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Showing posts with label children's books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's books. Show all posts

Wednesday 21 February 2024

Sammy And The Extra Hot Chilli Powder


 There's a nice write up about my new book 'Sammy And The Extra Hot Chilli Powder' on my agent's site here

Steve May masterfully illustrates the latest adventure by Charlie P. Brooks as we emBARK on a rip-roaring diamond heist adventure.

This week we celebrate the publication of Sammy and the Extra-Hot Chilli Pepper, written by Charlie P. Brooks with a stunning jacket and internal illustrations by Arena’s very own Steve May.

Setterpoo Sammy is a dog with an extraordinary sense of smell, in fact, she has the best nose in the business if you're a sniffer dog! She can sniff out ANYTHING - diamonds, watches, explosives and even parrots! But in an incident involving some extra-hot chilli pepper she completely loses her sense of smell.

This spells disaster for Sammy! Not only is she unable to smell her favourite treat (sausages) but also, she is 'retired' from the Border Security Dog Unit. But every cloud has a silver lining when Harry her handler finds a new home for Sammy in a small village called Bloomington with a little girl called Beanie and her mum. The pair soon become best friends and it's not long before Sammy's sense of smell starts to return. When mysterious events begin to occur the pair leap into action and become the village investigators. Mogpuss the cat goes missing, Farmer Gerard's eggs are stolen and then half of the villagers lose their broadband connection - DISASTER! But - in a dramatic turn of events, Sammy's expert sense of smell is needed back in London to help foil a dastardly plot to steal a precious diamond. She’ll have to use ALL her instincts to save the day!

 

Steve’s illustrations bring a comic magic to this brilliant read, from stinky bins, smelly socks and sausages to fish heads, burgers and stale eggs. Steve’s intuitive sense of humour and fun shine through and will ensure that this book really grabs the attention of a host of young story seekers. 

You can take a look at an extract HERE.

 "I love drawing dogs although I usually approach them with a fair amount of 'Steve May' artistic licence but this one required specific breeds so I enjoyed the challenge of drawing Sammy and her pals. There's also a wonderfully snooty cat cat called Mogpuss who was rather fun to imagine too!" - Steve May

Steve is a prolific doodler, artist, rock star and animator and has worked with the likes of Phil Earle, Francesca Simon, and Harry Hill alongside clients such as the BBC, The Economist and Discover Story Centre. Based in London, Steve works digitally and in pen and ink with a spontaneous freedom which joyfully leaps off the page. With many projects including the Dennis the Menace brand under his belt, his talent for creating chaotic attention-grabbing, cartoon style characters are unparalleled.


Wednesday 14 February 2024

PUBLICATION DAY for Sammy & the Extra-Hot Chilli Powder!

Sammy & The Extra Hot Chilli Powder is published today!

It's written by Charlie P Brooks & illustrated by me & published by Harper Collins Childrens & was great fun bringing Sammy & her canine / human friends to life (there's a good villain in there too - they're ALWAYS fun!) 

I love drawing dogs although I usually approach them with a fair amount of 'Steve May' artistic licence but this one required specific breeds so I enjoyed the challenge of drawing Sammy & her pals. There's also a wonderfully snooty cat cat called Mogpuss who was rather fun to imagine too!

'A warm and brilliantly funny family comedy told from the perspective of Sammy the sniffer dog – perfect for younger readers aged 7 and up

Setterpoo Sammy has a BRILLIANT sense of smell. She can sniff out ANYTHING – watches, explosives, even parrots!

But one day, Sammy sniffs some EXTRA-HOT chilli powder and loses her sense of smell COMPLETELY. It’s up to Sammy’s Best Human Friend, Beanie, to help her get it back.

And when Sammy finds out that someone is planning to steal a precious DIAMOND, she’ll have to use ALL her instincts to save the day!'







 

Friday 12 May 2023

Giraffe pop up!

How many injuries are caused by pop-up books with giraffes in them?

Do you ever think of that?

No, because you only think of yourselves.

Tuesday 27 September 2022

Eek, Sheep!



 SUPER BAAAAAAAAD! My new collaboration with the MIGHTY Danny Pearson, 'Eek Sheep!' is out NOW! Expect wooly mayhem, seaside adventure & plenty of jelly!

'A community is thrown into chaos as a flock of hungry sheep take over the local town and cause mayhem! All the people want to do is live in peace once again, but who will be brave enough to stand up to this wacky woolly army?'

You can order a copy here!



(I TOLD you there'd be plenty of jelly!)

 


(You might just find a certain illustrator lurking on the cover too if you look carefully!)

Friday 13 May 2022

Grunt The Beserker - behind the scenes...


 I was just searching through some old files & found some of my preliminary sketches for Two Terrible Vikings & Grunt The Beserker my second collaboration with the brilliant Francesca Simon which I thought some of you might be interested in seeing the process around creating the cover

This was my very first version which I cleaned up a bit...


...to this which went over to the people at Faber - we all thought it looked a bit too scary so I gave it another go & rejigged the format to make it a bit clearer

I decided it would be less cluttered if Hack & Wack were separate from the terrible Grunt Ironskull so I doodled this in the back of my sketchbook...

...which turned into this...
It was thought that this version was too similar in colour to the first book so I decided to create a more brooding sky which I think works much better on the final book cover (see above)

For the back cover we'd decided to show Hack & Wack's pet wolf Bitey Bitey being menaced by Grunt's hound Muddy Butt - I drew a couple of versions - I rather liked the front on version but the final version works better with the text
Here's the final version...







Thursday 3 February 2022

Publication Day For 'Two Terrible Vikings' - 'Grunt The Beserker'

Grunt The Beserker

 "The world’s very worst Vikings are back to dash our hopes and fail our expectations!"

I'm extremely pleased to say that Hack & Wack, the WORST Vikings in the village are back in the second of the Two Terrible Vikings series Grunt The Beserker which is published TODAY - 3rd February by Faber Childrens!

In the new book the twins are forced to attend school & EVEN WORSE a fierce & stinky beserker warrior moves in NEXT DOOR!

How will the twins & their friends outwit Grunt & his vicious dog Muddy Butt?!?!

This is my second collaboration with the brilliantly funny Francesca Simon & was an absolute riot to return to draw the terrible Viking twins Hack & Wack along with their friends Dirty Ulf, Twisty Pants, Elsa Gold-Hair & of course Bitey Bitey their pet baby wolf!
In this new book I also got to draw the terrible (& rather stinky) Grunt The Beserker, his huge vicious dog Muddy Butt, Pecky Pecky the fiercest chicken in the Viking world & a plethora of angry puffins too! 

I frequently found myself laughing out loud when realising Francesca's hilarious text which is always a VERY GOOD THING!

Pop into your nearest independent bookshop & say hello or you can order a copy from here










Wednesday 5 January 2022

Grunt the Beserker...sneak preview


 Psst...here's a glimpse of the brilliant bookmarks to go with the publication of the SECOND Two Terrible Vikings books - 'Grunt the Beserker' written by the brilliant Francesca Simon & illustrated by me. 

(If you look closer you can get a sneak peak of the cover of the book which is published on Thursday 3rd February by Faber Childrens)

Thursday 1 April 2021

Buck 'n' Bronco Hit The Road - Publication day!


 YEEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAA! My latest collaboration with the brilliant Guy Bass Buck 'n' Bronco Hit The Road is published today - April the 1st by the wonderful folk at Barrington Stoke & it's no joke  - this is a fib, it's FULL of jokes (& the odd farting horse too shhh! What a riot this was to draw - 'BRING THE HAPPY!' (™) You can order it here

Buck 'n' Bronco are mascots at the Happy Ranch theme park.

It's their mission to Bring the Happy (TM) to your day!But when Happy Ranch is demolished to make way for a futuristic new park, Buck 'n' Bronco find themselves without a home and without a job.

They head out on the road, determined to prove they've still got what it takes. Can Buck 'n' Bronco Bring the Happy (TM) out in the real world, or are they doomed to be yesterday's mascots?

'This story really is the most tremendous fun. Packed full of laughs and with some wonderful toilet humour, it will be a sure-fire hit with younger readers – and their adults.'  - Jacqui Sydney 

'With heartwarming themes of friendship, mutual support, shared adversity and the importance of being prepared to embrace change, Bass and May’s inspirational and anarchic comedy hits the spot perfectly for readers young… and not-so-young!'  (Pam Norfolk - Lancashire Post)





(I told you there were farting horses!)


Thursday 14 January 2021

BUCK ‘N’ BRONCO Hit the Road!


Howdy pardners! You have to be FOOLS* to miss out on BUCK ‘N’ BRONCO Hit the Road!** my latest collaboration with the brilliant Guy Bass which is out on 1st APRIL published by Barrington Stoke!

*see what I did there?


** might contain horse farts.


'When the Happy Ranch theme park closes down to make way for a futuristic new adventure land, park mascots Buck and Bronco are out of a job and out of a home.

While Buck thinks its time for them to spread their wings and take the show on the road, Bronco wants nothing more than for their life to be exactly as it was ...

Can the pair discover new meaning beyond the park and recapture the fame they once had? Or are they destined to be yesterday's mascots?'

Thursday 7 January 2021

Albert Johnson & the Buns of Steel - PUBLICATION DAY!

My THIRD collaboration with the brilliant Phil Earle Albert Johnson & The Buns Of Steel is published today by the lovely folk at Barrington Stoke. It's got giant robots, PLENTY of baked goods & jam grenades in it!

What an absolute riot this was to illustrate, Phil's writing is always very inspiring & I had a lot of fun drawing this I hope people will have a lot of fun reading it.

(I also love the fact that the title came from Phil's son who challenged him to get a book called 'Buns of Steel' published - and he DID!)

"This sparkling new story – brimming with Earle’s signature wicked wit and May’s anarchic illustrations – delivers slapstick giggles and guffaws on every page. Don’t miss the bun fun! 

(Pam Norfolk - Lancashire Post)


Albert Johnson’s dad is a Master Baker, so Albert will become one too, right? Wrong!

Albert’s not interested in baking. He likes football. Cricket. Tennis. Or any other sport you could name. But Albert’s dad still needs help in the family bakery, so he builds a machine like no other: the Doughmaster 5000. It seems to have solved all their problems, until one night, Dad’s miracle solution turns into a rampaging disaster. It’s up to Albert to fix the mess – but will his sporting skills save him now?

You can see our previous 2 collaborations Superdad's Day Off & Unlucky Eleven here!





Monday 4 January 2021

Two Terrible Vikings by Francesca Simon - first peak at the cover!


Here's a peak at the final cover for Two Terrible Vikings written by the brilliant best selling author Francesca Simon & illustrated by me. I'm extremely excited about this series, this book was great fun to illustrate & I fell in love with a lot of the brilliant characters. If I catch myself laughing out loud when I'm working it's ALWAYS a good sign & Francesca's text is so funny & warm (despite all the snow inside) I think readers will really fall in love with Hack & Wack & their friends!

Two Terrible Vikings is published by Faber & you can pre-order it here

You can see the earlier cover here

Tuesday 25 February 2020

New Viking series with Francesca Simon!

I'm very excited to announce that I'll be teaming up with best-selling 'Horrid Henry' author Francesca Simon for a new series for Faber & Faber which "features a marauding band of terrible Vikings, led by terror twins Hack and Whack, who are adored by their parents for being the worst Vikings in the village" 

I'm very excited to be working with Francesca, 
I've already caught myself laughing out loud at the text which is ALWAYS the best sign and I'm relishing the chance of bringing Hack and Whack's terrible exploits to life. (Getting to draw a baby wolf called Bitey Bitey is also a magnificent bonus too!)

Here's a link the the article at The Bookseller

Thursday 13 February 2020

Publication Day for Anna Gain & The Same Sixty Seconds!

Anna Gain & The Same Sixty Seconds by Guy Bass & illustrated by me is our 4th collaboration for Barrington Stoke & is published today! 

There's time travel, chaos (& the occasional dog's bum - what MORE can you want?!?)

"Ever-punctual Anna Gain is never late, and she's certainly never late for the school bus. Every day she catches it in perfect time. But not today. After a series of absurd events cause Anna to miss the bus, she's transported one minute back in time - only to be stuck re-living the same sixty seconds again ... and again ... and again ... Is fate trying to teach Anna a lesson? And will she ever escape? A laugh-out-loud and punny take on 'Groundhog Day' from a top-notch author-illustrator pairing, particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+"




Wednesday 16 October 2019

Matt Millz On Tour by Harry Hill - published today!


Matt Millz on Tour! the 3rd in the hilarious series by Harry Hill & illustrated by me is out today  (Thursday October 17th) published by Faber & Faber This time Matt is taking his act to the Edinburgh Festival! You can order it here!


Matt’s dream of becoming a stand-up comic is fading. Six months on from his success at the Apollo, the gigs have dried up, and it’s back to the daily drudge of schoolwork for Matt and his pals. But then his twelve-year-old manager Kitty has a brainwave: if they can persuade their teachers to take a school play up to the Edinburgh Festival, they could hold a comedy night too.
But Matt’s got a rival new school-mate Jamie who is pushing to be in the comedy line-up. And Jamie is good. But is he too good to be true?