Viviane Schwarz's There Are Cats in This Book

This is an absolute favourite in our house, I love it, the kids love it, the hubbie loves it, even Rosie the dog loves it! So I was delighted to see that Viviane Schwartz has made a video.
It is charming, fresh, really interactive and one of the most original picture books I have seen in a long time. Enjoy!

Christmas Cards for Temple Street Children's University Hospital

This year I have designed the Christmas Cards along with Steve Simpson and Adrienne Geoghegan for Temple Street Children's Hospital in aid of much needed funds.
They are available online here and soon will be in will also be available from McCabes Pharmacies and Woodies stores.

Junior Painter of the Year Award!

The first ever Junior Painter of the Year Award is being launched by Sightsavers and I am delighted to be one of the judges!
The theme is 'The sight I would most like to see.' The deadline is the 20th November so you all have lots of time to get painting!

I hope all the schools around the country take part. It is for all primary school children and there's fantastic prizes to be won.
Easons are giving away gift vouchers to the winners totaling €3000. The regional winners will be exhibited in Airfield in Dundum at the prize giving next year. There is plenty of scope for your imaginations to run wild. Its a great theme, so get doodling first, your ideas might be a place from your imagination, an imaginary creature, animals, portraits of people you love, the texture and colour of paint .You can pick up your pack and find information here.

Then pick up that paintbrush and get painting!

Doodle Fever!

Doodling across Ireland, I had a fantastic Book Festival thanks to the Libraries and arts festivals. Highlights include the Family doodle in Castlebar, making books in Nenagh and the children who came to the Fingal libraries. At Castlebar Roolaboola festival I showed young and old how to draw a Hugglewug at the Family Doodle. They painted brilliant family self portraits.
This year for the libraries I focused on older groups, focusing on illustration and bookmaking. We came up with sequels for The Ravenous Beast, some really funny ones. Spreading the word on how great picture books are!
Will post up photos later. My cameras batteries need a charging. OOps!

From the other side of the ocean

Book festival fever is world wide this October! There are some great webcasts of authors reading and talking about their work on the The Library of Congress website. If you have a moment check out David Shannon and Jon Scieszka's one, it's wonderful and very funny :-)

My workshop went great on Monday, painting the mural for Lucan Library with Lucan Educate Together School. If you are in the area run in to look it is called Book Bugs watch out for them!

Book Festival Fever!

Oh today is so, so rainy in Dublin. Yesterday was blue skies all the way. Today it is like a shock to the system. I love autumn but the wooly scarf wearing running through leaves autumn. Not the rainy, or the cold damp kind. But sure to cheer myself up I spent my tea cuppa time this morning reading the FREE Bookfest catalogue.

October is Bookfest in Ireland and there are great things going on around the country. Check out Children's Books Ireland for events in your locality. I will be appearing in Lucan, Balbriggan and Baldoyle Libraries for starters!

CBI has also set up an online home Write Stuff for the CBI author residences to showcase the work of the children participating in the workshops. Which is brilliant!

So as I listen to the rain pelting on the window of my attic I have to smile as I try to remember where are my wellies!

Blue Syndrome

Just did some sketches for my cousins Stephen and Colm their band is Blue Syndrome.
Go buy their album!