderful things happened: someone came and told me that I’d described the story of their family and another said: “All my adult life I’ve thought my background in the valleys was something I had to get away from. You’ve shown me it’s my best material.” That’s when I realised that this little story about a boy and a bird had done what I wanted, and told a bigger more universal story about belonging, and what that means.

I worked with Pontadawe Arts Centre and director Derek Cobley to make King of the Sky into a theatre production - a musical in fact - that played at the Hay festival in 2015 and 16 and toured in South Wales. It was great to see the story spoke to audiences of all ages. Grown-ups cried, children cheered when the pigeon made it home, people went out singing the songs. I hope when they read the book they’ll carry the words in their hearts in the same way.

WIN
To celebrate the release of King of the Sky we’ve got five beautiful limited edition prints and signed copies of the book to give away! To enter, just answer this question:

In the new book King of the Sky, what kind of bird does the old man keep?
a) Hawks
b) Sparrows
c) Pigeons

To enter, just email competitions@walker.co.uk with 'King of the Sky' in the subject line before 9th June 2017. Terms and conditions apply.

Join in the fun and download these free King of the Sky activity sheets and pick up a copy of King of the Sky at your local bookshop.


Nicola Davies is an award-winning author, whose many books for children include A First Book of Nature, Ice Bear, Big Blue Whale, Dolphin Baby, Bat Loves the Night and the Silver Street Farm series. She graduated in zoology, studied whales and bats and then worked for the BBC Natural History Unit. Nicola lives in Crickhowell, Wales. Visit Nicola as www.nicola-davies.com.


Laura Carlin is a graduate of the Royal College of Art and the winner of several awards, including the V&A Book Illustration Award. Her work has featured in Vogue, the Guardian and The New York Times; her previous books for Walker include The Promise by Nicola Davies and The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. See Laura's work at lauracarlin.blogspot.co.uk.

WIN a signed copy of Lots by Nicola Davies

Lots is a stylish non-fiction picture book that conveys the magnificent diversity of life on this planet.

From the award-winning team behind Tiny: The Invisible World of Microbes comes Lots, a beautifully illustrated introduction to the concept of biodiversity for younger readers. There are living things everywhere: the more we look, the more we find. There are creatures on the tops of the tallest jungle trees, at the bottom of the coldest oceans, even under the feathers of birds and in boiling volcanic pools. So how many different kinds are there? One, two, three ... lots! 

With beautiful words from Nicola Davies and exquisite illustrations by Emily Sutton, this groundbreaking book is certain to enchant and inspire children.

WIN

Here at Walker HQ we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the launch of Lots than by giving away a copy signed by both Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton! Plus a beautiful limited edition Lots print. Five runners up will also get a limited edition print. To enter, just email competitions@walker.co.uk with 'Lots' in the subject line before 31st May 2017. Terms and conditions apply.

Nicola Davies is an award-winning author, whose many books for children include Tiny: The Invisible World of Microbes, A First Book of Nature, The Promise, Ice Bear, Big Blue Whale, Just Ducks! and the Heroes of the Wild series. She graduated in zoology, studied whales and bats and then worked for the BBC Natural History Unit. Nicola lives in Crickhowell, Wales. Visit Nicola at nicola-davies.com, or follow her on Twitter under the handle: @nicolakidsbooks.

Emily Sutton graduated from Edinburgh College of Art with a degree in illustration. As well as illustrating picture books, she paints, sculpts and designs prints. Emily's first picture book, Clara Button and the Magical Hat Day, was published by the V&A. Emily lives in York. Visit Emily at www.emillustrates.com

"For five- to eight-year-olds, there’s another love song to the natural world from Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton, the team behind Tiny. Lots: The Diversity of Life on Earth counts up from a single human child to species-rich spreads of submarine, jungle and desert landscapes – and warns that without due care, humanity will erode the world’s biodiversity down from “lots” to “one”. Clear, direct, involving text, coupled with vivid, delicate illustrations make for a truly special work of non-fiction." - The Guardian

Top picture book picks for April

April showers bring...our top five picture book picks! Add some sunshine to your children's bookshelves with a forgetful mole, a hungry cat, and some beautifully-illustrated tales of the flora and fauna of our world. Check out our top picks for this month here!

Mrs Mole, I’m Home!

From Jarvis, the creator of Alan’s Big, Scary Teeth, comes another unmissable, hilarious adventure about a daddy mole who has mislaid his spectacles. Morris can’t find them anywhere. So, he decides to go on without them, trusting his instincts to lead him home to his waiting family and delicious dinner of worm noodles. “Mrs Mole, I’m homeeee!” he sings, as he burrows right into some poor unsuspecting rabbit family’s hole. Oh dear. Without his spectacles, Morris really can’t see a thing – how will he ever get home? Jarvis will have all readers rooting for Morris and rejoicing in the idea that – glasses or no glasses – you can always make your way back to home sweet home.

Trees

Trees change through the seasons – springing to life, bearing fruit and losing their leaves. They clean the air we breathe, provide seeds and homes for creatures and extend their shade to everyone equally. Trees is a poetic picture book that invites the reader to take a closer look at the magnificent trees that surround us.

Lots

From the award-winning team behind Tiny: The Invisible World of Microbes comes Lots, a beautifully illustrated introduction to the concept of biodiversity for younger readers. There are living things everywhere: the more we look, the more we find. There are creatures on the tops of the tallest jungle trees, at the bottom of the coldest oceans, even under the feathers of birds and in boiling volcanic pools. So how many different kinds are there? One, two, three... lots! With beautiful words from Nicola Davies and exquisite illustrations by Emily Sutton, this groundbreaking book is certain to enchant and inspire children.

Town Is by the Sea

Stunning illustrations by Sydney Smith, the award-winning illustrator of Footpath Flowers, show the striking contrast between a sparkling seaside day and the darkness underground where the miners dig. The ever-present ocean and inevitable pattern of life in a mining town will enthral children and move adult readers, as a young boy wakes up to the sound of the sea, visits his grandfather's grave after lunch and comes home to a cosy dinner with his family, but all the while his mind strays to his father digging for coal deep down under the sea.

Can’t Catch Me!

A wicked, wild read-aloud romp from Timothy Knapman, author of Soon, and Simona Ciraolo, winner of the Sebastian Walker Prize, this is the story of Jake, the fastest mouse there ever was. NO ONE can catch him. Not the fox, not the wolf, not even the bear. “Can’t catch me,” teases Jake. “I’m the fastest mouse in the world!” But cunning Old Tom Cat has his eye on that sweet, young mouse for his dinner and he’s got a plan…








You can get your paws on all these books at your local bookshop. Happy reading!