• Well, Okay they have Michael Morpurgo’s name all over them but inside you will find my illustrations. These books, given away free in Happy Meals for the next month, came out about 20 years ago originally. They were ground-breaking books at the time. In those days children’s books had text down one-side and pictures on the other. These books really lifted the text off the straight line and took the story into all the corners of the page.

    These books really got me going as an illustrator and a writer too. Working so closely with Michael Morpurgo’s text taught me how stories were put together. For a long time, in my early series, I can hear Michael Morpurgo’s voice breaking through i my writing. I think I was Ricky Rocket when I finally discovered my “Voice”, urged on by my wonderful Editor, Christine Lo.

    In this video I show you the Happy meals and some of the original artwork and roughs to give you an idea of how books were put together in those days! Enjoy.

  • Many people harbour the ambition to have a children’s book published by a major publisher and yearn to see their book on a shelf in a huge book store. It can happen, but it is not easy. Watch this video and see if Shoo has any advice for you.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYovFGjRP4Q

  • Todays video is about the end of publishing as we know it, now that Amazon has taken over Marshall Cavendish and it has announced the Amazon Library System.

    I was so overcome – I couldn’t write so I got Dragon Express To do the job for me. I love it, you have to talk in a slightly strange way but that doesn’t matter as my brain thinks in the same fashion!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eUDxhv0884