We Love Wychwood!

It's nearly Wychwood Festival time again!
We love this fantastic local family-friendly festival which takes place this year from Friday 31st May to Sunday 2nd June at Cheltenham Racecourse.
Waterstones Cheltenham have put together a super programme of children's book events, so we thought it was a good opportunity to find out more about the authors and illustrators appearing there!

                                  
  
The line-up includes Philip Ardagh, Ian Whybrow, Petr Horacek, Wendy Meddour, John Dougherty, Jenny Smith, Christopher Edge, Julie Fulton, Jo Empson, Karen Langtree, Giles Paley-Phillips, Lynne Armstrong Hobbs as well as lots of other fun including games with Rory's Storycubes, face-painting and jokes & drawing with Gemma Hastilow!

                                 
                              
             

On Saturday we welcome author Jenny Smith with her brand new series, 
The Abominators!
                                                     
Mucker, Boogster, Cheesy and Bob, also known as The Abominators, are the most mischievous characters you will ever have come across. Their interests include chaos, mayhem and filling the school toilets with strawberry jelly. Their interests definitely DO NOT include making friends with panty-wanty-woo-wearing new boy, Cecil Trumpington-Potts...

                                     
Jenny, how would you sum up Wychwood in three words? "Wacky, Wonderful and Worthy of Visiting. (Ok, that's five words, what did you expect...someone who can write AND count???)"
What are you looking forward to at Wychwood? "(I'm) most looking forward to a tent of 7-10 year olds (especially boys) having fun with The Abominators, pranks galore and strawberry jelly! Oh yes, and maybe having one of those falafel wrap things..."
We'll leave the last word with some of the young readers who have been adoring this new series. 
The Abominators is...
'...one of the funniest books I have ever read' - Mollie
'... a must read...This is a fabulous read for both boys and girls and (I) would give it 10/10!' Mary
'...absolutely hilarious...I would definitely recommend it to my friends' Alex
        

Tony de Saulles joins us again at Wychwood, after a cracking appearance last year where he got EVERYONE drawing and doodling!

                                                 
The illustrator of the award winning Horrible Science books will be running a Horribly Creative Horrible Science Cartoon Drawing Workshop - not to be missed!

"I really enjoyed my visit to Wychwood last year. I loved the music, beer and friendly atmosphere but I'd have to say, of course, that my Horrible Science drawing workshop was my own personal highlight. With the backdrop of music from the bands playing all around, the book tent was really buzzing - it created a totally different atmosphere from my usual drawing sessions in schools and libraries. I hope even more families drop in this year to enjoy the relaxed, slightly chaotic but fun drawing workshop I'll be holding on the Wychwood Sunday."


Author, poet and musician John Dougherty is looking forward to returning to Wychwood.
                                             
 He's the author of many books, including the popular Jack Slater Monster Investigator and Zeus on the Loose series. His books are full of fun and adventure - perfect for encouraging young readers to pick up a book and really enjoy getting stuck into reading!

                                               

We asked John for his favourite Wychwood moment:
"It's difficult to pick out a favourite Wychwood moment. In my head, they've all merged together into one long lazy weekend lying in the sun and soaking up the sounds.

That's not a strictly accurate memory, of course. I know there's been rain. Actually, now I think about it, last year we put our tent up in a howling gale, and I was rather worried there'd be a gust at the wrong moment and my wife and children, still clinging on to the billowing canvas, would be carried high into the air and off over the hills. But mostly, for me, Wychwood means warmth and music.

"I suppose if I had to pick out a favourite memory, it would be of Wychwood 2006. I wasn't performing that year; my wife was away for a rare weekend break with her best friend, and I came to the festival with my children, then aged 5 and 3. It was their very first festival, and very first camping experience, and they loved it. We all did. We hung out together in the sunshine, watching my choice of acts until the kids got restless and we drifted on to another stage, and it all felt beautifully relaxed. And in the evening, when they were ready for bed, we wandered back across the site, hand in hand, snuggled down together in our little tent, and fell asleep, the sounds of mainstage our distant lullaby."


Sounds like fun, doesn't it?!

We hope you've enjoyed hearing from some of the authors appearing at this year's festival. Why not come along and meet them in person! Tickets are now on sale from the Wychwood website.  
Just click on Rabbityness below to visit the Wychwood website.

                                  

Waterstones Cirencester Book of the Month

What is the question we are most frequently asked at the moment?

When is Bring Up The Bodies 

coming out in paperback?

The answer?

Tuesday 7th May and it will be our new Waterstones Cirencester Book of the Month!

Form an orderly queue please :)

 

They've Been Released! Meet Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam & Their Illustrator Steven Lenton!

Today sees the arrival of one of the most eagerly 

anticipated picturebooks of this year. One of our favourite authors, Tracey Corderoy, has joined talents with fantastic illustrator Steven Lenton and here's the result!

We wanted to find out more about Shifty and Sam & their illustrator, so we were really happy when Steven agreed to sit in the Waterstones Cirencester hotseat and answer our questions! 

Steve, we're very excited about seeing your new book on our shelves. 
Tell us about Shifty and Sam!
Thank you!  I am thrilled that our little robber dogs are finally hitting the shelves. Shifty & Sam are two rather naughty dogs who have a bit of a dilemma in that all they can do is rob – and yet they are hopeless at it!  The story tells of how their final burglary goes very wrong and what they do to turn around their careers from crime to……..?

We know you love dogs, so we're curious to know how you developed the robber dogs' look. How did you decide which breeds Shifty and Sam would be. And how does Holly feel about the two new dogs in your life?! 
Yes I adore dogs – especially my own little rescue russell, Holly who is totally deaf and knows a bit of sign language – she is very clever!  She was a bit puzzled at first, but she has settled in with Shifty and Sam quite nicely now. 

As soon as I read Tracey's wonderful story, one of my favourite films sprang to mind 'Home Alone' which features two hopeless burglars and so I took the (dog) lead from their appearance initially.  For a good, easily recognisable silhouette I knew one had to be tall, the other short so I just started scribbling a few ideas.  They needed look slightly rough around the edges and aren't really a recognisable breed, as opposed to their neighbouring pugs, poodles and dalmatians! 

How did you start building a world of pictures around Tracey's words? 
I started with LOTS of doggy drawings, observing their anatomy and facial expressions and we decided it best if they stand on their hind legs to give them a more human feel.  I sketched the houses, trees and lamp posts alongside the cast of dogs and the world started to come together quite quickly.  There is a lot of humour in the text and so it was very important to make the most of that by designing lots of silly expressions, poses and compositions on each page.  Having a spider appear on the second spread gave me the idea to have him hidden throughout the book – can you spot him on each double spread..? 

We've heard there are various parts of London featured in the book - tell us about the favourite bits you've included. 
Yes I love to add some recognisable bits and pieces in my artwork.  The first thing that some London folk may spot is on the very first spread – the turquoise coloured, folly-shaped house (it's actually the clever sausage dogs home) with the telescope peeping out the top.  This is based on the Kings Cross folly in central London.  This is a monument that I have seen nearly every day for the last 12 years on my way in and out of London and it has always fascinated me. It is currently being renovated and I hope it looks as charming as ever once they have completed its makeover!  I'm hoping they aren't turning it into a KFC!

The main location that is really fun is *SPOILER* Shifty and Sam's café 'Goodydogs' which is based on my favourite café, The Haberdashery Crouch End, London (where I live). I thought that this beautiful little café was PERFECT for Goodydogs – with its mis-matched crockery, pretty décor and delicious cakes, it was a no-brainer!  The book launch is taking place at The Haberdashery so it will be lovely to be celebrating the books release inside the robber dogs actual café! 

We know you do all sorts of illustration and animation. What brought you to illustrating children's books? 
I was brought up on lavishly illustrated fairytales and classic children's stories – The Faraway Tree series and The Wizard of Oz were my favourites, thanks to my dad reading them to me from a very young age.  I think from then on I quietly knew that I wanted to draw and design characters.  After school, college and university I worked (and still work!) in the animation industry for ten years on lots of other people's ideas and programmes, I decided I would have a go at creating my own characters and stories. 

I decided to try entering the realm of picture books as I have always loved the classic physicality of a children's book – a solid tome containing a story right before your eyes, with each page turn a beautiful new image to help and encourage your imagination grow.

Fortunately I was snapped up by my wonderful agent and Nosy Crow who paired me up with Tracey, with Shifty and Sam being my picture book project, it really is a dream come true – I feel very lucky. 

Steve, you first came to our attention when you were a finalist in a Waterstones picturebook illustration competition. How has your life changed since then? 
I really enjoyed entering that competition – designing Beauty and the Beast was great fun and really important for my career, as it gave my work a lot of exposure to the industry.  Because of that competition I gathered more interest from publishers and met some fantastic and encouraging people.  This in turn has enabled me to keep working on further picture book projects which I didn't think would happen – I took a bit of a gamble concentrating on illustration, putting animation to one side, but fortunately it seems to be paying off at the moment which I'm over the moon about.  I love being part of the picture book world – there are a lot of amazingly talented and lovely artists, illustrators, editors and designers.

 

And finally... Can you give us any hints about forthcoming books? Will there be more adventures for Shifty and Sam? 
Well it's all very exciting!  I can tell you that I have now started designing my first author/illustrator title with Nosy Crow.  It is a really funny tale that features lots of knights doing silly things…and there might be some further adventures for Shifty and Sam – you'll have to ask Tracey…!

Thank you so much for answering our questions, Steve!
Do follow Steven on twitter @2dscrumptious.
You can also visit his blog  http://2dscrumptious.blogspot.co.uk/

Don't forget! You can meet Tracey Corderoy, the author of Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam here at Waterstones Cirencester on Saturday 25th May, from 11.00am-3.00pm!

Shifty and Sam now have their very own blog! http://therobberdogblog.blogspot.co.uk/
They also have their very own trailer! Click on this picture to watch it:

The Waterstones Cirencester Children's Book of the Month for May is....

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam 
by Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton!

We LOVE this book and we know you will too. 
Shifty and Sam are two naughty robber dogs, but they're not really very well suited to a life of crime. Join them and see where their new adventures take them!

We're excited to announce YOUR chance to meet the author of this fantastic new picturebook and get your very own signed and dedicated copy!

Tracey Corderoy joins us for lots of 
Shifty and Sam fun (and cake!) 
on Saturday 25th May from 11.00am - 3.00pm.

We also have a great Robber Dogs Competition for members of our picturebook club!
For more details on how to join, see our previous blog post by clicking on the picture of the book below.

Click on the Shifty and Sam book image at the top of the page for an extra treat!