Hi everyone!

I didn’t send out an autumn newsletter this year as I didn't have any books coming out and there’s only one new edition to tell you about in this winter newsletter.  It’s been a thin year for me publication-wise with several projects being held-up by delays in illustration, but on the positive side, I have exciting news of a TV project and a prestigious book award nomination.

However, before we get to those, I have some important news regarding this newsletter.

OUT NOW

Diamond in the Snow

UK Paperback Picture Book

The third Mole story, Diamond in the Snow, has just come out in paperback in the UK*.

The book is set in the middle of winter. Mole is enchanted by his first experience of snow and thrilled to discover what he thinks is a diamond, lying beneath a tree.  However his excitement turns to disappointment as the ‘diamond’ mysteriously disappears in his paws. Fortunately Mole’s friends Rabbit, Squirrel and Hedgehog are on hand to help solve the mystery and while Mole eventually discovers that his ‘diamond’ was not the treasure he had thought it was, he does get to share a magical experience with his friends.

Following the colour theme set by the first two books, Vanessa Cabban has illustrated this book predominantly in white, and produced a glowing set of characteristically expressive pictures.

The  book as received many warm reviews, some of which are shown in the Rave Reviews section opposite.

The new UK paperback edition is published by Walker Books.  UK and US hardback editions are also available.

To find out more about the book, see some sample illustrations and read my comments and some early reviews, visit the book's pages in the 'Art Gallery'.

UK Paperback ISBN-10: 1406305960, ISBN-13: 978-1406305968

*An advance paperback edition has been available for some time at Waterstones stores.

NEWS

Dinosaurs at Aardman

Shortly after my second picture book, Dinosaurs After Dark, was published, the book’s illustrator, Curtis Jobling, suggested we try adapting it into a television series.  Dinosaurs After Dark was the Curtis’s first book, but he had previously worked as the character designer for Bob the Builder and so was already well-established in the TV industry.

It sounded like a good idea, so we wrote up a “treatment” for a 26-part, 10-minute animated series, including character outlines (which named the hitherto nameless dinosaurs) and plot summaries.

Four years and numerous false starts later, the project has finally been acquired by Aardman, the UK animation studio behind Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep. The project is still a long way from the screen and will spend at least a year in development before the decision is made whether to go ahead and make a series, but Aardman were our first choice of studio, so both Curtis and I are thrilled to be working with them.

Find out more about this book

WORK IN PROGRESS

Final prototype of the fire engine.

My emergency vehicles pop-up, now titled Emergency Rescue, is finally finished!  It’s been a long haul, but the final prototype looks stunning and illustrator Christyan Fox and I feel that it’s our best collaboration to date.

Vanessa Cabban has now completed all the illustration for the fourth Mole book, titled The Best Gift of All.  Unlike the first three books, this story is entirely set in Mole’s natural habitat – underground.

And Rebecca Harry has just started work on Ruby Goes For It, a third story featuring Ruby the duckling.  In this book, Ruby goes on a quest with her new friend, Errol the gosling, who is as impetuous as Ruby is cautious.

No newsletter until next summer!

I don’t have any new books coming out until next summer, so there will not be a spring newsletter - unless I win the Noble Prize for Literature or have some other momentous news to share.  So in the meantime …

...have a very merry Christmas and happy new year!

Best wishes

Email me at listmembers@scribblestreet.co.uk