Creating a world. Tom and Millie.

World Book Day tour 2013

Blimey, lots of exciting things have been going on around World Book Day this year. It was time for a mini tour, which is always good fun, and a nice change from the studio. I popped in to my old stomping ground of Hackney, and also to St Albans, Hertford, Walthamstow, Putney, the wonderful Discover centre in Stratford and to Seven Stories in Newcastle. It gave me the chance to get off my studio chair  and whip up a bit of enthusiasm for books. Like at this 'Giraffes Can't Dance' event...

Notice all the beautifully painted ossicones? Fact of the day: that's what the tufts on a giraffe's head are called, easily remembered because it rhymes with 'silly bones' (- which they are). 

Although the main point of these events is to give me the chance to show off a bit, I also like to get the children to do a bit of creating. After talking about how I do it and doing a bit of drawing for them, I ask them all to make up their own animal picture book character. I'm amazed by the freshness of the images they come up with, just look at these elephants by Amelia, Delphi and Maddie for example. I'm rather partial to elephants.