A fun day at Little Acorns Bookstore. Lots of signed copies of ‘Standing On One Leg is Hard’ are available now.

Erika McGann and I are all set for Farmleigh Family Fun Day in the Phoenix Park.

A fun-filled day of literary and creative events for all the family to enjoy! August 6th at Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park. Free event but registration required http://bit.ly/3PKwFtX

NEWS! I have moved into a new studio space in Omagh Library.  A huge thank you to Libraries NI  for awarding me a bursary of a free studio space for the next year, as part of Libraries NI efforts to support and nurture creative talent and combat some of the challenges creatives face in the Cost of Living crisis. 

To be able to work in such a beautiful, quiet space is a dream come true and I am so grateful to be the recipient of the bursary. I am working every day, above the library, surrounded by books and inspiration. I can’t wait to see where this exciting chapter will take me and the positive impact it will have on my work. 

With Erika McGann at the brilliant Halfway Up The Stairs bookshop.

Our new picturebook Standing on One Leg is Hard is available now in bookshops and online! 

A peek behind the scenes of illustrating my new book.

Standing on One Leg is Hard is written by Erika McGann and tells the story of a determined little heron chick who is trying HARD to be like the grown ups. I had a great time working on this with The O’Brien Press.  Available in bookshops 03/03/23 

The new board book edition of “One Leaf, Two Leaves, Count with Me!” is out now! Arriving just in time for autumn. 

Published by @PenguinKids.

Available to buy online or from your local bookshop.

A few photos from my Rainbow Library picture book course at the amazing Glasgow Zine Library.

It was great fun to work with such talented young LGBTQ+ picture-book makers and to see their brilliant book concepts developing. We were lucky to have Barry Timms join us virtually to talk about his work as an editor and author of children’s books, and Susie at the Bright Agency stop by for a visit. Thanks to Pop Up Projects for bringing us all together in Glasgow.

I’m excited to join the amazing Rainbow Library project to deliver a FREE 6 day picture book course at Glasgow Zine Library this July! 

These workshops are for aspiring/emerging children’s illustrators (age 18-26) who identify as LGBTQ+. We will be creating joyful stories and demystifying the publishing process. 

For more details, please visit this link: https://bit.ly/3xiKghl

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will gift over 340,000 copies of “One Leaf, Two Leaves, Count with Me!” to kids across the US this year!!

The program puts books into the hands of children who would most likely not have access to owning books otherwise.

I had a great time illustrating this book with Nancy Paulsen’s imprint at Penguin a few years ago. Delighted the book will reach such a huge number of young readers. 

Thanks Dolly! 

Here’s a fun activity to try at home!

You will need:

• Paint, makers or pencils
• Card
• Tape
• Lollipop sticks
• String, twine or wool
• Scissors

1. Cut one piece of card for the base of your story scene. This will be the ground which you can paint or colour.

2. Fold another piece of card in half and open so that it can stand on the base piece. This is your background which can be painted with any art supplies you can find.

3. Draw or paint your characters and props on card and cut them out. A small folded piece of card attached to the back will let it stand freely.

4. Next, tape two lollipop sticks together (or maybe use a wooden skewer if you can find one). This can be balanced on the top of your 3D scene to hang pieces from. Use wool, twine or string taped to the back of your floating props.

5. Think about creating a wonderful place for your character to live. Does your character have a name? What’s its favourite thing to do?

Here are some prompts, but you can create anything you like! Let your imagination run wild….

A frog in a pond
A hedgehog at night
A fox creeps through the deep dark forest
The faerie kingdom

Tip: All of the pieces can be moved around. Try adding more characters and props, or mix and match different scenes to create new stories. Have fun!