One of the joys of my visit to Guernsey was to spend some time with Simon James, the picture book author and illustrator. I so rarely get to see what other authors do in the school sessions, so it was a treat to watch him in action at the Grammar School on Wednesday evening. He entertained us with a reading of his book Baby Brains: The Smartest Baby in the Whole World. He used a slide projector to blow up the pictures and performed the story, waving his arms around as a cue for his young, volunteer projectionist, Samantha. I envy Simon’s quieter style. I tend to go in both guns blazing – but at the end of the week, I think Simon was more tired than I was. Maybe I’ve built up a bit of stamina over the years. I met Simon in passing, a long time ago. I hope we meet up again at a festival or somewhere soon.

Read His books. They are very funny and very good.