Owl Babies

I had some company in my cosy attic bedroom at Kate's place in Normandy during our week of painting.Four owl babies were nestling in an ingenious space in the wall just behind one of the pictures.     
No kidding!

Sometimes I could just hear them being fed by their parents during the night, but I was usually too zonked out after a hard day's painting.
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Patrick Benson, was one of our favourite bedtime books when my kids were very small. 
I loved so many things about that book. Martin's text is masterful, but I also love the way Patrick has so accurately depicted the owl babies as being ugly and cute at the same time.

iBbY Ireland announces their nominees for iBbY’s Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2010

Thanks to everyone who congratulated me for getting on to the Bisto shortlist.
I can also announce that iBbY Ireland have once again honoured me with their nomination for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards. I am nominated for the Illustration award, and Eoin Colfer is nominated for the Authors' prize.
I am very chuffed to be put forward for this prize by iBbY Ireland as it really is the most prestigious award in the world of children's books, and just to be nominated is a very big deal indeed for me.
My old pal Anthony Browne won it recently for the UK, and of course we are hoping that Eoin can follow in the footsteps of the great Martin Waddell, who won the writers' prize in 2004 representing Ireland.

Recent School Visits

This is me giving a presentation recently at Our Lady & St Patrick's College in Knock near Belfast.
I did another the same day at Belfast Girls' Model School.
It was a great pleasure to meet and talk to young people who were mostly very interested in art as a possible career.
Especially as they were from my own home town.
When I was at school there was only one other student doing art in sixth form, and I was the first from my school to go on to Art College for many years.
By contrast, there were dozens of youngsters from these two schools considering going to Art College.
I made a big point of showing books by Martin Waddell, Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram, Flora McDonnell and Oliver Jeffers, all of whom are from or live in Northern Ireland, just to show the success that local artists and writers have had in the world of children's books.
There's another name to add to the list.
Emily Donegan, in year 14 at Knock, has already illustrated children’s book, "Alfred and the Pirates".
She did it when she was just fifteen years old.