About Shoo Rayner & Contact page

Me in my Studio

It seems incredible, but I have written and illustrated over 200 books for children and illustrated nearly a hundred more for such great authors as Sir Michael Morpurgo, Michael Rosen and Rose Impey./br

My books cover the primary age range from wordless and early phonics books for Collins Big Cat to series books for newly confident readers to middle-grade novels from Firefly Press

I’ve also created drawing books and over 2,000 how-to-draw videos on YouTube. You can see them on this page and also on this page. I’ve also made many of my stories available as read aloud story videos – you can enjoy them here.

Phonics on the moon!

Once children “get the trick” of decoding text and begin to read independently, they need to read lots of books. Every skill needs lots of practice to improve. Reading for pleasure, reading books that excite, entertain and inspire is the best way to practice.

Stories are how we learn best. Reading for pleasure, sharing books – reading aloud – and reading together at bedtime is the best investment of time and effort in any child’s life. Reading is the core skill in life that we so take for granted.

I live and work in the magical Forest of Dean in England. When I’m not sketching or illustrating or making how to draw videos, I enjoy walking in the Forest and gardening – sweet peas are my favourite, but cactus dahlias are becoming a new attraction.

I’m currently working on an exciting, middle-grade, space-adventure trilogy called Generation Moon – the first book will be launched as a self-published crowdfunding campaign in February 2023.

I believe that everyone can learn to draw a bit with practice and that, as well as developing knowledge and understanding of the world around us, drawing improves resilience and attention skills. Drawing is also the basis of written language and has an important role in the development of writing skills, particularly for reluctant writers and readers who tend to be visual thinkers.

If you wish to contact Shoo, please fill in the form below and he will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible.