Let's Save Antarctica - Author blog post

Today we welcome Catherine Barr onto Picture Book Party to talk about her new book, Let's Save Antarctica, illustrated by Jean Claude. Catherine wrote this piece for Peters.co.uk and it was too good not to share with our Picture Book Party readers. 

Over to Catherine...

"I remember discovering that the great white continent of Antarctica was once lush tropical forest. It is still difficult to believe that this frozen wilderness was thick with deep green vegetation – and dinosaurs. That led to a conversation that inspired a new book. Or rather, a series of exciting new picture books with Walker Books, kickstarting with Let’s Save Antarctica. Brought to life in full, gorgeous colours by the illustrator Jean Claude.

For me, a new picture book often begins with finding an expert with whom to explore the science at the centre of the story. The opportunity to learn, explore and understand the stories of Antarctica has been fascinating. These are conversations that I value and enjoy. I visited British Antarctic Survey HQ in Cambridge to meet scientists who spend months working in this frozen landscape. Having studied ecology and travelled widely in my wildlife campaign work with Greenpeace International, I am eager to hear their adventures in cutting-edge science and ideas about conservation. And I am so grateful for their time – I have a lot of questions.

The challenge to weave complex science into a simple non-fiction narrative is one I love. In this series, we wanted to focus on WHY it is important to protect iconic habitats on our planet: within the inevitable context of climate change. So each spread begins with ‘Let’s save Antarctica because…’, exploring reasons why special places like Antarctica, the Amazon, the Great Barrier Reef and lastly the great Okavango Delta in southern Africa matter. 

I have not visited the Antarctic but, aboard a Greenpeace ship, I have sailed up the Amazon. I found my own experience of the threats to this breathtaking wilderness seeped into my thinking in writing this book. But as well as consulting Greenpeace UK CEO John Sauven; I also met (virtually) two extraordinary Brazilian scientists from the Sustainable Amazon Network. Their enthusiasm and our correspondence have been both interesting, insightful and fun. From referencing their shared family photographs for illustrating the faces of the Indigenous people to discussing toucan species and adding amphibians, it has been a journey that I can’t wait to share in schools and libraries.

More recently I have been learning about coral restoration from experts in Australia and I am in the midst of revisiting (based on my memory of a long-ago adventure) the Okavango Delta to introduce this lesser-known but critically important wetland habitat to young readers. I have been in touch with old friends and climate scientists who live and work in these swamps; while faraway, I write and edit the words to take children on a journey into this seasonal wildlife spectacle.

I am gathering a network of scientists working all over the world and as a result creating a global travel itinerary. I hope, in time, to visit many of these valuable colleagues and friends in the field – to thank them – but also to find out what they are working on now and, of course, plan a new series of books based on these evolving experiences."

Let's Save Antarctica is available from all good booksellers. 

Flavia Z. Drago wins Klaus Flugge Prize for Gustavo the Shy Ghost

 We are delighted to announce that Flavia Z. Drago has WON the Klaus Flugge Prize for 2021 with Gustavo the Shy Ghost! Huge congratulations to Flavia!

We were so proud to see both Flavia and Rachel Stubbs for My Red Hat on this year's shortlist.

Flavia said: “When I started work on the book, I didn’t notice how much I had in common with Gustavo, but as I got to understand him, I realised that telling this story was important for me because I wanted to show that being shy doesn’t mean that you don’t enjoy the company of people—or in this case, monsters! It just means that you find it difficult to connect with others. Some of the things that happen to Gustavo are based on my own experiences. When I was in kindergarten, just like Gustavo I sat by myself during lunch breaks, watching children play while being amazed by the fact that they seemed to be completely happy to talk and play with each other.

The main difference between Gustavo and me is that, sadly, I cannot do the ghostly things like walking through walls, making objects fly, glowing in the dark or playing the violin. However, drawing became a way in which I could connect with others. In a sense, our love for art has been the thing helping us both to connect with others.” 

About the book: Gustavo is a ghost. He is good at doing all sorts of paranormal things, like walking through walls, making objects fly and glowing in the dark. And he loves playing beautiful music on his violin. But Gustavo also has a problem. He is SHY. Which means some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye-scream or talking to the other monsters. But Gustavo longs to be a part of something, he longs to be seen. More than anything, he wants to make a friend. So, plucking up all his courage, he sends a very special letter: “Dear Monsters, I would like to invite you to my violin concert at the Day of the Dead party…”

"A great story about making friends by being yourself and the illustrations are a constant visual delight" Malorie Blackman

You can read our Q&A with Flavia here and download our activity sheets here!

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost is available to buy from all good booksellers! 

Inch and Grub (PB) - Author Q&A

To celebrate the paperback publication of Inch and Grub: A Story About Cavemen by Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts, we thought we'd reshare this treat of a Q&A with author Alastair Chisholm. 

 The Cavemen are Here!

Inch and Grub is a tale of two rather silly cavemen who get into a rather silly contest to collect the most STUFF, with rather silly results. It’s been a long journey for them and me, but now they’ve arrived and I’m incredibly excited to see them!

~

Inch and Grub have had a very long journey. It’s been almost ten years since the day I was sitting at my desk, doodling over ideas, and making a funny little drawing of two cavemen who kept bickering at each other.

My first doodle of Inch and Grub

 It wasn’t long after the last major banking collapse, and the whole world was talking about how all of these companies had been built up almost on thin air, and how it had now come crashing down. I looked at my two little cavemen and I imagined them sniping at each other, and boasting about how one had a bigger cave than the other, or a house, or… or a horse, or a carriage, a train, a fancy car!

…And they just seemed so ridiculous that I knew I had to do something with them.

 I knew right away how they would talk – “Me have cave! Me am best! That no fair!” And it was huge fun thinking of all the things they could accumulate. I knew early on that they would get modern stuff, from caves to houses, to castles, to skyscrapers, and from water to fire to television to telephones to spaceships… At first, I wasn’t sure if they would change in looks as well – would they become more modern? I imagined what King Inch would look like, or – my favourite – Disco Grub…

King Inch and Disco Grub!

And at first, they were actually much meaner. They threw stones and built fortresses. They cut down all the trees, stole each other’s things, ruined the landscape and, in the end, blamed each other without ever thinking about their own behaviour.

But gradually, with the help of some fantastic editing first from Emily Lamm (then at Gullane) and then Lizzie Sitton at Walker Books, my two horrible cavemen softened a little. They became a bit sillier, and a bit less cruel – and at the end, they do, perhaps, learn their lesson…

(Also, my wife Catherine must get this credit: When Emily suggested the cavemen needed one more thing on their piles, one final “straw to break the camel’s back”, and I was stumped for ideas, it was Catherine who said: what about a silver drinking straw?, because she is a genius)

From there, it was down to finding the right illustrator for the story, and here I was very lucky indeed to discover that David Roberts – whose work I love – was interested! David is very much in demand these days, so we had to wait just a bit longer for him – but it was absolutely worth it.

And so, I’m very pleased to present to you, the final version of INCH and GRUB:

David Robert's fabulous take on Inch and Grub!

Me am very happy.

- Alastair Chisholm

A special thanks to our guest author this week, Alastair Chisholm!

Inch and Grub: A Story About Cavemen is now available to buy from all good booksellers in paperback! 

New September Picture Books Releases!

 Check out a selection of our new releases this September!

Moose's Book Bus

by Inga Moore

Moose is the most fantastic storyteller. Every night after dinner, he sits with his family around the fire and tells an enchanting story. But, one evening, Moose can’t think of a single tale he hasn’t told before! What he needs is a book of stories. What they all need is a library… With help from the friendly librarian in town, Moose recycles an abandoned bus from the junkyard and makes a mobile library – a book bus! Now the whole neighbourhood can experience the magic of stories together.

In this companion to A House in the Woods, beloved picture book maker Inga Moore shares a heart-warming story that celebrates the joy of reading aloud, and the power that libraries have to bring communities together.

Publishing 16th September.

Witch in Training

by Michelle Robinson and illustrated by Briony May Smith

Betty is brewing her first ever potion! And potions need ingredients – ingredients that can only be found in the WILD. So Betty, with her mum by her side, soars off into the magical, moonlight night to bravely gather her wicked and wonderful supplies: vampire fangs, fairy dust, werewolf whiskers, and more. The only problem is, she might have to come face-to-face with a few monsters – a few treacherous monsters! – along the way...

With rollicking read-aloud rhymes from Michelle Robinson, and spellbinding art from Briony May Smith, this is a funny, edge-of-your-broomstick adventure for aspiring witches and wizards everywhere.

Publishing 16th September.

Let's Save Antarctica

by Catherine Barr and illustrated by Jean Claude

Home to millions of penguins, ancient dinosaur fossils and huge blue whales, Antarctica is our last great wilderness. This fascinating picture book brings to life this extreme and exciting continent for young children, exploring its icy landscape and extraordinary wildlife. It also shows the incredible scientific research that happens there and therefore why it is so important that we act to protect this special part of the planet from climate change and plastic pollution.

The More the Merrier

by David Martin and illustrated by Raissa Figueroa

“I like your moves. But I’m not like you. So I’ll just do what I can do.”

Some like to kick their feet and bend their knees to the music. Others prefer to slip and slide ... or swoop down ... or skip high and low! Whatever their style, children will be captured by David Martin’s buoyant rhymes and Raissa Figueroa’s vibrant illustrations as Bear, Moose, Snake, and other forest animals dance to their own groove in a rhythmic celebration of individuality.

Poultrygeist

by Eric Geron and illustrated by Pete Oswald

A little spring chicken crosses the road but quickly gets flattened under a lorry. The barnyard beasts who’ve gone before break the news: now that Chicken’s fried – dispatched to the Other Side – Chicken has a job, an unwanted job, as a noisy trouble-making ghost. This fowl may be weak in the beak, but Chicken knows that scaring people isn’t nice. There is such a thing as a friendly ghost, after all – isn’t there?

Loaded with laughs and shivers, this Halloween-ready treat features ghoulishly funny art by the illustrator of the #1 New York Times best-selling Bad Seed series. Let the haunting begin!

Inch and Grub: A Story About Cavemen

by Alaistair Chisholm and illustrated by David Roberts

Inch and Grub are two exquisitely hairy and competitive cavemen. Grub’s cave is bigger, and he says that makes him the best. So Inch adds a water feature to his cave. But Grub has made fire! So Inch makes a chair. And a house. And a car. Grub, meanwhile, has accumulated a castle and a train and a radio! And so the contest spirals and spirals to ever ridiculous heights … until they each have a HUGE wobbling mountain of stuff! From the humble handprint to Michelangelo's "David" the ambition and creativity of these two characters seems limitless. But their desire to go one better than the other is in danger of toppling their friendship until, at last, they realize what is most valuable of all – each other.

Publishing in paperback on 16th September.

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost

by Flavia Z. Drago

Shortlisted for this year's Klaus Flugge Award.

"A great story about making friends by being yourself and the illustrations are a constant visual delight" Malorie Blackman

Gustavo is a ghost. He is good at doing all sorts of paranormal things, like walking through walls, making objects fly and glowing in the dark. And he loves playing beautiful music on his violin. But Gustavo also has a problem. He is SHY. Which means some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye-scream or talking to the other monsters. But Gustavo longs to be a part of something, he longs to be seen. More than anything, he wants to make a friend. So, plucking up all his courage, he sends a very special letter: “Dear Monsters, I would like to invite you to my violin concert at the Day of the Dead party…”

Click here for our Gustavo, the Shy Ghost Activity Kit.

Publishing in paperback on 16th September.

Maxine

by Bob Graham

Max has a new baby sister – Maxine! Max is there for her first words, her first steps and … her first flight! But as Maxine grows up and starts school, she doesn’t feel like she quite fits in. In fact, she’s not sure if she feels comfortable in her superhero guise at all. Can Maxine convince her family that not all superheroes wear capes? With a strong, incredibly smart girl at its centre, this is a book to inspire any child to dream big and be exactly who, and how, they want to be.

Publishing 16th September.

The Jacket

 by Sue-Ellen Pashley and illustrated by Thea Baker

The jacket was no ordinary jacket. It was soft, like dandelion fluff. It was comforting, like a hug from your favourite teddy. And it had four dazzling buttons down the front...

Amelia wears her favourite jacket everywhere. She wears it to nursery. And to Aunty Kath's house. And to the shops. Even to bed! But, one day, she can't fit into it anymore. So Mum suggests she give it to her little sister, Lily. And so, that way, the jacket lives on...

Now out in paperback!

Wiggle, Walk, Wash! Baby's First Animals by Elliot Kruszynski

Baby Elephant loves to wash. Splish splosh! Baby Turtle loves going for walks. Stomp stomp! Baby Cat loves lots of cuddles. Miaow! And what does a baby like YOU love to do?

Hop Aboard! Baby's First Vehicles

by Elliot Kruszynski

Hop aboard the baby bus! Beep beep. Hop aboard the baby boat! Splish splash. Hop aboard the baby plane! Neeeooom. Now on we go, we’re following you – no one drives better than a baby like you.

With bold shapes and colours, interactive read-aloud sounds and a surprise novelty mirror on the last page, these two stylish board books are the perfect gift for a new arrival, and a fantastic addition to a toddler's first library.

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Our September releases are available from all good booksellers!

International Dot Day

Celebrate International Dot Day on 15th-ish September!

International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration, began when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot on September 15, 2009. Now, every 15-ish September, more than 10 million teachers, librarians and children in 170 countries participate in International Dot Day, making their mark by getting busy with writing, drawing, painting, or other creative outlets and sharing their Dot Day inspiration with others.

Join in the global celebrations on 15-ish September by hosting a reading of The Dot, throwing a creative dot-making event, or planning a weeklong series of activities — the possibilities are endless! To get started, download the free International Dot Day pack which is packed with simple ideas to help you celebrate creativity in your classroom or library here.

Watch this video of Peter H. Reynolds to learn the story of how The Dot came to be and what he hopes you and your students will take away from it.

 

 We can’t wait to hear about your International Dot Day event in your classroom or library. 

Keep us updated by sharing any news, photos and art with us via Twitter @WalkerBooksUK #DotDay, #Makeyourmark.

To find out more and to discover other great ideas for making your mark on International Dot Day, click here!

Ergo - Guest Blog Post from Viviane Schwarz

Today we welcome Vivane Schwarz onto Picture Book Party to talk about her new book, Ergo, written by Alexis Deacon. 

"I find favourites hard - but if I did have one, my favourite picture book of the year would probably be Ergo. A triumph in design. Profound simplicity." - Nikki Gamble

For budding philosophers of all ages, this is the uplifting story of Ergo the chick. Ergo wakes up and sets about exploring her world. She discovers her toes. She discovers her wings and her beak. She has discovered EVERYTHING! But then she considers the wall. And something outside the wall goes BUMP. What could it be? The only way to find out is to peck peck peck through to the other side...

This is an inspiring story told with heaps of humour. Like its predecessor, I Am Henry Finch, Ergo is a book for everyone – from the very young to the very old. It is for dreamers, philosophers, artists, the foolish and the enlightened. A profound picture book experience told with simplicity and style.

Guest Blog Post from Viviane Schwarz

 “This has to stop eventually”, said my music teacher when he looked at my homework about major and minor scales and the margins were covered in cartoon animals again, in this case, different size cows mooing.

“Can I have a copy,” asked my science teacher when she saw the cartoon I had made to explain ionisation to myself, making it all about people hugging tiny cats.

Sometimes I still feel that I disappointed people by never stopping, but more often, I am pleased about the books I’ve illustrated that introduce small children to big ideas, via the medium of funny creatures.

People who know me a bit know that as soon as I understand something, or discover a big question, I will excitedly start saying: "Oh it's just like this! It is a bit like that! It is not at all like this other thing." I map it out in metaphors and similes and compare patterns all day long. I look for the simplest way to think about it, and then the one that is most useful, and the funniest, and the one that makes sense to me, and the one that makes sense to whoever is still listening. I think about everything in patterns, and then... I draw funny animals.

A few years ago, I illustrated I am Henry Finch, a wonderful story written by Alexis Deacon about a tiny bird discovering some of the big foundations of philosophy for himself. A bit of Descartes saying 'I think, therefore I am'. Some of the realisation of the cycle of life we are all part of. The beginnings of ethical thinking. It was like going back to school and instead of filling the margins, I got to fill the pages.

The book was well-received, and after a few years, Alexis came back with a new tiny bird story. This one was all set inside an egg. “Plato, is it”, I said, happily.

Then I started thinking about what this story was like. One way of reading it was following the development of a sense of self in a young child. I tried to remember the ideas I had when I was very small, and the questions I had asked while feeling my way around the overwhelming truth that there is a whole world which exists even if I am not looking, full of people as real as myself.

Some people don’t ever realise that, no matter how old they get, I thought later, while drawing Ergo glowingly happy in her egg, thinking I AM THE WORLD.

We can hatch so many times over in our lives. To spend time thinking inside some unseen egg is good. Then, when the time comes, we burst through the shell into a bigger world, to be greeted as ourselves, and to welcome other hatchlings.

My drawings of Ergo are a declaration of love and gratitude for all the moments in life where I have witnessed friends feeling the joy and awe of simply being themselves. There is nothing scarier, funnier, more wonderful I know of in life.

Some stories I too look and marvel at. Some are to stick your hands right into and grab and make them your own. I wanted this one to be grabbable, and so I made sure to illustrate it in a way that says: you can do this, too.

The studio was quickly covered in sheets of watercolour paper with golden yellow blobs on them. Fuzzy blobs, squat blobs, bendy blobs, and ones that were a little green around the edge… those last ones, of course, to be turned into depictions of Ergo as she discovered feeling unwell from rolling around wildly. Visitors wondered what was going on as I used every available surface to dry the blobs on.

Next, I used my trusty fountain pen to add the parts that make Ergo - her eyes that open to discover a beak, feet and legs, wings… it was a joy to meet her.

I sent her over to Ben Norland, who art directed the book, and we got working on the layout and typography. The hardest part was to create sounds, movement and thought in scribbles. Whole monsters can spring from the imagination filling in the unknown with a terrible jumble - I drew a good few of those.

I hope that children who read the book will be encouraged to draw their own blobby little creatures to help them ask their own big questions and to scribble their worries as big as they need to. I certainly won’t stop doing that myself. 

I hope Ergo will encourage you to love the strange and amazing world that you are. I hope you'll hatch out of your eggshell as often as you can and must, and that you are met with love by all of us other worlds out here.

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A special thanks to our guest this week,  Viviane Schwarz!

Ergo is now available to buy from all good booksellers.

Ergo - Q&A with author Alexis Deacon

Today we welcome Alexis Deacon onto Picture Book Party to talk about his new picture book, Ergo, illustrated by Viviane Schwarz.  

"I find favourites hard - but if I did have one, my favourite picture book of the year would probably be Ergo. A triumph in design. Profound simplicity." - Nikki Gamble

For budding philosophers of all ages, this is the uplifting story of Ergo the chick. Ergo wakes up and sets about exploring her world. She discovers her toes. She discovers her wings and her beak. She has discovered EVERYTHING! But then she considers the wall. And something outside the wall goes BUMP. What could it be? The only way to find out is to peck peck peck through to the other side...

This is an inspiring story told with heaps of humour. Like its predecessor, I Am Henry Finch, Ergo is a book for everyone – from the very young to the very old. It is for dreamers, philosophers, artists, the foolish and the enlightened. A profound picture book experience told with simplicity and style.

Q&A with Alexis Deacon

 What was the inspiration behind Ergo?

I once heard that the best place to start a story is as close to the ending as possible. I feel as though much of my work, especially my work in collaboration with Viviane Schwarz, has been about beginnings as much as endings.

The characters start in a closed or confined world and by the time the story has finished, the world has opened up for them and they are ready to begin a larger journey. In that sense, the inspiration for Ergo has been with me for some time. Having come closer and closer to the beginning of my character’s lives it seemed fitting that I take the logical next step and set a story in the moments before a character is born.

How did you begin writing Ergo and did it differ from I am Henry Finch?

Ergo came to be for a number of reasons. I had wanted to write a story in celebration of the spirit of curiosity and the power of the enquiring mind. This story began as the tale of three tadpoles called, Why, Why and Why (‘Why,’ was the only word they ever said). 

Through their constant questioning, the grown-ups in the story were forced to look at their world in a different way and ultimately saved from disaster. Somehow it was all too complicated and had too many characters and I had to give it up. I didn’t forget the concept though. A couple of years later, after the success of I Am Henry Finch, my editors wanted to know whether I had any other story ideas that might make a good follow-up. I thought about a little bird in an egg. Just by looking and asking questions, she learns about her world and finds the courage to break through her shell and be born.

Can you tell us about your writing process?

My writing process is similar to the way a sculptor might work with a block of marble. I write down whatever comes into my head and it fills the pages with a great lump of stuff; lots of ideas, mostly useless but a few that shine out. Then it is a question of chipping away at this block, trying to reveal the story at the heart of it all. 

Viv is a great help with this, alongside my editors and designer at Walker Books, Lizzie Sitton, Rachel Boden and Ben Norland. Between us, we try to find the simplest, clearest version of the story I hoped to tell.

What was it like seeing Viviane’s illustrations for the first time?

Alongside the text, I have some idea of what we will see in the pictures as I write. A good picturebook story should put some information in the words, some in the pictures and some in the mind of the reader. Viv is brilliant at this herself and always has good ideas for what the pictures might add so I try to work in collaboration with her as early as possible. It was such a joy to see Ergo’s bright-eyed, golden face peering out at me for the first time. The colour choices throughout the book are perfect. The yellow of the cover is so friendly and inviting. It shines out at you in the best way.

Do you have a favourite spread in the story?

I like several moments in this story very much. If I had to pick one it would be the moment Ergo first guesses that there might be other beings like her. In the illustration we see the page filled with dozens of little Ergos, all stuck in their own eggs. At the time I wrote the book there was no COVID 19, no self-isolation, no lockdown. Somehow, this picture seems to capture the energy, both the hope and the despair, of what we have all been through. It wasn’t intentional but it feels very relatable.

What are your favourite picture books, both older and more recent?

I have a young niece who lives in a different town. Because we can’t see each other very often, we like to read stories together. As a result, I have discovered a lot of picturebooks recently that I wouldn’t otherwise have read. My personal favourites are two new books by Chris Haughton, Don’t Worry, Little Crab and Maybe. We have also loved reading The Runaway Pea by Kjarten Poskitt and Alex

Willmore and The Pirates Are Coming by Matt Hunt and John Condon.

In terms of a book for picturebook nerds like me, Small in the City by Sydney Smith is a masterpiece of the form.

There are so many wonderful books that have inspired me, both in childhood and as a creator myself. William Steig has been a great influence on my work and I regard many of his books as pinnacles of picturebook making. My niece would recommend, The Three Robbers by Tomi Ungerer and Would You Rather by John Burningham. Who am I to disagree?

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A special thanks to our guest this week, Alexis Deacon!

Ergo is now available to buy from all good booksellers.