Children’s Book Week and Beyond

Now that Children’s Book Week and the weeks surrounding it are over, it’s time for most children’s book authors and illustrators to return again to their desks and favourite places of creation, to create. It’s time to retreat, stay in our dressing gowns or old trackies (perhaps until lunch time) and escape into our words or illustrations and dream.

The prospect of this is both exciting and terrifying – I think because we are a little tired from the ‘performing’ and being on show, because most of us are really quite shy and retiring and the energy it expends to be ‘out there’ takes its toll. Personally, I have also taken stock of all the ‘normal life’ things that are so behind – the housework (yuck), the garden (a rambling trail of weeds), the tax (that’s really terrifying) and catching up with all those non-writer friends who I feel I desert especially at this time of year.

So, when most people and things are emerging from winter into the blossom and sunshine time of spring, at least this creator is going into hiding for a while (mostly). Below is a sprinkling of children, teachers and librarians I’ve met and things I’ve done over the last few months and I loved every moment, every meeting and the memories.