 | Robin BoydenHuge congratulations to Robin Boyden whose author-illustrated picture book Raindrops (Farshore) swept onto shelves this month! Raindrops tells the story of one determined little mouse with a very special parcel to deliver. But when a drop of rain turns into a storm, Mouse worries he’ll get to deliver his parcel at all. With gorgeous pen and ink artwork and a smattering of onomatopoeic words that are fun to read aloud, this near-wordless picture book adventure is brim-full of heart – the perfect gift to read with little ones whilst the rain pours down outside. |
Isabelle FollathBeatrice and the Nightingale by Patricia Newman (Peachtree Books) is a charming biopic picture book that tells the extraordinary story of world-renowned cellist Beatrice Harrison, beautifully brought to life by Isabelle Follath’s soft, ethereal illustrations. Whilst practising in her garden, Beatrice noticed that a nightingale would join in and echo the music she was playing. She convinced the then new BBC to do a live broadcast from her garden capturing it, and in May 1924 the first duet between the cellist and the nightingales was broadcast to over a million listeners across the world. It was such a success, it became an annual event for the next 12 years. |  |
 | Paola EscobarGrowing Together by Ruth Spiro (HarperCollins US), with delightful illustrations by Paola Escobar, is a celebration about people coming together to grow flowers and vegetables in an urban community garden. With fun facts included about the produce grown in the story, this is a great choice for keen little gardeners! 🪴 “Gardening feels like a party in Escobar’s bountiful digital drawings… a picture of plenty that pairs perfectly with Spiro’s peppy lines.” — Publishers Weekly |
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Paola has also been busy on fiction projects, creating the cover and interiors for Murder at the Ivy Hotel by Emily Hourican (Scholastic), a cosy crime mystery for 9-12 year olds, also out this month.
Yuzhen Cai
Yuzhen Cai has illustrated another dynamic cover for the third and final book in Siobhan McDermott’s magical Paper Dragon’s trilogy: The Race to the Cloud Sea (Hachette Children’s Books).
 | Sònia AlbertAnother series coming to an end is Nina LaCour’s Poppy Hill books. The final story Ella Josephine and the Perfectly Imperfect Day (Chronicle Books) publishes this month. Ella and her wonderfully eclectic neighbours are once again beautifully illustrated by Sònia Albert. |
