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February Highlights 2025

26/2/2025

Camilla Sucre

Congratulations to Camilla on the publication of Space for Everyone, written by Seina Wedlick and published by Random House Studio. This inclusive and heart-warming story about family and friends follows a Nigerian girl who worries about her family’s upcoming move. But she soon realizes that no matter where they go, there will always be room at their kitchen table for her community to gather around. Camilla’s characterful art is stunning and perfectly complements the lyrical and warm text.

Paola Escobar

Becoming Real: The True Story of the Velveteen Rabbit written by Molly Golden and published by Clarion Books, has been charmingly illustrated by Paola.

Becoming Real tells the true story of the treasured classic The Velveteen Rabbit and its creator Margery Williams. Full of warmth, imagination, life and loss, this is a beautiful picture book for new readers and fans alike.

Robin Boyden

The Wonder Team and the Space Race is the latest book in the bestselling time-travel adventure series written by England Lioness captain Leah Williamson with Jordan Glover. Featuring dynamic cover and interior illustrations by Robin this makes their fourth exciting collaboration. Published by Macmillan Children’s Books.

Alexis Snell

Alexis is one normal woman doing extraordinary things with lino cut and you can tell she’s had a lot of fun illustrating Philippa Gregory’s Normal Women which has been newly adapted for a teen audience and publishes with Harper Collins this week.

Alexis Snell

Alexis has also created this stunning lino-cut cover for Colin Heber-Percy’s non-fiction title, Lost in the Forest, which is out this month with Octopus Books.

January Highlights 2025

29/1/2025

Cindy Wume

Congratulations to Cindy on the publication of The Bed Book – a picture book version of Sylvia Plath’s classic poem (Faber). Cindy’s playful art perfectly complements this whimsical and whacky poem about all types of beds.

Lisa Pinca

Lisa has been busy working on her own author-illustrated picture book idea, but has sent through some lovely new portfolio pieces we just had to share.

Katie Hickey

Katie has also sent these charming new images which celebrate cozy Winter evenings and the emergence of Spring.

Robin Boyden

What a striking trio of covers featuring Robin’s illustrations for The Pack, a comic about two young wolves attempting to make their way in the wild, often dangerous world around them. Written by Will Fickling, The Pack regularly features in the popular weekly Phoenix Comic.

2024 Christmas Wrapping Paper Designs

11/12/2024

The end of the year is fast approaching and our annual Christmas wrapping paper is making it's way to publishers.

Each year we ask four of our artists to create a new design for us with either a festive theme or that showcases a celebration and that plays to their strengths. This year we have four beautiful designs from Lisa Pinca, Hanako Clulow, Laurie Stansfield and Laura Ellen Anderson!

Lisa Pinca

Hanako Clulow

Laurie Stansfield

Laura Ellen Anderson

Two New Signings!

13/11/2024

We are delighted to welcome illustrator Aneta Lukianska and author K.C Collinson to the Pickled ink list!

Aneta Lukianska

We first came across Aneta's work on display earlier this year as part of the Illustrator's Exhibition at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. Aneta was one of their 2024 winners.

We were instantly drawn to her work and sophisticated colour palette. Her characters are full of charm and scenes rich with storytelling. We especially love the subtle and clever way she incorporates collage elements within her hand-drawn illustrations.

Aneta graduated from Falmouth University's MA Illustration course with a Distinction. She has her own picture book ideas that we are excited to share over the coming months and is also keen to illustrate other people's texts. She is particularly drawn to heartwarming stories.

Check out her portfolio to see more of her work.

K.C Collinson

We were completely swept away to a parallel Scottish fantasy world when we read K.C. Collinson’s YA manuscript Storm Heart in our submissions and couldn’t wait to sign this exciting new YA voice to our list of authors.

With editorial work already underway, publishers can expect a truly epic adventure, with a compulsive plot and compelling characters coming their way in early 2025! A big Pickled ink welcome to Kirsty, and watch this space YA readers.

October Highlights 2024

30/10/2024

Katie Hickey

Katie landed her dream project when she was asked to illustrate the gift edition of Paddington in Peru: Jungle Quest (HarperCollins Children's Books) and the results are stunning! Packed full of flaps to lift, puzzles to solve, and fun facts to learn about Peru and its flora and fauna, Paddington in Peru: Jungle Quest will make the perfect gift for little (and big) fans of Paddington everywhere!

Phil Corbett

This spooky season we celebrated the publication of Kitty Quest: Phantom Frenzy by Phil Corbett(Penguin US and Simon & Schuster UK). The fourth in Phil’s comic graphic novel series, this adventure sees our fearless heroes Perigold and Wolfirk battling some spectral shenanigans to stop Meowminster becoming overrun with ghosts! Frightfully fun stuff!

Jez Tuya

Jez Tuya has collaborated with personalised book publisher I See Me! for a second time with My Very Own Dinosaurs. Full of character and charm, each of Jez's dinosaurs have a distinct personality. I See Me! books come personalised with your child's name, spelt out in a fun adventure, while at the back of the book there's also a bonus glossary filled with with fun facts about dinosaurs and gemstones.

Rachael Dean

The third and final book (above) in the Thames and Tide trilogy (Bloomsbury), written by award-winning author Katya Balen and illustrated by Rachael Dean, hit the shelves this month. With a vibrant, bustling cover and interiors that are jam-packed with Rachael’s characterful black and white art, The Thames and Tide Club: the Ghost Pirates completes this highly acclaimed trilogy in style.

Rachael has also illustrated the cover of The Biggest Christmas Secret Ever (Orion Children's Books/Hachette), a heart-warming and laugh out loud Christmas countdown advent story written by L. D. Lapinski.

Robin Boyden

Bob vs.The Selfie Zombies written by Andy Jones and illustrated by Robin Boyden (Bonnier Books) has been selected for The Blue Peter Book Club this month. Which means that Robin is now the proud owner of a much-coveted Blue Peter badge - congratulations Robin! To celebrate a year of the Blue Peter Book Club CBBC ran a special feature on the book last Friday which included a spooktacular animation of Robin's work, as well as rave reviews from young readers which you can view here.

Author Corner

Congratulations to Dominique Valente whose new middle grade adventure, Witchspark (Usborne), illustrated by Eleanora Asparuhova, published this month. Witchspark is a story about two aspiring witches, one banned magical correspondence course, a sentient magical house (with a wyvern butler), and the search for the magic within. The Guardian called it 'a delightfully madcap 8+ magical adventure’ and we couldn’t agree more!

Visiting the Brontës...

15/10/2024

Last month Briony May Smith travelled up to Haworth, Yorkshire to the Brontë Parsonage Museum to celebrate their Festival of Women’s Writing.

Illustrator Briony May Smith and author Sara O’Leary were joined by their Publisher Tara Walker from Tundra Books and one of Briony's agents, Amy Kitcherside, to celebrate and talk about their biopic picture book ‘The Little Book of the Little Brontës’.

Briony spent the first day painting a scene from the Little Brontës for the Parsonage shop window.

The next day Briony and Sara led a joint workshop for children talking all about the process behind making a picture book. They then created their own little books, similar to the ones Charlotte Brontë and her siblings used to make when growing up (though with less sewing involved!). With a live draw-along with Briony, self-portraits were soon featured on all the handmade book covers. The day ended with an impromptu book signing for fans.

Several of the little books created by Brontës throughout their lives are on display at the museum and a lot of fun was had spotting scenes from the book throughout the parsonage and town, all of which were faithfully and beautifully captured by Briony in her illustrations. Briony, Sara and Tara also managed to have a walk up to Top Withins, where it was easy to see how the landscape inspired 'Wuthering Heights', through the mist and rain. They warmed up by the fire on their return from the moors.

The weekend was jam-packed full of talks and events from lots of different writers and artists, so do keep an eye out of the next year’s festival dates and the museum is well worth a visit for any fan of the Brontës. The surrounding area is also full of literary connections, and Amy made part of her journey back down to London via the local steam railway and passing through Oakworth station, made famous by 'The Railway Children.'

September Highlights 2024!

30/9/2024

Bruno Valasse

Perfect for curious young minds, World of Rot by Britt-Crow-Miller (Storey Publishing) is an informative and visual treat, full of humorous and disgusting facts for kids of all ages! Learn all about decomposition, the organisms that do the work and the science behind it all. With stunning screen-printed artwork by Bruno Valasse full of hidden details, this is a book you'll want to return to time and time again.

Camilla Sucre

With the leaves falling and the season turning comes the fourth instalment of Ella Phillips and Camilla Sucre’s picture book series featuring Zee and his grandma. My Grandma's Magic Recipes: Autumn Harvest (Simon and Schuster) sees Zee and his family carving pumpkins – just in time to make Grandma's famous monster soup! Colourful, characterful artwork and lush autumnal hues of orange, purple and green abound in Camilla’s artwork, and beautifully complement Ella’s seasonal story. And what a lovely set all four books now make!

Isabelle Follath

Isabelle Follath's captivating illustrations bring to life this abridged version of the beloved classic Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, retold for younger children by Katherine Woodfine (Nosy Crow). This beautiful illustrated gift edition is a real treat for fans, while introducing Anne with an 'e' to a whole new generation.

Rachael Dean

If ever a cover spelt Autumn – this is it. Rachael Dean’s glorious artwork adorns the cover of Rescuing Ruby, the second title in the Whistledown Farm series written by Pickled ink author, Nicola Baker (Simon & Schuster). The interiors are peppered with Rachael’s striking black and white artwork too.

'Shine' Exhibition and Workshop - Bruno Valasse

17/9/2024

This may sound unrelated, but read me out. I thought of all this while chatting to the most otherworldly lady on the train from Paris to London. By the end of the trip, she asked if I was living the dream.

My twin brother –Yvan– and I are French, but we were born and raised in Mexico, which made us Mexican too. And so, with one foot in each country, and living in London, my brother just got married in France. To take advantage of the trip, I reached out to a few bookshops in the hopes to plan for some reading and signing events for Shine, my first picturebook.

I got the most exciting answer from Helen Hancocks, the mastermind behind Shelf Editions, whom I'd met before and with whom we had shared mutual admiration. It would be an exhibition, a workshop and a few readings of the book, if I was up for it. And I was.

After sorting out a post-wedding covid period, I went up to Lincoln with my brother to set up the show, ready and excited to read Shine to whoever would show up. We got there at 10am on a Friday and I was showing children how to print illustrations with stamps and linocuts by 11am. To our surprise, a stream of visitors popped in and out until 4pm, excited to print, hear about Shine and the little moth, make some collages, as well as ask questions about how it had been made (a blog post behind the process can be read here). There, among a never ending stream of the loveliest human beings, I met Miss Leigh and her children, the most loving family I remember meeting.

The effervescence of the day assigned tasks in the most organic way. By 5pm, Helen and Yvan had finished setting up, sorting snacks and drinks for the evening while I had been getting ink all over my hands – and children's! – and that is what Shine is about. I was surrounded by luminous fireflies, except this time, the leading moth was Yvan and the community-gathering role was Helen's, and her fabulous, welcoming lighthouse that Shelf Editions is. By 9pm, I was surrounded by Helen's community. Not as a protagonist, but as a member. I was home.

I always try to make stories and technical bits of my work rather short, afraid of talking people's ears off. Not this time. I explained in detail how I had experimented with different printmaking techniques while knowing in the back of my head I would end up screenprinting the book, still learning from all those experiments on the way.

I've only just become an author, and writing is quite a vulnerable position to be in. It also seems to ease the building of bridges with other people's experiences, and so I went on to tell this new gang of mine about the events, feelings and fears that sparked the first draft of Shine, and how a little boy who was afraid to be lifted into the night sky turned into a moth.

I have just learned that Shine has been selected at the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show in New York, as well as for the China Shanghai Children's Book Fair exhibition 2024.

I attended the SOI show in 2019 right before the pandemic was declared. It was so overwhelmingly moving that it became one of the main reasons why I decided to become an author. And now the little moth in Shine has taken it full circle.

All of this to say that I met the most incredible lady on the train from Paris to London. Brenda is a volunteer on the Ukrainian front, was a teacher for 17 years and is still in touch with former students who welcome her in their own homes. She also set up a food bank and ran it for several years while asking herself why it was even necessary. I told her about my much less impressive life too, about Shine, the wedding and the then upcoming show in Lincoln, and we talked about overcoming fear. The last thing I heard her say before parting ways was "So, you're living the dream". I said yes. I am.

Bruno Valasse's exhibition 'Stars Only Come Out When it’s Dark' is up at Shelf Editions until the end of September, where he also has prints for sale. 'Shine' is available to buy now, published by Tundra Books.

August Highlights 2024!

27/8/2024

Briony May Smith

Congratulations to Briony whose latest picture book, Tiny Jenny, hit the shelves in the US this month (Anne Schwartz Books / Penguin Random House). It was also selected as an Amazon best picture book for August!

Born to a family of wrens, Tiny Jenny is a wingless fairy who has mischief in her heart. When the forest animals complain to Mr and Mrs Wren about her, Tiny Jenny sets off in search of her real fairy family. But it turns out fairies are far from welcoming. Can Tiny Jenny resolve the dilemma she faces and find out where she truly belongs? Tiny Jenny is a modern fairy tale with a loveable, brave-hearted protagonist, that's rich with Briony’s trademark atmospheric and detailed illustrations.

Ya-Ling Huang

'Anna's friend Zane is coming to tea soon – but when is “soon”, exactly? While Anna waits, Granddad teaches her how to tell the time for herself...'

Ya-Ling has teamed up with author Vivian French again to illustrate Telling the Time with Anna, the next book in a first skills series (Walker Books). This charming picture book introduces the concept of time to little ones, and is filled with lots of clocks for children to practice telling the time as they read.

Lo Cole

It wasn’t only Banksy creating a stir with some rhino artwork this August, as Lo Cole’s Lionel (Rocket Bird Books) charged into bookshops this month. The companion title to Doris features a large blue rhino who is desperate to join in with all the fun, but often with some hilarious consequences. Lo’s bold and joyful artwork and brilliant characters make this picture book a real delight.

Coralie Muce

This dynamic cover by Coralie Muce for Hero Wanted! perfectly captures Mark Power's latest rip-roaring adventure (Bloomsbury), with wonderfully characterful illustrations throughout.

Laura Ellen Anderson

The second book in Laura’s illustrated fiction series Marnie Midnight takes flight on 29th August. Marnie Midnight and the Great Critter Contest (Farshore) sees our favourite little moth Marnie and her friends take part in the annual Great Critter Contest. With detailed black and white illustrations throughout this second Marnie adventure is truly BEE-utiful and packed full of mini-beast magic! Can you suc-SEED in securing your copy?

July Highlights 2024

29/7/2024

Moera

Coldplay’s music video for their latest track, Feels Like I’m Falling in Love, features gorgeous animation in a zingy pastel colour palette by Moera. You can watch the full video here.

Also by Moera and hot off the scanner are these cool characters in pen and ink, which would work brilliantly for black and white fiction, don’t you think?!

Rachael Dean

As a fan of the original story, Rachael Dean was thrilled to have the opportunity to illustrate the cover of Anthea Simmon's modern re-imagining of the beloved classic 'The Secret Garden'. The Secret Garden Rewilded is published by Andersen Press.

Hanako Clulow

Hanako Clulow has teamed up with author Sabine Adeyinka to illustrate the cover of Three Cheers for the River School, the third book in Sabine's adventure series set in a boarding school in Nigeria. Published by Chicken House.

Alice McKinley

Voyage to Mermaid Mountain is the fourth book Alice McKinley has illustrated for author Jack Ryder and a sequel to last year's 'Wish'. Once again Alice brings to life Jack's fantastical world of magical mystery, with returning characters, mermaids and a pirate ship. Out now from Hachette Children's Books.

Katie Hickey

Meet the experts for one last time in The Birthday Bike, the fourth and final title in 'The Repair Shop' series written by Amy Sparkes and illustrated by Katie Hickey. Katie’s warm, atmospheric illustrations have captured the nostalgia of Amy’s picture book story beautifully once again. Published by Walker Books.

Awards!

2024 Lollies

A huge well done to authors Sam Copeland & Jenny Pearson and illustrators Robin Boyden & Katie Kear on the news that 'The Underpants of Chaos' has been shortlisted for the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards in the aged 9-12 category. Voting is open and you can cast your vote for this genuinely hilarious middle grade romp here.

A Lammy for Poppy!

Congratulations to author Nina LaCour and illustrator Sònia Albert whose middle grade novel The Apartment House on Poppy Hill has won the LGBTQ+ Children’s Books Category at the 36th Annual Lambda Literary Awards!

2024 New Brunswick Book Awards

We’re over the moon for Sara O’ Leary, author of The Little Books for the Little Brontës, who has been awarded the Alice Kitts Memorial Award for Excellence in Children's Writing this month! Whilst this is a writing-specific award, Briony May Smith’s ‘achingly beautiful’ illustrations get a lovely mention in Quill and Quire's review:

“The Little Books of the Little Brontës is, in a word, gorgeous. A sublime blend of tender and thoughtfully playful writing by O’Leary, and bucolic, rosy-cheeked mixed media illustrations by Smith, this is an exceptional picture book.”

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