Wild Things

USA Today has new Where the Wild Things Are production stills. I love Maurice Sendak and this book holds a really special place in my heart. It will be release in October in US. Large image is the official poster.

Carousel Guide to Children's Books

There is a write up about my work in The Carousel Guide to Children's Book this month. Carousel is a fantastic guide to Children's books if you love books you love it. I had a lovely lunch and 'talked books' with reviewer Pat Thomson in Collins Barracks Museum last year. It seems so long ago now. There is also an interview with Mary Finn author of Anila's Journey in the same Spring Issue.

House of Illustration!

There has been a lot of talk lately about highlighting Irish Children's Literature at home. I have attended meetings in the Art Council as they are looking at developing a strategy for Children’s Literature. It is felt by all involved in Childrens Literature that we need more press space for children's Literature.

For the last couple of weeks the Guardian has run a series of articles in their review section last week was an article on Eric Carle. The week before there was Nicholas Wroe's article on Shirley Hughes. It is great to see such excellent coverage of these masters of Illustration in the mainstream press. Check out David Maybury's excellent site as he always does an excellent roundup of Book Reviews especially after the weekend.

Now it's up to the Irish Press and Media to step up to the mark. I think they should start with PJ Lynch and Eoin Colfer as it was great news to hear that this week, PJ Lynch and Eoin Colfer have been put forwards as the IBBY Ireland nominations for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal. Irish writer Martin Waddell won in 2004. It is the most prestigious Award in Children’s Books, the Nobel Prize of kids Lit! I hope PJ and Eoin Colfer get lots of press space.

I also want to highlight this site the House of Illustration set up by Quentin Blake. Quentin is just brilliant, he started the Campaign for Drawing in the UK. You may know it as The Big Draw.

'The House of Illustration is a vision being turned into a reality. We aim to be the world’s first centre dedicated to the art of illustration in all its forms and to create a permanent home for an enduring art. Illustration touches our lives every day. It appears in books, magazines and newspapers, on advertising hoardings, in comics and graphic novels. It's art on a human scale - and yet the history of these images and the artists who made them is rarely explored. The House of Illustration is here to tell those stories, as well as to enthuse, inspire and educate all those who visit.'

Quentin Blake has donated his entire collection to the House of Illustration!
This includes finished illustrations to over 250 books, as well as freelance commissions for magazines and posters over the past 60 years. They intend to introduce the world of illustration to the widest range of people running courses, workshops for schools, community groups and students. There will also be a programme of talks, events and workshops for the general public.
Good hey!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

The SEOIGE show will feature Tales from Old Ireland on St Patrick's Day, 17th March.

It's part of a feature called 'Mummy Approved' showing a mum visiting a school, reading a piece from the book and discussing it with the children. It will be on RTE tomorrow at 4.25pm.

Sick sleepy things.

For one whole week my little ones have been sick. On Friday I delivered all my doodles and sketches to Walker for my new book. It will be out next year. My designer is piecing it all together to bring to Bologna Book Fair in a couple of weeks. A terrible tummy bug arrived to our house. My littlest chick who is only three has really been very sick. So I have spent the week looking after her. She is on the mend but now Oscar has come down with the same bug. I'm in for the long haul. So no work was done this week. In snatched moments I have been working on new ideas and characters for a new picture book in my notebook.

HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY!

I had a great day in Sandford School in Ranelagh in Dublin today. It was back to back workshops with children from Junior Infants all the way up to 6th class. It was a great school and they nearly took to roof off the building roaring along with the Hugglewugs! It was very clear to see that this school really loved books! Thank you great day and all the amazing drawings!

Tales from Outer Suburbia

I just finished Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book last night. I have been reading it really slowly (which is unusual for me) as I didn't want it to end. When my husband was a little boy he spent the first few years of his life living in a little cottage beside a round tower in the grounds of a graveyard. His mum tells stories of his older sister playing around the gravestones, with her bucket and spade.
This illustration above is by Shaun Tan, if you haven't come across his work I urge you to visit his website. CBI are bringing Shaun Tan over for the Summer School this year which is brilliant, he is one of my favourite illustrators.