Children Challenged to Design the Virgin Christmas Train, judged by Jill Murphy

Virgin Trains today announced it has partnered with the children’s reading charity, Book Trust, to launch a nationwide search for a Christmas Train design, to be judged by Jill Murphy.

Primary school age children across Great Britain are being challenged to send in their most festive drawings and win the chance to see their design transform a Pendolino and an InterCity 225 this December. The drawings will be judged by a panel headed up by renowned illustrator and author, Jill Murphy, author of Five Minutes' Peace, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Virgin Trains is asking all primary school age children to enter their festive drawings, sketches or paintings. One winning drawing will be chosen to give two trains the special festive makeover, which will travel on both the West Coast and East Coast networks during December.

Jill Murphy has been brought on board to head up the judging panel, joining Book Trust Chief Executive Diana Gerald, and Virgin Trains. In addition to judging, Jill will be providing signed copies of a special 30th anniversary edition of Five Minutes Peace.

Jill Murphy said: “I'm really looking forward to seeing all the entries for this exciting competition - I wish I was still at school so I could enter it myself! Just imagine your own design being used to give an actual train a Christmas makeover! I'm delighted that Virgin Trains asked me to be the judge and I promise to look carefully at every single entry; so grab your pens, pencils or paints and get started!"

The competition is open to primary age school children aged five to 11. A shortlist will be announced week commencing October 26 and the winning design will be unveiled on December For more details and to enter, visit www.virginchristmastrain.co.uk


 Get a copy of Five Minutes' Peace at your local bookshop.

Dig down for a deadpan tale from Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Two friends, two spades, one dog and some animal biscuits. What more do you need for an adventure?

Sam and Dave are on a mission. A mission to find something spectacular. So they dig a hole. And they keep digging. And they find ... nothing. Yet the day turns out to be pretty spectacular after all! Attentive readers will be rewarded with a rare treasure in this witty story of looking for the extraordinary – and finding it in a manner they'd never expect...

From the multiple award-winning, best-selling team of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, Sam & Dave Dig a Hole perfectly captures the imaginary worlds young children create when they play, turning the simplest things into the biggest adventures.With perfect pacing and buckets of visual humour, this tale is the perfect read aloud for children age 5+.






WIN a Sam & Dave little digging hamper

We have a Sam & Dave Dig a Hole little digging hamper to give away, including a signed copy of Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, a bucket and spade, a poster, activities, stickers and a signed, limited edition print for your child’s bedroom. Five runners up will get a copy of the book. To enter, just email competitions@walker.co.uk with your name and address and 'Sam & Dave' in the subject line before 30th September. Good luck!

Pick up a copy of Sam & Dave Dig a Hole at your local bookshop.

By entering this competition, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Your details will not be shared with third parties.  
 

Picture book of the month - A Great Big Cuddle: Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell

The time has come, the day has arrived, the book we've all been waiting for is here! For the first time EVER, two of the biggest names in children's publishing,  Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell, have teamed up to create the most incredible anthology of 35 poems for the very young. 

The collection of poems fizzes with sound and rhythm, energy and laughter, capturing the most remarkable way what it means to be very, very young. A child’s world with all its details and feelings – toys and games, animals and made-up creatures, likes and dislikes – is vividly conjured up in the most memorable, playful language, and Chris Riddell has produced some his most extraordinary pictures ever to bring this world to life. It's a book that will be enjoyed by the oldest grown-up and the youngest child – and a future classic!

To celebrate, we are delighted to share two videos of Michael reading his poems aloud:

The videos were produced by Michael's son, Joe Rosen, who runs Joe's Big Film Company. You can read a piece written by Joe here about how the films were created.

We hope you enjoy this sneak peak - don't forget to celebrate National Poetry Day on Wednesday 8th October!

Be the first to get a copy of A Great Big Cuddle and pick up a copy at your local bookshop.

"Find this book out and cuddle it close." The Times, Children's Book of the Week

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt with Channel 4!

We are really excited that Channel 4 are going to air a special animated adaptation of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury!

Produced by the makers of The Snowman and The Snowdog, the 30-minute special will air on Channel 4 in 2016.

When Stan, Katie, Rosie, Max, the baby and Rufus the dog are left home alone one day before Christmas after their parents go the rescue of Grandma, the children decide it would be fun to go on a bear hunt, spurred on by Katie’s love of grizzly bears. After swishing and swashing through the long grass, splashing and sploshing through rivers and squilching and squelching through mud, Rufus the dog picks up the scent of a bear…

Incorporating the irresistible story and beautiful artwork of the original book, which last year celebrated 25 years as an international bestseller and a firm family favourite at bedtime, We’re Going  on a Bear Hunt will enchant a whole new audience with its story of perseverance, optimism and the determination to confront your fears head on.

Visit www.jointhebearhunt.com to find out more.

©Lupus Films/Walker Books 2015

Check out this video of Michael Rosen performing We're Going on a Bear Hunt!

Book of the month: The Mouse Who Reached the Sky by Petr Horáček

The Mouse Who Reached the Sky by Petr Horáček perfectly captures the sweet mix-ups children make when they are small, in a charming lift-the-flap storybook.

Have your little ones ever got something adorably mixed up? When little children begin to expand their horizons, the results are often hilarious and make a surprising amount of sense - mustard tastes "spiky", radiators are "radiheaters" and trampolines become "bouncelines"...

Little Mouse sees something red and shiny hanging from a tree and thinks it’s a marble, but Mole is sure it’s a balloon and Rabbit says it’s a ball! None of them can reach it by themselves, so how will they discover what it really is? The Mouse Who Reached the Sky is the latest Little Mouse picture book by Petr Horáček, author of A New House For Mouse and The Mouse Who Reached the Moon, perfect for small children with big imaginations.

"Petr Horacek is one funny guy, as well as a natural-born teacher and a whizz with a paintbrush. Put him down as the thinking tot's Eric Carle." Washington Post
 
"The Mouse Who Reached the Sky by Petr Horacek is the perfect story to introduce the principles of sharing and working together." Made for Mums

Download the activity sheets here and here.
Pick up a copy of The Mouse Who Reached the Sky at your local bookshop.

WIN

Share your sweet stories for the chance to win this gorgeous Little Mouse hamper including three Little Mouse books by Petr Horacek, activities, stickers and a signed, limited edition Little Mouse print for your child’s bedroom! To enter, just visit our page on Mumsnet and share your story. Competition closes 1 September 2015.

Walker picture books in The Observer

In The Observer on Sunday 26th July, there was a lovely double page spread full of picture book reviews. There were three Walker books included...

It's a Groovy World, Alfredo! by Sean Taylor and Chris Garbutt

"Enormous fun to read aloud, with perking drawings in a 60s style of boogying flies, it is a book guaranteed to get the joint jumping"

The Most Wonderful thing in the World by Vivian French and Angela Barrett

"What makes the story irresistible is Angela Barrett's meticulous, romantic and occasionally mutinous illustration."

and...

Soon by Timothy Knapman and Patrick Benson

"A gentle book about traveling to the top, and about still being secure when you get there."

The article featured a beautiful big picture from Soon, and some jumping insects from Alfredo:

 

Find copies of all three books at your local bookshop.

Daisy Hirst visits the House of Illustration

This year, we published the debut picture book by Daisy Hirst, the highly acclaimed The Girl with the Parrot on her Head. In case you missed it, Daisy visited Picture Book Party and wrote this guest blog post for us upon publication. 

Daisy recently lead a workshop event at the House of Illustration in London. You can read a special blog post by Daisy herself, here on their website, and learn all about what Daisy and the children did.

Daisy will be back at the House of Illustration on Wednesday 5 August, find out more about that event and book your ticket here.