Win an Alice Tait hamper and a copy of No, Nancy, No!

From Alice Tait, illustrator of the iconic London Range, comes a stylish, action-packed lift-the-flap book – the perfect introduction to the capital city for first-time sightseers! Blending her joyful London scapes with the story of a mischievous little girl, Nancy, and her long-suffering dachshund, Roger, Alice creates a wild and calamitous chase by boat, bus and bike across all of London's most famous and best sights – from Buckingham Palace to the Tower of London… 
With over fifteen flaps throughout, an incredible pop-up Nelson's column and a fold-out map, young readers will delight in this interactive `adventure, and will love joining in with Roger's catchy refrain: “NO, NANCY, NO!”

Behind the scenes with Alice Tait

We’re excited to welcome Alice to the Picture Book Party blog for a behind-the-scenes on the making of No, Nancy, No!

"The idea for ‘No, Nancy, No!’ actually came to me in the middle of the night, I literally jumped out of bed, and scribbled it all down on the back of an envelope.

To be fair, it didn’t come completely out of the blue, as my mind had been stewing over a concept for a children’s book since being approached by a literary agency, who asked me if I’d like to give a shot at writing and illustrating my first children’s picture book.

I already had an established range of products, based on my illustrations, selling widely throughout the capital, called the ‘Alice Tait London’ range, and so it made sense to me to create a ‘London’ book.

However, my initial ideas had been a bit ‘vanilla’ and my agent had sent me back to the drawing board, literally, to come up with something that held as a story in its own right, as well as a being a beautiful exploration of the city.

My own little sister Nancy kept coming to mind, her cheeky and mischievous ways were lots of fun when we were little, and that night I suddenly saw her little character in my mind’s eye, up to no good across the landmarks of London. I felt she needed company as she hopped across the sights of the city, leaving chaos in her wake and who better than Roger, a beloved pet sausage dog, to try and keep her in check. Poor Roger (based on my own little dog) tries very hard to keep Nancy out of trouble, calling out ‘No, Nancy, No!’ at each misdeed.

It was a long journey from interpreting my scraggly night-time jottings to creating a cohesive dummy, and then my agent using the dummy book to secure me a contract with Walker Books. I could not believe my ears when my agent called me, now heavily pregnant, to deliver the good news, I was over the moon, I could not have hoped for more.

However, the real learning journey began when I was taken in hand by the incredibly lovely team at Walker and the editing process began. My goodness they have been so patient with me! I’ve relished the experience of creating my own characters, and spending hours in my studio drawing the London I love: a fresh choppy day on the South Bank or the clouds blowing over the magnificent Tower of London.

Somewhere along the line this book became a much more personal piece than I ever imagined it could be, as my sister Nancy and I grew up in London and so I’ve ended up creating the London of my childhood. Dad used to take us on drives to Piccadilly Circus just to ‘see the lights’ and I’ll never forget that feeling of prickling excitement. So I’ve tried to pack the pages with that feeling of joy, awe and discovery, along with a dash of adventure!"

WIN

To celebrate the release of No, Nancy, No! we’ve got an Alice Tait hamper and a signed copy of the book to give away! Two runners-up will also receive a signed copy of the book. To enter, just answer this question:

In the new book No, Nancy, No! what city does Nancy create her mischief in?
a) London
b) Paris
c) New York

To enter, just email competitions@walker.co.uk with 'No, Nancy, No!' in the subject line before 30th June 2017. Terms and conditions apply.

Alice Tait is a British illustrator and designer whose artwork has been commissioned by Waitrose, British Vogue and renowned fashion houses, Carolina Ferrara and Chanel. Her prints and London-themed merchandise have also been sold in Habitat, John Lewis, Foyles, WH Smiths, and even the Royal Palaces. Alice has also created cover art for Nigel Slater’s cookbooks and Sue Townsend’s modern classic, Adrian Mole. No, Nancy, No! is her authorial debut. Alice lives in Bath with her husband, young son and sausage dog (the real-life Roger). Find her online at alicetait.com and on Instagram as @alice_tait_illustrates.

Chris Haughton and Goodnight Everyone win at CBI Awards

We're very pleased to report that Chris Haughton has been announced as the winner of the Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year Award for Goodnight Everyone, and was also the recipient of the Honour Award for Illustration for the same title.

The award judges praised ‘Chris Haughton’s vibrant illustrations combine perfectly with deceptively simple narrative in this mesmerising bedtime tale. Chronicling a series of animal yawns, the colour palette gradually darkens as the world of the forest is painted in sunset. Haughton’s use of cut-outs is particularly effective and the star maps in the endpapers add a mystic dimension to this captivating story.’

           

You can can find all of Chris' excellent picture books at your local bookshop. Goodnight Everyone will be out in paperback in August 2017.

Winner of the 2017 V&A Best Illustrated Book Award!

Here at Walker HQ we are thrilled to announce that author-illustrator Jarvis has won the prestigious V&A Illustration Award for Best Illustrated Book with Alan’s Big, Scary Teeth, his very first picture book with us!


Meet Alan, an alligator with a secret. Famed for his big, scary teeth, he sneaks into the jungle every day to scare the jungle animals. That is, until his teeth go missing. What will Alan do now? Scaring is the only thing he knows how to do! Can he still be scary without them?

We are so happy that Jarvis’ brilliant work has been recognized, and his bold colours and charismatic characters will no doubt continue to win fans all over the world. The judges praised the “dynamism, fluidity and visual depth” of his art, his “joyful, peppy, hyperactive characters”, and the “clever relationship” between his text and images.

Picture Book Publisher and Creative Director, Deirdre McDermott, says: “Jarvis’ picture book team are so happy that his brilliantly funny and original vision has been recognized by the judges of the prestigious V&A Awards. We couldn’t ask for anything more than to see Jarvis included alongside picture book luminaries such as Quentin Blake and Posy Simmonds. Hooray for Jarvis and his Alan the alligator! 

Jarvis’ second title with Walker Books, Mrs Mole, I’m Home! published in April. He has also illustrated Pick a Pine Tree, written by Patricia Toht, which is publishing this October.      
        

Join in the fun and download these free activity sheets. Find a copy of Alan's Big Scary Teeth at your local bookshop.

Dogs of Walker love Raymond

This month we published Raymond – the story of an ordinary dog who, for a while, lives an extraordinary life.

What if dogs could walk and talk and go to work? Well, Raymond the dog has big ambitions beyond his ordinary, canine life in the big city. He wants to take himself for a walk and get his own dinner. And when he’s done all that? Well, he wants a job, just like his owners. But when Raymond begins a high-flying journalism career at Dogue magazine, he soon realizes it’s no walk in the park… 

It turns out it's not only Raymond that would like to escape the everyday canine life and get a job. Here at Walker HQ we've found lots of dogs reading Raymond for inspiration. It won't be long until we hire our first official Walker office dog. Check out some of the best snaps!

                                 

           

  

                     

With a stylish limited palette and incredible visual humour, children and adults alike will fall in love with Raymond and his laugh-out-loud antics in this absurdly original – yet highly relatable – world.

“The message won’t be lost on adult readers while children will delight in Raymond’s extraordinary adventures.” - Andrea Reece, LoveReading

Be the first to get your hands on a copy of Raymond and pick up a copy at your local bookshop.

Top picture book picks from the Walker bookshelf

As we venture into the warmer months, we have some new picture books fresh from the Walker bookshelf to share with you.
                                                 

King of the Sky

A breath-taking new picture book by award winning author Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin. Starting a new life in a new country, a young boy feels lost and alone – until he meets an old man who keeps racing pigeons. Together they pin their hopes on a race across Europe and the special bird they believe can win it: King of the Sky. Nicola Davies’ beautiful story – an immigrant’s tale with a powerful resonance in our troubled times – is illustrated by an artist who makes the world anew with every picture.                                    

Raymond 

What if dogs could walk and talk and go to work? Well, Raymond the dog has big ambitions beyond his ordinary, canine life in the big city. He wants to take himself for a walk and get his own dinner. And when he’s done all that? Well, he wants a job, just like his owners. But when Raymond begins a high-flying journalism career at Dogue magazine, he soon realizes it’s no walk in the park… With a stylish limited palette and incredible visual humour, children and adults alike will fall in love with Raymond and his laugh-out-loud antics in this absurdly original – yet highly relatable – world.

Lots

There are living things everywhere: the more we look, the more we find. There are creatures on the tops of the tallest jungle trees, at the bottom of the coldest oceans, even under the feathers of birds and in boiling volcanic pools. So how many different kinds are there? One, two, three ... lots! From the award-winning team behind Tiny: The Invisible World of Microbes comes Lots, a beautifully illustrated introduction to the concept of biodiversity for younger readers. With words from Nicola Davies and exquisite artwork by Emily Sutton, this groundbreaking book is certain to enchant and inspire children.

No, Nancy, No!

From Alice Tait, illustrator of the iconic London Range, comes a stylish, action-packed lift-the-flap book – the perfect introduction to the capital city for first-time sightseers! Blending her joyful London scapes with the story of a mischievous little girl, Nancy, and her long-suffering dachshund, Roger, Alice creates a wild and calamitous chase by boat, bus and bike across all of London's most famous and best sights – from Buckingham Palace to the Tower of London… With over fifteen flaps throughout, an incredible pop-up Nelson's column and a fold-out map, young readers will delight in this interactive adventure, and will love joining in with Roger's catchy refrain: “NO, NANCY, NO!”

A Brave Bear

From the author of Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise and the illustrator of Wild, comes a story of a daddy and a baby bear, on a day that's as hot as hot can be. When Dad Bear says, "I think a pair of hot bears is probably the hottest thing in the world," Little Bear suggests that they go all the way to the river to cool down. But what will happen when Little Bear tries to impress his dad by doing a big jump across the rocks? Told from the perspective of Little Bear and capturing his determination to be big and brave just like his dad, the youngest of readers will rejoice in the gorgeous characterization, the warmth of the storytelling and the deliciously detailed artwork of illustration star, Emily Hughes.

You can get your paws on all these books at your local bookshop. Happy reading! 

WIN King of the Sky by Nicola Davies

A powerful and beautifully illustrated story about migration and the meaning of home.

King of the Sky is a breathtaking new picture book by children's author Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin, winner of the Bratislava Illustration Biennale and the Bologna Ragazzi Prize for Illustration. Starting a new life in a new country, a young boy feels lost and alone – until he meets an old man who keeps racing pigeons. Together they pin their hopes on a race across Europe and the special bird they believe can win it: King of the Sky.


Behind the scenes with Nicola Davies

We’re excited to welcome Nicola to the Picture Book Party blog for a behind-the-scenes on the inspiration behind King of the Sky.

As we were putting together A First Book of Nature the illustrator Mark Hearld asked me to write a poem about pigeons. At the time, I'd just moved to a house with a view of an old Victorian hospital. All day pigeons would strut and play on the roof top, pirouetting like weathercocks. So the poem came easily.

And it got me thinking.

I read about pigeons; wild ones, domestic ones, message carrying ones, racing ones. I watched videos of tough northern blokes cuddling their racing birds with heart-breaking tenderness. I read how they navigate - learning the shapes of their local landscape by that characteristic flying in circles thing they do; recognising the smells of home, so that downwind they can follow the scents to their loft.

Something else got in with the biological information in my head - belonging and what happens when you have to change where you live and make a new home.

All of it sloshed around in my mind until one night I heard a song written about the real Sheffield racing pigeon “The King of Rome” that won a race to the North all the way from Italy. Another component of the story fell into place.

The final piece of the jigsaw was the setting. I wanted a displaced people and found what I needed when I remembered my mum’s stories about sitting in the Italian ice cream parlour in Gowerton. Italian families had come to Wales in the 20s and had found a culture like their own, centred on family, where singing and high emotion were both valued.

So I wrote a story set on my own doorstep, and connected with my own family history in South Wales.

I read it aloud at a conference and two wonderful things happened: someone came and told me that I’d described the story of their family and another said: “All my adult life I’ve thought my background in the valleys was something I had to get away from. You’ve shown me it’s my best material.” That’s when I realised that this little story about a boy and a bird had done what I wanted, and told a bigger more universal story about belonging, and what that means.

I worked with Pontadawe Arts Centre and director Derek Cobley to make King of the Sky into a theatre production - a musical in fact - that played at the Hay festival in 2015 and 16 and toured in South Wales. It was great to see the story spoke to audiences of all ages. Grown-ups cried, children cheered when the pigeon made it home, people went out singing the songs. I hope when they read the book they’ll carry the words in their hearts in the same way.

WIN
To celebrate the release of King of the Sky we’ve got five beautiful limited edition prints and signed copies of the book to give away! To enter, just answer this question:

In the new book King of the Sky, what kind of bird does the old man keep?
a) Hawks
b) Sparrows
c) Pigeons

To enter, just email competitions@walker.co.uk with 'King of the Sky' in the subject line before 9th June 2017. Terms and conditions apply.

Join in the fun and download these free King of the Sky activity sheets and pick up a copy of King of the Sky at your local bookshop.


Nicola Davies is an award-winning author, whose many books for children include A First Book of Nature, Ice Bear, Big Blue Whale, Dolphin Baby, Bat Loves the Night and the Silver Street Farm series. She graduated in zoology, studied whales and bats and then worked for the BBC Natural History Unit. Nicola lives in Crickhowell, Wales. Visit Nicola as www.nicola-davies.com.


Laura Carlin is a graduate of the Royal College of Art and the winner of several awards, including the V&A Book Illustration Award. Her work has featured in Vogue, the Guardian and The New York Times; her previous books for Walker include The Promise by Nicola Davies and The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. See Laura's work at lauracarlin.blogspot.co.uk.