I have recently had two lovely book events to celebrate the launch of
‘Never Ever’ (published by Child’s Play) along with much cake (many
thanks to Emma), the first at Octavias in Cirencester and the second at
Heffers in Cambridge. I really appreciated so much, that many friends,
family and customers came along to support these events, especially in
Cambridge as it was such a very, very cold night to be out and about.
This is my second picture book and it will be company on the bookshelves
for ‘Rabbityness,’ my first picture book (also published by Child’s
Play). I have been thrilled with the positive reviews of ‘Rabbityness’
and I do sincerely hope SO much that big and little people alike will
also enjoy ‘Never Ever’ too. This is the scary bit when your book is
first out there and you have absolutely no idea if people (and more
importantly children) will like it or not! As siblings often are, the
two books are very different in content, but both carry a significant
message for the reader. In appearance, although they were born through
the same ink technique, this is expressed through different colour
palettes, reflecting each of the two books’ individual narratives.
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| Piggy Cup Cakes |
The
story is about a girl who thinks nothing exciting EVER happens to her.
Whilst she struts along her path with her nose in the air and eyes
firmly closed, she misses all that happens around her. Her journey
starts alongside an orchard full of grazing pigs, where her constant
companion (a soft toy rabbit) spots a flying pig...which of course she
misses! Followed by the flying pig, their journey continues over
heather-covered hills, yellow fields of dandelions, stepping stones
crossing a river and long, lush grasses.
Hidden within
the changing landscapes, unbelievable and fantastic characters reveal
themselves to join the procession behind our oblivious little character.
As the story progresses, there are more surprises in store for her
(which I won’t spoil by revealing). Fortunately she comes to no harm,
and the book ends with her tucked up safely in bed (or is she?) snuggled
up beside her ‘ever-knowing’ guardian - that is, her soft toy rabbit!
The text is a play on the words ‘never’ and ‘ever’, which work alongside
the illustrations as a décalage adding humour and surprise. I think the
text will be fun to read, gathering pace and encouraging children to be
expressive when reading aloud.
Interestingly, a lot of
adults who have seen a preview of ‘Never Ever’ seem to recognise
themselves within the girl character. This doesn’t surprise me as the
idea for the book came as a memory of being a child who loved exciting
stories, I was forever disappointed that real life in a small town in
Hampshire didn't quite match my imaginary expectations of what might be
around the next corner...apart from chalk-pits!
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| ...More Cake |
