Let's dive through a world full of mystery

and go visit the OCEANS and SEAS

on a SUBMARINE epic adventure

All aboard - take your seats if you please!

I am so excited to announce the upcoming publication of MEET THE OCEANS - my new book with Bethan Woollvin, and published by Bloomsbury next spring!

Crammed with Arctic animals and with stunning scenery, this adventure story is perfect for little ones. And there's an gentle environmental message in there too.

I love writing in rhyme and have lots of books that are written in verse. Young children love rhyming stories and find them easier to learn by heart.

In this post, I'm going to tell you about my version of Peter Pan, illustrated by Sarah Warburton and published by Nosy Crow.

Princess Eliza was brainy and bright

She kept herself busy from morning till night

With wood, lots of string and some pieces of wire

The princess could make anything you'd desire!

But can the Princess use her clever inventing skills to make some new friends? Definitely!

I've been working with Tameside Libraries for the past three years on a project called Storymakers, which aims to improve literacy in preschool children and help get them school-ready. The project has been hugely effective in attracting families into the library service and keeping them coming back week after week.

It's SPACE WEEK! And what better way to celebrate all things celestial than spending some time with the planets in our amazing solar system.

Meet the Planets is a super-fun and friendly way to get to know our Sun and the planets and moons in our night sky.

Join Jack in his quest to find the perfect lunch in the rollicking rhyme that takes us on a fantastic food adventure!

Jack says:

"I can't eat that soggy old chip!

I'd rather have lunch on a pirate ship!

I'll sail with the crew far out to sea,

They're bound to have lunch for a boy like me!"

"Brilliant, original, and a ton of fun. Just how a great monster-halloweeny-squish-fest of a book should be!" Read it Daddy

What's that hiding behind the door?

Its feet have squelched across the floor

Take care, don't look, it's vile and smelly...

...A monster eating raspberry jelly!

It's fun to find a T-Rex on the doorstep, but when all 54 of his friends arrive, it's time to panic! With awesome illustrations by the hugely talented Nick East, this playful dinosaur counting book is packed full of chaos and silliness!

Lily Rose May lives with her daddy in a beautiful wood. She is kind and polite and is usually good.. until one day her daddy tries feeding her peas.

Have you got little ones starting school? Or older ones going back after a looong break? It's a really tricky time at the moment, not just for children starting school, but for parents, carers and teachers too. School will not be quite the familiar place some children are used to. And for others, it'll be their first contact with large groups of other people for months.

I am incredibly lucky to have had FIVE picture books published so far this year. Six if you count another picture book that I wrote with families as part of the Storymakers community project.

And I've been madly promoting them on social media, organising blog tours and giveaways to help get these new titles in the public eye.

The Mini Monsters are four adorable characters who are learning valuable lessons about friendship and how to get along, in a pre-school setting.

This brand-new character led-series is perfect for LITTLE pre-schoolers learning to deal with BIG emotions.

Since the beginning of March, a week before lockdown, I've been working with Author Jonathan Emmett to create and run a project called Picture Book Author Events Online.

It's a one-stop-shop to bring together and showcase a huge range of free book resources, together with story time and draw-along videos from some of the best loved picture book creators.

Since the start of self-isolation and physical distancing, I've been inundated with requests from teachers, educators, librarians and parents all seeking permission to record themselves reading one of my stories to children who are isolated at home.

Authors and illustrators are responding in the best way possible to the Coronavirus outbreak.

We are working together to bring families a huge range of activities, videos and storytelling online to families and teachers get through these difficult times

I was recently asked by Passed Papers to write a blog about Girls Can do Anything and how it relates to careers for girls in Science Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). Here's what I wrote:

To celebrate the publication of Together We Can, I spoke to Sarah Farrell from The Reading Realm about why I wrote the book and what I hope it will achieve. Here's a copy of the interview:

Princess Jasmine is no ordinary princess. Oh no. She's hates long dresses and bows and definitely does NOT want to hang around waiting for a prince to marry her!

She would much rather be outdoors, running races with the wind in her hair. Unfortunately, her family have other ideas. They don't think running around and getting sweaty is very becoming and would rather Jasmine spent her time getting ready for her Big Birthday Ball.

I am thrilled to announce that Girls Can do Anything has been shortlisted for the Independent Bookshop Week Book Awards 2019!