To kick off the year, we’ve got some exciting new picture books to refresh your bookshelf, ready to be read, loved, shared and then re-read again and again. Over the next few months we’ll be bringing you cats that do ballet, woodpeckers that just can’t stop pecking, and a dog who just LOVES his stick, as well as the latest from Allan Ahlberg, Helen Oxenbury and Mo Willems – and much, much more!
To begin, we thought we’d introduce you to Nurse Clementine, the brand new picture book by much loved author and illustrator Simon James...
When Clementine Brown gets a first aid kit and a nurse’s costume and for her birthday, she announces that from now she is to be known as ‘Nurse Clementine’! She takes her role very seriously and when dad bangs his foot, mum gets a headache and the dog has a questionable paw, she is right there to patch them up. The only person who doesn’t want her help is her little brother Tommy. But when Tommy finds himself stuck in a tree, can Nurse Clementine help him?
We were delighted when Simon sent us a parcel of his early sketches that
inspired the book, which we couldn't wait to share with you. We asked him where he got the idea for this lovely little story from, and he told us: “One day I drew a picture in my ideas book. It was of a little nurse looking after her brother, who had crashed his go-cart”.
This little doodle then went on to inspire the character of Clementine, and the story that followed. “To create something fresh, surprising and absorbing is a huge challenge and always takes more time than I think it will.”Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we’re definitely glad Simon took his time creating Clementine. Not to mention the double page spread in the back with all the medical instruments any budding young nurse like Clementine needs to know!
Join in the fun with Nurse Clementine and download your free colouring-in activity sheet here.
Find Nurse Clementine at your local bookshop:
