Here is the finished cover (front and back) for Mr Scruff. I hope you like it. I am not sure when the book is being published, it is sometime next year. I will let you know nearer the time on this page.

A couple of the covers from The Boy From Mars I received in the post today. They are in Japanese and Danish. The book is also being published in the United States, China, Australia, South Korea -and hopefully more to come.

Mr Scruff is complete. Well, almost. I just have the cover to sort out. The cover above, is just a rough, I will be working on it for the next few weeks. I will post it here when it is finished. The book will be published in 2019.

Have you seen how dog owners can often look like their dogs? This is part of the theme for my latest book project, it’s called Mr Scruff. All the dogs in the book seem to be perfectly matched with the right-looking owner, but who will look after Mr Scruff, he is waiting at the local dog rescue centre for the right person…

The Boy From Mars is published in hardback in the UK in November 2018. This illustration depicts the moment when Will introduces the ‘martian’ to his dad. ‘You’re just in time for tea’ says Dad. You can click on to the Books Page for more information.

It’s been another busy year with many events around the country, particularly with the publication of a special edition of Dear Greenpeace, to celebrate it’s 25th year. There have been more new festivals to attend this year, starting with a new one for me, the Henley Book Festival last September, and then Birmingham, Totnes Children’s Book Festival, WOW at Worthing, Cardiff Book Festival and culminating in another event at the Hay on Wye Literary Festival in May. I am also looking forward to attending Cheltenham Literary Festival and the ‘Off the Shelf’ book festival in Sheffield later this autumn. It is always a great pleasure to get out of my studio and meet children and parents at these events.

As always , my school visits have kept me busy. I would like to post here a sincere thank you to all the teachers and children who have welcomed me in to their school halls. There are too many for me to list here, but a special mention to Widey Court, St Andrews, Plympton St Maurice, and St Mary’s in Plymouth, South Marsdon in Swindon, Denbury School, Prince’s Mead in Winchester, Callington and Burraton schools in Cornwall and Marlborough Primary School. Finally, thank you to the lively teenagers at Exe Academy in Exeter. These are just a few of the many wonderful schools I have enjoyed visiting this year. Thank you to all.

Simon’s latest book is out in January 2017.  Frog and Beaver is the story of how Beaver moves onto Frog’s river, builds a dam and changes everything!  The ducks have nowhere to swim, the water voles homes dry up and Frog can’t seem to make Beaver understand what he’s done.

Can Frog ever make friends with someone so difficult and so different from himself?

Simon has had a very busy year of school visits and festivals which has resulted in a longer than usual gap in publication between his books.  However, Frog and Beaver is worth the wait.  Beautifully illustrated riverside scenes in Simon’s lively, characterful line and watercolour have a distinct feel of the wide open landscapes and big country of North America.  As always Simon’s characters are wonderfully observed and highlight personalities we all recognise.  Perfect for sharing with children of all ages.

Thank you to all the schools, festivals, universities, art colleges and especially children I have visited this academic year. It has been a huge pleasure to see the enthusiastic response to my new book ‘REX’. As always, it’s been a busy year but I would particularly like to mention Broadfields Primary School in Edgware, London, for a terrific day, and also the Bournville Children’s Book Festival, I wish them further great success for next year.

I also had a wonderful time with all the staff and children at Topsham Primary School. I very much enjoyed meeting and talking to the inspiring PGSE trainee teachers at Plymouth University. My first trip to the Chipping Norton Book Festival was met with a warm welcome, I do hope to visit again. Visits to Oxford and Stratford book festivals were also delightful. My visit to Mount Tamar School, a specialist residential school, left me full of admiration, thank you to all the staff and children there too.

There are too many visits to list here, but perhaps I should mention Harrowbarrow, Copplestone, Victoria Road, Mary Dean schools and even more schools from Cornwall to Birmingham to Brighton, who have all made it a very rewarding year.

It’s always a pleasure (and relief) to leave the studio with a new book and get to see it work with children in schools. Thank you to each and everyone of you I have met on my travels. I hope you still enjoy your reading, writing and drawing.