Wednesday 7 June 2017

Step into Richard Merritt's Magical World!

To help while away time at the airport or to soothe your mind as you relax by the pool, why not take a trip back in time to ancient Greece or Rome with the spectacular ‘Labyrinth - Mythical Beasts to Colour’ from LOM Art and illustrated by the skilled ‘old master’ of the adult colouring book world - Richard Merritt!  Whether you are colouring the wondrous wings of a Harpy or the glistening snakes of a Gorgon's hair, this unique colouring book filled with magical detail on every page, truly brings these creatures and their mythical realms to life! 

As if that weren’t enough, Richard also has the beautiful Abenteuer Natur, or Nature Adventure, out this month too! From the tiny grasshopper to the mighty whale, his gorgeous, intricate and atmospheric illustrations are simply begging to have a creative hand bring them to life with bursting colour! Travel deep under the ocean and into the tiny worlds within our own, inhabited by a host of fascinating life sensitively embellished with gorgeous decorative details! 


Both books are out now!

Get your copies here:



David Dean’s Morpurgo Marathon!

Be whisked from the sultry Spanish border to the imposing walls of Camelot or travel by dusty road with a travelling circus, only to end up on the turbulent seas from Ireland to America! The latest beautiful batch of David Dean covers for Egmont has officially landed and promises to take you on a thrilling whistle-stop tour of the globe! David’s inspired interpretations of these well-loved stories give just enough away to make us want to plunge headlong in to the mystery and adventure just waiting beneath each distinctively dynamic cover! 


Ella's Illos Float our Boat!

These adorable new black and white line illustrations by Ella Okstad sensitively celebrate young love as seen through the eyes of Simon and Anna in the short story RMS Titanic written by Norwegian author Nina Elisabeth Grøntvedt. The bold clarity of Ella’s drawings perfectly compliment this charming little love story created specially for the Hay Festival Aarhus 30 project and set against the backdrop of a school production of Titanic! Ella says:

“When asked by Alma Books to contribute to this project, I didn’t know anything about the story or who had written it. Nor did I know which other illustrators/authors were going to take part. It came as great surprise that the author of RMS Titanic actually is a friend of mine, living in the same city! I have also worked with one of the other Norwegian authors on the list - Endre Lund Eriksen, so I am very honoured to be in such splendid company! I was very charmed by the story of clumsy Simon (who  has a broken arm in the story which he has to hold in a permanent 90 degree angle!) and Anna, the prettiest girl in his class, as they tackle the roles of Jack and Rosie in the end of term school play!”


Ella’s gorgeous drawings feature in the Young Adult volume ‘Odyssey’ released on May 25th! Too see more of Ella's cute portfolio click here


Tuesday 6 June 2017

A-Mazing Maps from Gareth Lucas!

With this superb new Map Maze Book from Usborne, getting lost has never been so much fun! Immerse yourself in Gareth Lucas’ stunningly intricate work as you travel across exotic continents, walk the dusty streets of famous cities and explore long-lost lands without ever having to leave the house!! 

Each maze is more challenging than the last, from navigating a safe path through icebergs to taking a whirlwind tour of the horn of India, Sainsbury's Children's Book Award winner Gareth’s rich maps filled with humorous little details are guaranteed to bring out the Indiana Jones in us all! Lose yourself in this unique book from 1st June!


Hitting the Road with Barbara Bongini!

Fancy an engaging and educational road trip across the USA this Spring? Well then look no further!All of the major sights are playfully illustrated in wonderful technicolour by the extremely versatile Barbara Bongini in this fabulous new storybook adventure from I see Me Personalised Children’s Books

My USA Road Trip issues children with their own personalised driving licence to travel the length and breadth of the country learning the names of all 50 states through exciting facts and visiting fascinating landmarks! Barbara’s bold and beautiful portfolio boasts work for a diverse range of international clients from creating packaging, brochures and posters to her passion which is, of course, producing sumptuous children’s book illustrations and travelling the world from the comfort of her little Italian studio! Go on, treat yourself to the ultimate 'grand tour'!




Buzzing with Excitement!

Alison Jay's gorgeous 'Bee and Me' has made it on to PublishersWeekly​'s list of fabulously buzz-worthy bee books this week! See the full list here!