The Picture Book Box

Today is my stop on the 'Midnight Magic' blog tour and I am beyond excited to be sharing a little bit of awe and wonder with you all today! I feel very lucky to be offering you a glimpse at some of the illustration spreads that Elissa Elwick created for Midnight's journey and the earlier sketches which inspired them... And here she is! Midnight is the third of three kittens that were born in a barn one very frosty night. Snowdrop and Foxy, the first two to be born were just like any other kittens - cute, cuddly and a little bit cheeky. But Midnight, well... Midnight it turns out is a little bit magic . This playful character will catch your heart immediately with her joy-filled eyes and love of adventure! Mother cat wasn't sure what to do with her. "Good kitten's shouldn't" do what you do, she'd say. While the others are outside playing hide-and-seek, Midnight would shrink or disappear entirely - an unfair advantage of being the only enchanted feli...

Arlo: The Lion Who Couldn't Sleep Written and illustrated by Catherine Rayner   Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Arlo the lion! He is absolutely ecstatic to finally meet you, he's just a bit... tired. Poor Arlo finds it very tricky to get to sleep. As you know, lions need an awful lot of sleep, but at night-time he often gets distracted and restless and then before you know it, it's morning again. He hasn't had so much as a quick snooze so will simply have to go about his day in a slumberly daze. (I can totally relate, Arlo!) But that won't do. How will this glorious creature ever manage to do his 'lion jobs' if he hasn't had a moments rest? Enter Owl! While out for a slow stroll one evening, Arlo desperately asks the world "Will I ever sleep again?" Thankfully, Owl was listening and swoops into Arlo's life like the wise, kind bird that she is. She offers Arlo some much needed advice and sets about making his world a c...

The Perfect Shelter with author Clare Helen Welsh   The Perfect Shelter by Clare Helen Welsh and Å sa Gilland is a book that I and many others have been anticipating for some time. Like Clare's previous book 'The Tide', this story encapsulates elements of life for children in a way that resonates with them, makes them feel understood and let's them know that they are not the only ones who feel this way. There are so many beautiful levels to this story that I can only hope my post here will do it some justice... The Perfect Shelter It is a tale of a young family featuring a Mum, a Dad and their two young girls. The family enjoy spending time in nature and the girls adore constructing dens. Together, the sisters aim to build "the perfect, perfect shelter!" However, unbeknownst to them, a harsh storm is brewing. The storm is set to test the strength of their den and anyone who takes shelter within it.   The imagery here of the storm and...

 The summer of 2019 provided me with my first fantastic visit to the incredible book festival and I am still revelling in the memories of it! I was really looking forward to making a second visit this year, but with everything that is going on leading to the festival (understandably) being cancelled, unfortunately that will not be the case. However, to cheer myself up, I thought I'd take some time to write down a few top tips so that when next summer rolls around (and all being well, my second Edinburgh Book Fest visit), we can really make the most of our time there. Here are some of the things that I recommend/plan to do in preparation for the summer of 2021... 1. I'd highly recommend signing up to the newsletter on their website so that you hear about all of the events in plenty of time. You're also able to request a Festival brochure from the website to maximise your organisation and planning schedule! 2. When you receive the brochure, have ...

The Inspiration Behind 'The Boy Who Loved Everyone' & World Kindness Day 2019   In celebration of World Kindness Day today, I'd like to share a picture book with you about a young boy who sends a little bit of kindness out to everyone and everything around him as easily as he breathes. In turn, he causes a 'ripple effect' of goodwill simply because he says "I love you." I'm also incredibly lucky to be able to share with you the inspiration behind the story from the author and illustrator themselves...     'The Boy Who Loved Everyone' by Jane Porter & Maisie Paradise Shearring   As the story begins, young Dmitri has just started going to Nursery. He encounters a group of children who seem to be well-acquainted already, but his kind nature shines through as he chooses to sit beside another child during their story time and tells him "I love you, Liam". Liam is not quite sure how to respond and so chooses not to....

Spooky Shelfie 2019       This is the first year that I've really gotten into collecting Halloween-inspired stories. Though I grew up adoring magical tales, waited patiently for my Hogwarts letter (I'm still waiting), and have a best friend who loves every scary film and horror story going, it was the wonders of 'Bookstagram' that really sparked my interests this year... and boy have we found some great stories!   Here are my 'Top 3' books for this year:   1. 'The Right One' by Violeta Noy (Published by Templar books). This story is about sweet little Roderic, the smallest ghost in his ghost family. Until now, every ghost has chosen to wear a 'white sheet' to cover their 'ectoplasm' (green stuff - think 'Ghostbusters') because that is just what these ghosts have always done. However, this doesn't feel quite right for Roderic. It's just not his style! In a determined bid to reflect his own personalit...