We are delighted to welcome multi award-winning illustrator and author David Roberts to the blog to answer questions on his exciting and highly informative new book, We are your Children: A History of LGBTQ+ Activism.  Questions have been posed by students at Ullswater Community College.

Were recent international and national political attacks on the queer community a motivation to write this book or is it just a coincidence that it is publishing at a time where it is more relevant that ever?

No, the timing of the book is coincidental with current events.

The book was planned back in 2018, with my motivation being to make a book that highlighted the stories of previous generations of LGBTQ+ people who fought for their own (and subsequently our) rights to live freely as queer people. I wanted to show that by their actions, and often simply by being visible in their communities, they gradually created a culture of greater acceptance and respect towards queer people where previously there had been suspicion, fear and prejudice.

Do you have a favourite LGBTQ+ power moment?

Gosh, that would be so hard to choose! I am particularly interested in the Radical Effeminists of the 1970s. As a gay boy who was always questioning `what I saw as the ridiculous restrictions around gender expression and expectations, I have been fascinated by their ideas. They were focused on smashing these gender stereotypes and working towards complete liberation from them, for everyone.

They wanted to establish a completely different way of being a man and expressing masculinity. Radical ideas back then – and still now it would seem! 

Whilst researching the book, what was the most inspiring story or advice you came across that you wanted to share with queer readers and their allies?

I don’t think I could single out one story in particular, but collectively I found the resilience of people and their determination to not be brushed aside, overlooked or disregarded very powerful. They knew they were right and they cared enough to show up and speak out to challenge discrimination. They may not have seen themselves as revolutionary, and they must have felt exhausted and perhaps even hopeless at times, but they kept going – and their actions did change attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people in a positive way. That’s very inspiring.

Do your experiences as a fashion designer influence your work? Is it clothes you still enjoy illustrating most?

YES! Thank you so much for that question , I love it! 

My love of clothing and style and how we dress ourselves has been a major influence on my work as an illustrator. With every new character I encounter I’m always asking myself – who are they? What’s their style? How will their style inform their personality? I see individual style as a form of storytelling in itself; perhaps we are expressing ourselves in ways we can’t with words. Or perhaps we are hiding ourselves and our true identity. So I would say it’s not only clothes I love to draw, but the personality that is wearing them.

What are the best things about being an author and illustrator?

As an illustrator of other people’s stories, it’s such a privilege and an adventure stepping into someone else’s imagination. Often when I read a text for the first time it fills my mind with images and possibilities! I may be taken to places in my own imagination that I would never have thought possible. It may challenge me to think about what story is being told – both through the images and the words, and is it the same story? What else can the image bring to the reader that’s not being said in the text? Oh and being able to listen to the radio while working is fabulous too. I’ve always loved radio ever since I was little. The working life of an illustrator is rather solitary so the radio is a bit like a work colleague. 

Are there any things about being an author and illustrator that you don’t like?

Good question! I think it’s hard sometimes to accept your limitations and embrace the challenges of working within them to create the best work you can.

I think also as I get older, focus (or should I say a lack of focus) is becoming a real problem! Oh, and some days I just don’t want to draw! 

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors and illustrators?

Composition is everything! 

Do you prefer writing or illustrating?

I think illustrating feels more natural to me. I like the language of illustration and the way a story can be told just with pictures. I think I might have developed a stronger sense of visual language because I have dyslexia, which when I was a child was not picked up on, so I was left to struggle with reading and writing and eventually drifted away from that form of communication sadly.

It’s been a bit of a revelation for me working on information books, as I have found the process of writing really satisfying, so perhaps I will try more.

What is your working style? Do you plan everything in lots of detail or go with the flow? Where do you prefer to work?

That’s a good question! I’m a planner; I plan every picture in great detail. I’m obsessed with composition so I’m always looking for an interesting way for the image to sit on the page. What gets seen and what is suggested? I love planning how the viewer’s eye will travel through the image and how that might help to enhance the storytelling, atmosphere and emotional impact of an image. I work from a studio space at home but will often travel with work, so really I can work anywhere as long as I have my easel, light box, daylight lamp, radio and magnifier (my eyesight is not what it used to be!).

I also am never without a note book.

We liked that the stories in the book are told in the first person, it really feels like those individuals are speaking directly to us. How did you research and collect their stories?

Thank you, that’s a lovely compliment. Where I could, I interviewed people.

It would have been wonderful to speak directly with all the people I was writing about, but unfortunately that wasn’t always possible. So for many of the stories I made sure I gathered as much information as possible.

Watching documentaries or listening to podcasts or radio interviews to hear the person speak about their experiences was a huge help in finding a way of telling their story. Finding news footage on YouTube was also amazing in helping me see events unfold and get a sense of the atmosphere around them. Newspaper stories and interviews were also really helpful, as they can capture the tone of how society was reacting and representing these events.

It became sort of journalistic as I wanted to re-tell stories without bringing too much of my own opinions or voice to the text. 

Given recent hostilities to the queer community and the increase in book bannings, we think that you publishing this book right now is a huge act of rebellion.  Is it intimidating and scary to put your head above the parapet though?

Yes, because many queer people of my generation are unable to fully shake off the shame about ourselves that was projected onto us by the homophobia we grew up dealing with. Even if we felt perfectly comfortable with our sexuality, society was telling us it was wrong, unnatural and shameful. It’s hard not to absorb some of that and carry it with you through life. It’s why we often say as gay people we are constantly coming out. (Not that I was ever in!).

There were no books like this one in my school or local library that I could access growing up, which only contributed to feelings of confusion and isolation as a young gay teen. We have come so far in terms of publishing with LGBTQ+ themes and characters in an encouraging variety of kids’ books from baby board books to young adult fiction.

So I’m particularly saddened and angry when I hear that these books are being removed from school or local libraries, putting young people in the same situation I was in at age 15, 40 years ago. 

I think because older queer people have experienced rampant homophobia and seen how far we have come over time, when we see these hostilities resurface – particularly now for trans people – it makes us even more determined not to go backwards. I think it’s important that we all know the stories of the generations who came before us and took action against the prejudice and discrimination they faced, to recognise when it is happening again. As the saying goes, ‘knowledge is power’.

We were excited by the big bibliography at the end of the book, what are the 3 books or websites you suggest we look at first to continue our queer education?

Making Gay History is a podcast where we can listen to interviews with many of the key figures in our queer history and culture. Many of the people interviewed are no longer with us so it’s an extremely important and valuable resource. 

No Bath But Plenty of Bubbles: An Oral History of the Gay Liberation Front 1970–73  by Lisa Power published by Cassell (but sadly now out of print). You can find used copies but they are very expensive. It’s a fascinating account of the British Gay Liberation Front, using interviews with its members to capture an insight into what life was like for queer people in the early 70s. The blurb on the back of the book states “The Gay Liberation Front dragged homosexuality out of the closet, onto the streets and into the public eye!” 

May I suggest a documentary? The Rebel Dykes directed by Harri Shanahan and Sîan Williams. This film is described as “a brilliant and refreshing story of post-punk Dyke culture told by those who lived it”. It is available on YouTube, and it’s such an important and valuable resource, especially because so much of lesbian culture was not seen. Even within the queer community, lesbian voices were not always heard. 

We Are Your Children is written and produced in the same style as Suffragettes: Battle for Equality – are there any other communities you would like to create a book about?

Ooh that’s a very good question! There is actually one that I would love to research and make a book about, and that’s the conscientious objectors from World War One. Or perhaps conscientious objectors of any war. I know only a tiny little bit about them, because in my family it’s believed that my great grandfather was one. I believe there were about 16,000 in the First World War who objected to being drafted, or refused to fight in armed combat for loads of different reasons. 

They were seen as social pariahs, ostracised and denigrated by society, portrayed as ‘cowards’ and ‘shirkers’. The rigid expectations of masculinity often highlight how men are taught to think but not feel, and in times of war, to step up and follow orders. So when faced with all that, their strength in staying true to their beliefs really inspires and intrigues me. I would love to find out more about them.

A big thank you to David Roberts for the interview, to students at Ullswater College for the brilliant questions and to Macmillan Children's Books for the opportunity.

 We are delighted to welcome Kate Winter, winner of the 2024 Klaus Flugge Prize for most exciting newcomer to picture book illustration, on how observational drawing is central to her book The Fossil Hunter.

When I studied Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, we were taught to develop our skills by going straight to the source, which meant drawing and closely observing life. Not only does observational drawing help you improve your technical skills, but it also ensures that you are seeing the world first hand through your own eyes and therefore embracing your own unique view of the world. It means you notice the way things are and the way things really look, and these small observations become essential when developing stories, creating characters and expressing a sense of place in your illustrations. I teach my own students that observational drawing is essential to their practice.

On a practical level, developing the drawings from observed sketches to imagined imagery is something that takes time and practice. I have found that the more I draw from observation the better my “database” of what I can draw from my imagination gets. During my MA I wrote about this connection between observed drawing and memory drawing as part of my written thesis. I made a collection of sequential prints about rowing (on the river at night!) which is one of my hobbies. I was able to focus on observing the boat, landscape and crew around me and hold it in my memory until I could get home to draw what I had seen.

[See image one in gallery]

It felt comforting to find that by practicing my observational skills through everyday sketching and through intense looking I was improving my ability to draw from memory. I now find I am much better at drawing from my head and my illustrative work is primarily imagined images. It’s important to know that it has come from many, many years of drawing practice. I don’t like to draw from photos, as my students will know! I feel that photos can block the natural and personal mark making that is within every artist. My advice for anyone starting up is to draw, draw, draw from life. Let the drawings be bad and imperfect and wrong for a while; the more you practice the better you will become and the more you will reveal your true self within your work.

When beginning research for The Fossil Hunter the first thing I did was to go to Lyme Regis and visit the town that Mary Anning grew up in so that I could walk in her footsteps, get a sense of where she was from and experience her life as much as possible.

[see image two in gallery]

Walking on the beach at Charmouth felt almost like I could be in the 19^th century. The beach would not have changed much; there were still the same dark grey-blue cliffs towering over the shore. I managed to visit on a particularly windy and rainy day, which felt very appropriate. I had learnt that the best time for fossil hunting is after a rough sea has tumbled against the cliffs, tearing down the mud and revealing new layers of fossils. I had also learnt that at the Anning’s most destitute times they had lived right by the seafront, with the waves crashing against their windows and sometimes flooding their home. The sea was both a friend and foe.

[see image three in gallery]

When I was there, I drew and drew. Many houses had remained from Mary’s time. The geography of the steep road sloping down to the sea remained, as did the stream running through the centre with remnants of the watermills that once stood in Lyme, and many old pubs and bridges. I visited the very helpful Lyme Regis Museum which holds a wonderful collection of fossils, a model of Mary’s house created from a drawing done by Mary herself and many photographs and maps showing Lyme’s rich history.

[see image four in gallery]­­­

I was also able to tour the Sedgewick Museum in Cambridge and the Natural History Museum in London, which both hold fossils found by Mary Anning. I spent time in all these places, collecting image ideas and feeling more and more connected to Mary.

What I have since realised is that my job as an author and illustrator has more similarities with Mary’s palaeontological work than I first thought. Both involve bringing together fragments of the past and trying to find a story. This made me feel very connected to Mary as a person, and in turn helped hugely when developing the story and illustrations.

[see image five in gallery]

When working on the drawings for this book I tried to capture the big themes that dominated Mary’s life. She is a gift of a subject because she represents so many important qualities; she was incredibly hard working, focused and academic in her pursuit of the truth about the fossils she was finding. She was also determined, brave and defiant in the face of social structures that she endeavoured to tear down. The themes of truth and discovery in her pursuit of furthering science felt intrinsically linked to her pursuit for equality and recognition.

[see image six in gallery]

There are layers of time represented in the cliffs, and layers of fossils below the ground, buried over millions of years. Mary had a special ability to reach back through time, both metaphorically and physically peeling back those layers to uncover hidden truths.

[see image seven in gallery]

These “statement” images needed to be in the book, as well as moments of quiet contemplation where she was mulling over the creatures and her discoveries in her workshop. It felt important to visualise her imagination by sometimes depicting her thoughts like dreams floating around her. I hope the inclusion of the cabinet that the reader can physically open and look into also gives the feeling that the reader is stepping into Mary’s shoes themselves. All of these elements were important to me in order to create a sort of time travel; to really immerse the reader in the story.

[see image eight in gallery]



A big thank you to Kate Winter for the blog and Andrea Reece for the opportunity.

We are delighted to welcome author and illustrator David Barrow to our blog.  David is the winner of the Sebastian Walker Award and his first book Have You Seen Elephant? Was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize.  In this lively, thought-provoking blog, David discusses the art of picture books and introduces his brilliant new book Have You Seen Dinosaur?

I love poring over a picture book, reading and rereading a story, constantly noticing new things. People sometimes think picture books are simple things, easy to write and easy to read. But with a picture book you only have 14 or so spreads to create a whole believable environment, with well-rounded engaging characters. It’s get in and get out. Bang!

Picture book makers use many tips and tricks to cram in unspoken details, to expand the world of the narrative, to create this illusion of a fully formed world in a short space of time. Readers may not notice, but the brain does – and children surely do.

Within the simple stories of a picture book, other more tacit storylines are taking place.

In my first book Have You Seen Elephant? I had no time to introduce my characters, the action needed to start immediately! But I was able to provide somewhat of a backstory through family portraits and photos presented in the background on the front and back endpapers. These give the reader insight into our protagonist and his family, so we may feel some connection to him from the get-go.

In The Liszts, a book by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Júlia Sardà, each family member has their own page and one line of description. But the illustrations wholly elaborate on their characters, giving us a visual description of their psyche that transcends the text.

As a child I was captivated by the books of David McKee and Richard Scarry. So much is happening as we traverse Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy Town. In David McKee’s Charlotte’s Piggy Bank, there are numerous visual subplots that run alongside the main story. Punks buy shoes, two people fall in love. None of this is important to the reader’s understanding of the tale being told. But their inclusion creates a viable, vibrant world, full of excitement and activity – it’s a world we can believe our characters actually live in.

Picture book makers direct readers’ emotions using colour, texture and composition. In The Hidden House (written by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Angela Barrett), three beautiful dolls are abandoned in a cottage in the woods when their maker passes away. As the house deteriorates, the colours shift from warm browns to cold blues to mirror the despondency of the dolls. Then when they are rediscovered by a new family, the images burst into vivid yellows and pinks and fill the page. These changes are subtle yet exponentially heighten the emotional impact of the story.

The concept of being aware of what is happening around us was a major consideration when I was writing Have You Seen Elephant? The protagonist’s implied obliviousness to the massive elephant in the room perhaps served to reward the reader for noticing the very big elephant.

It was an absurd exaggeration of the idea that you see more if you pay close attention (the dog always knows where to look).

In Have You Seen Dinosaur?, the new adventure for the main characters of child, elephant, and dog, I attempted to take this to the next level. This time, a whole city refuses to acknowledge the giant dinosaur roaming their streets. I guess it’s a metaphor for our inclination to get wrapped up in our own existence and miss what is happening all around us.

When we look at images in picture books it pays to recognise all the minutiae. The more we take notice, the more we get.

So, let’s start looking! Let’s get to meet the inhabitants and dive into the worlds that picture book makers create. Picture book makers love building these universes that exist within a small number of pages. We love providing readers with context, however subtle, to make readers’ many visits more enjoyable. The elephant – and now, the dinosaur – is right there to spot!

And they both love to be noticed.

Image Gallery

Image One: The Lizsts, Júlia Sardà

Image Two: Busy, Busy Town, Richard Scarry

Image Three: Charlotte's Piggy Bank, David McKee

Image Four: The Hidden House, illustrated by Angela Barrett, written by Martin Waddell

A big thank you to David Barrow for the guest blog and to Gecko Press for the opportunity

We are hugely excited to welcome the incredibly talented authors and illustrators James Mayhew and Jackie Morris to the blog to talk about their new collaboration Mrs Noah’s Song, illustration, influences, music and nature in a far-reaching and wide-ranging interview.

Please could you introduce us to Mrs Noah?

Jackie:

Mrs Noah is a woman of few words, but great action. She is kind and gentle and thinks for herself. She’s also a wise woman. She is a mother first and her family mean the world to her, but/and her family includes all that is living, from stone to tree to bird to bee to mythical creatures whose blood are stories. 

James:

I love the connection Mrs Noah has to nature, and her strength and resourcefulness. What I love about her in this story is her vulnerability, which we haven’t seen much of before. This story explores sadness, memory, and what you leave behind when you migrate. At the same time, Mrs Noah is a positive force, and through song she connects her family deeply in their new land.

What was involved in building out the character of Mrs Noah?

Jackie:

There are parallels between the story of Noah and Mrs Noah and the story in the Bible, but they are most certainly not the same thing. Mrs Noah is a story of migration, whilst the Bible story is one of apocalyptic vengeance, involving the death of all life, except for the one chosen family. As a child I could never understand why this story of extreme horror was told to children as a cute ‘look at all the animals, two by two’. I saw all that was left out, all who were drowned, punished and wiped from the face of the earth. Horror. Mrs Noah may have an ark, a husband and lots of animals. The roots may have sprouted from the Bible, but they all come from a place of love, not vengeance.

James:

I’m always amused when people complain that this doesn’t follow the bible story! In fact, Jackie was initially prompted to write the story after seeing my designs for Benjamin Britten’s children’s opera Noye’s Fludde. This has a rather irreverent Mrs Noah, who gets drunk, gossips and in one scene slaps Mr Noah - and the text is from the Chester Miracle Plays, written down in the 13th century! So the idea that Mrs Noah can only be one thing is absurd and has been for centuries. Jackie version is the best of the lot, of course!

In this book Mrs Noah is teaching the children to sing.  How important do you think it is for children to sing and what benefits do you think this brings?

Jackie:

Singing it a beautiful thing, and the rights of the child to sing, to be heard, to learn how music fits together and to find their own voice is of fundamental importance to me. Through music children can learn so much about listening and sharing.

James:

Children are naturally musical. This fundamental means of communication seems incredibly important to me, and I really don’t understand while music (and all the arts) are sidelined in education. The benefits are huge: language, memory, collaboration, confidence, storytelling, history, cultural differences, celebration, mourning, joy and sorrow - and humour! It’s all there in song.

You’ve both been involved with projects that bring music, stories and art together, can you tell us about this and the impact of music on children?

James:

I’ve been painting with musicians and orchestras for 15 years. It’s grown to become a huge part of my professional practice and inspired my book Once Upon A Tune. I work mostly in the classical world, restoring original tales to music inspired by myths and legends, and illustrating live to underpin the meaning of the music. It’s had a hugely response with family audiences who come back year after year. But also, as an art/music workshop in the classroom, I’ve been moved to see how many of the quiet, under confident children start to shine. Autistic children, elective mutes, Down’s Syndrome children too, they see to respond deeply to the music, and create and join in. It’s been exceptionally rewarding.

I was fortunate enough to see Jackie painting to music at the World premiere of Spell Songs at Snape in Suffolk. This concert of folk music is inspired by her collaboration with Robert McFarlane, The Lost Words (for which Jackie won the Kate Greenaway medal). It was very special to be in the audience and witness how art, words and music can intertwine so powerfully, so gracefully. Jackie has gone on to tour all over the country, painting in beautiful inks and casting her own spell. It’s funny we’ve both ended up enchanted and bewitched by music, and song.

Are there any particular pieces of music which especially resonate with you and do you listen to music when writing and illustrating?

James:

When I’m writing I need silence. When I’m illustrating I listen to all sorts of music. I love any music that tells a story. I tend to listen to mostly classical music, but I also have a big long of traditional folk songs from other countries.  I especially love Spanish folk music - I have many records by a Spanish/Catalan soprano Victoria de Los Angeles. Although she was best known as an opera singer, she was also the first to record many traditional songs of Spain. What fascinates me is the Arabic, Indian or Jewish influences on the songs, many written during the time the Moors ruled Spain. The Arabesques in the music remind us that these are songs that travelled from other cultures. Like Mrs Noah and her family, songs migrate too!

In the classical world, my biggest loves are Sibelius and Rimsky-Korsakov - they were both “musical illustrators” creating wonderful images and stories in sound.

Jackie, how does it feel to write stories that are illustrated by somebody else?

I love writing for other illustrators, and it is always a delight to see my words come to life in the paintings and collages. I would love to do more. I would so love to write for Petr Horacek and Angela Barrett, but then would have loved to have written for Brian Wildsmith and Pauline Baynes.

James, please can you tell us about the process and media you used for illustrating Mrs Noah’s song?

This is a technique I developed especially for the first Mrs Noah book. Essentially it is collage, but it involves lots of printmaking too. I love printing and lino-cutting, so I create often abstract linocuts and print them to create interesting textures. These linos can be printed on all sorts of paper, including music scores. other papers are painted, scribbled on, rubbed with crayons etc. I them cut these up the create the images. Often an unexpected decision is made - sometimes a paper will suggest something different to what I’d intended. There is a huge amount of experiment and play, which I love. Ultimately, my eye, my *vision* guides it all, but I constantly surprise myself. Some small details are fiddly and difficult (and I may resort to drawing for those), and it’s a time-consuming (all- consuming!) practice. It is hard work. But I love that until every bit is glued, it can continually change.

The depiction of nature and of light is beautiful and there’s a real sense of joy and wonder in how children connect with nature and the environment around them.  Was nature important to you growing up and has it continued to be?

Jackie:

This seems like so strange a question. Without Nature we do not exist, so, yes, it was important to my basic life support. It’s not a theme park, it is life support. We are all connected, and humans are so small a part of the natural, wild world. We just happen to be a very badly behaved part, who need to take a good look at our place in the universe and re-establish our focus on what is important. EVERY LIVING THING.

James:

One Spring, when I was about ten years old, I woke up in the night, and decided to creep downstairs. I tiptoed through the kitchen and unlocked the door. The sky was almost green, and the grass in the garden was wet with dew. In our garden was a very old apple tree, big enough for a hammock. There is a special magic about being somewhere you shouldn’t, especially when the rest of the world is asleep. I lay in the hammock and watched the sky change. One by one the birds awoke, singing their little hearts out, louder and louder! A thrilling sound, bursting with life and music; an exultation. It was transcendent and never forgotten: my first drawn chorus.

When I first chatted to Jackie Morris about her ideas for Mrs Noah’s Song, I described this memory. She very generously wove it into the story. When she first read it, I cried. It touched on something very deep inside - obviously my memory, but also something more - the beauty of the natural world, so often smothered in mankind’s noise, or threatened with environmental damage. But it also spoke of the power of music, of the arts, and of communication, and sharing.

I grew up in the country, in a tiny village in Suffolk. There was nothing else there *except* Nature. Perhaps I take that immersion in the natural world for granted? I don’t know. It was a very simple, very ordinary childhood in many ways. It wasn’t an idyll. But I learned huge respect for nature, for weather. In Suffolk, the skies and sunsets were astonishing. As an adult, going out into the world, it’s been quite demoralising to see what the human race has done to the planet - the roads, the cities, the trashing of Nature. Five years ago, I moved back to Suffolk. It called me home, and I couldn’t be happier. I need to be near woodland, river and birdsong.

A big thank you to James Mayhew and Jackie Morris for the interview and to Tatti de Jersey and Otter-Barry Books for the opportunity.  The Youth Libraries Group annual conference this year focuses around nature and the environment, Reading the Planet.  To find out more visit here.

Photos: James Mayhew by respira fotografia; Jackie Morris by Elly Lucas

This year as part of our virtual offer for shadowing, we have arranged a number of special events.  Information about these is listed below. These are free to attend but must be booked in advance.  We do hope you might join us and happy shadowing!

03 March             Picturebooks For All Ages            12.30pm

Kate Greenaway Shadowing offers an exciting and dynamic opportunity for all young people to access a world of reading and illustration. Join co-hosts Jake Hope and Amy McKay for a free CILIP webinar on how to get the most out of shadowing the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist and to learn how to use illustrated texts with all age groups. Places are free but you must register at www.cilip.org.uk/events.

13 March             Jackie Morris and Shaun Tan       2.00pm

The 2019 and 2020 Kate Greenaway medal winners will take part in a special Litfest discussion about their winning books, their work and approach to art in this special event scheduled in the lead up to the shortlist announcement on 18 March.  Places are free but book here The Art of Nature: Jackie Morris and Shaun Tan – Crowdcast

13 March             Jackie Morris The Lost Spells       7.30pm

Kate Greenaway winner Jackie Morris will be in conversation with Nicola Davies in this Litfest event where they will be discussing The Lost Spells her latest collaboration with Robert MacFarlane. Places are free but book here The Lost Spells: Jackie Morris and Nicola Davies – Crowdcast

18 March             Kwame Alexander                           11.00am

Kwame Alexander’s book illustrated by Kadir Nelson was the winner of the Kate Greenaway Shadowers’ Choice 2020 with The Undefeated.  Kwame has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie with his verse novel Rebound.  Join him as he talks with Amy Mckay about his work.  Places are free but must be booked in advance here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/free-event-with-kwame-alexander-tickets-140089143399

25 March             Ruta Sepetys                                     7.00pm

Join Ruta Sepetys 2017 winner of the Carnegie Medal for Salt to the Sea as she discusses her Carnegie longlisted book Fountains of Silence with former judge Jen Horan.  Places are free to book or can include a copy of the book and postage at £10 (excl booking fee) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/carnegie-winning-author-ruta-sepetys-talks-about-fountains-of-silence-tickets-142086944877

14 April                Taking part in Shadowing #CKG21            12.30pm

This free CILIP webinar hosted by Jen Horan, 2021 Chair Elect and Ellen Krajewski, the 2021 Chair of Judges offers practical guidance on how to take part in Shadowing, including how to engage with the website and resources plus a fantastic panel of Shadowing Group Leaders who will be sharing some of the creative and innovative ways they have engaged their reading groups in CKG Shadowing. Places are free but you must sign up when registration opens on 15^th March at www.cilip.org.uk/events.