Today the CBNN Prize judges Lydia Monks, Dapo Adeola, Emma Layfield and Ness Wood gathered at Waterstones Manchester to select the shortlist! It was such a tough decision as so many great entries from unpublished picture book illustrators across the North. Shortlist to be announced early June! 🏆

🦹If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Who would be your sidekick? Tag a friend & assign them a name & superpower 🦸Happy #NationalSuperheroDay! I made this piece when the amazing Dapo Adeola was on Gab ‘n’ Doodle #kidlitart #superheroday #illustration @andreabrownlit.bsky.social #art

Sooooooooooooooo many!!! John Vernon Lord Giant jam Sandwich @stevenlenton.bsky.social (the Dalmations!!!) @dc-litchfield.bsky.social Bear & Piano @fionawoodcock.bsky.social Silver Linings @dapsdraws.bsky.social Look Up! @mrsteveantony.bsky.social Rainbowsaurus …the list is endless! 😍

Creativity is not a talent. It's a process and a practice available to everyone.

Remember how we mentioned @dapsdraws.bsky.social ‘s Hey You! recently? Dr. @darrenchetty.bsky.social is taking it and Elgan Rhys’ The Five to his @ioe.bsky.social Book Group TONIGHT! (Darren chairs the panel of #LittleRebelsAward shortlistees at our annual award ceremony)

In 2022 our #LittleRebelsAward Judge @jakehope.bsky.social described the book as: "This is a letter for the future, for a group who've been told 'No' systemically." #KidLitUK #RadicalBooks #PoliticalBooks

Always wonderful to see accounts sharing the joy of #LittleRebelsAward shortlistee. Hey You! was shortlisted in 2022. An insightful & glorious picture book anthology- 18 Black artists brought together by @dapsdraws.bsky.social @puffinbooksuk.bsky.social #KidLitUK

WORLDWIDE: Hey You!  By Dapo Adeola & many illustrators. This moving picture book honestly addresses the experiences Black children face growing up with systemic racism, as well as providing hope for the future. #WorldKidLitMonth

I won’t be arguing with dickheads on the internet. Especially over racism, and especially when they hide their faces. You can fuck off and this block.

And the BAFTA goes to... huge congratulations to Dean Atta and the team behind Two Black Boys In Paradise, WINNER of the Best British Short Animation. A joy to see Dean's poem from 'There is (still) love here' brought to life like this. ninearchespress.com/publications...

The only thing I’m gonna say about that BAFTAs incident is that precautions could have been taken to avoid it. Better choice of editing from BAFTA at worst, better awareness of his tics from the fella at best.

hard to think of a better example of "you may not believe in class war, but billionaires know they're in one" than this

Friends from Minneapolis reporting to me that things are at the point where folks are being hidden in other people's houses and we are in the "again" part of "never again" which the "never" was supposed to preclude

Why aren’t children reading for pleasure and what can we do about it? We look at the data, explore key barriers, and hear from authors, teachers & literacy experts working to change the story. 🎧 Listen now: https://loom.ly/7Zut6PU #ReadingCrisis #ReadingForPleasure #teachers

Catching up with the @mostlybooktalk.bsky.social latest series The Reading Crisis. Loving the cross-profession input. Episode 1 includes @charliehacking.bsky.social contextualising phonics and thoughts from authors @dapsdraws.bsky.social & Tim Palmer. #KidLitUK

The Crown: A Tale Of Hell is out next month! Comps arrived just now. Seriously daunting stuff being in the Hellboy Universe. Thanks to Todd Mignola and Mike Mignola and Dark Horse Comics!

"The UK creative industries — which contributed £125 billion to the economy in 2024 and supported 2.4 million jobs — are being destroyed by an AI sector that, whatever its long-term potential, contributed just £11 billion in the same year and supported only 85,000 jobs." archive.is/hvRv2

The world is healing.

✨ LIKKLE LIT SPOTLIGHT: DAPO ADEOLA ✨ We’re proud to shine a spotlight on the brilliant @dapsdraws.bsky.social draws — an award‑winning illustrator, author and character designer whose work continues to shape how children see themselves on the page. For more: outofmanypeople.org.uk/news-events/

"Noiseman" is back for free on Youtube (for a limited time). Koji Morimoto x Masaaki Yuasa x Yoko Kanno (Studio 4°C, 1997). >> www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOhd...

I've watched thousands of videos from the Jan. 6 riot as part of NPR's reporting and archive project on that day. Here are some of the lesser known videos that have really stuck with me. 🧵

📣 Competition alert! Our brilliant #WriterInResidence Matt Goodfellow has launched his poetry competition for children - and his favourite entries will win a signed bundle of his books! Enter by Friday 30 January - more details here👇 https://bit.ly/3Khwki9

It only took them the best part of a decade. 🥲 Hope all the victims get justice and the people at the publisher who paid off the victims and covered his back are also held accountable.

Currently reading this. I think everyone in the UK who has any involvement with comics - be that making them, publishing them, selling them, loaning them, using them in classrooms - should probably read it. Will post thoughts later.

Just a reminder to support small businesses this time of year!

✨️We’re thrilled to welcome multi-award-winning illustrator and author DAPO ADEOLA @dapsdraws.bsky.social to LIKKLE LIT FEST children’s festival of Black literature 🎟Ticket release: loading soon!👀 A #ROOTED event staged in partnership with @leedslibraries.bsky.social #ACEsupported #LikkleLitFest

Aaay, didn’t even know this was out yet. 😊

#johnvernonlord @stevenlenton.bsky.social @dc-litchfield.bsky.social @robbiddulph.bsky.social #elliesnowdon @sophyhenn.bsky.social @mrsteveantony.bsky.social @dapsdraws.bsky.social

Lots of learning & fun today with #BookWeekScotland 📚. - Travelling Assembly presented by P7’s ✅ - Book quiz ✅ - Live Lesson with @dapsdraws.bsky.social ✅ - Sketching a book character ✅ Well done P3 & thank you P7s! #antoliteracy @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social @mrstoddp7.bsky.social 👫🙌👫

Thought Bubble Festival starts today! A week-long celebration of comics held across Yorkshire! With social events, workshops, talks, and loads of comic goodness for you to enjoy. See the full programme of events here: www.thoughtbubblefestival.com/festivalprog...

The issue is that we've normalized greed and marginalized caring for others. That's it.

some Terror of Mechagodzilla for Goji day

Every time she comes up, I remind you all that Pamela Paul killed a pro trans paragraph in a review I wrote for the New York Times, lied about it in the press, then when I confronted her with receipts, said “Let’s keep this to ourselves.”

Had a little time zone mix up so we’ve moved this to 7:30 pm. Soz for any inconvenience. 😮‍💨

This was proper spiritual. 😮‍💨🥹😭

This Black History Month, we’re celebrating books by Black British authors, favourites in our reading projects. These books reach: ✨ Prison reading groups ✨ Books in the Nick & Books for First Nighters ✨ Family Days ✨ Raising Readers @kitdewaal.com @malorieblackman.bsky.social @dapsdraws.bsky.social

Gonna repost this every time I come across it on socials. 💚

Twice in one day I've seen authors promote their books (on TV and Socials) and not mention the Illustrator. We're all magicians trying to create magic. #PleaseRememberYourIllustrator

Join myself and the insanely talented Matthew Forsythe in convo this October 28th at 7pm (gmt). 🤩 We’ll be talking about his journey from comics to animation to absolutely epic children’s books. It’s gonna be a vibe, be sure to get your drinks and snacks ready and put the date in your diary. ☺️

I’m super excited to be on @streakofpith.bsky.social’s panel giving an early preview of the findings from the 2025 UK Comic Creator’s Survey, alongside the amazing @pondi.bsky.social & @dapsdraws.bsky.social, on Sunday at 13:30! I can’t wait to discuss this!

So excited to join @streakofpith.bsky.social @markbradley.bsky.social and @dapsdraws.bsky.social to talk about the current industry landscape! Can’t promise I won’t go on a rant either 😘

This is music to my ears, and it’s gonna be a feast for my eyeballs too. 🥹

Why? Because your readers do. The literary world is full of people wanting to write children’s books, who haven’t looked at a children’s book since the 60s. Or people who want the sales associated with romantasy (or cosy crime, or sci-fi), but don’t actually know the genre, or want to read any.

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 1579: If you’re going to write in any genre (children’s fiction, SFF, romance, etc), you need to read EXTENSIVELY in that genre. You need to read current authors in the genre. You need to know what’s been done; what tropes exist; how the genre has changed.

I need more artists and creatives to clock this for what it is and stop self identifying with this DEAD trope. It’s bad enough the rest of the world upholds this narrative, you don’t have to willingly do it to yourself.

This is the reason why you won’t be able to reach me today! 😮‍💨

testing

I laughed a bit too hard at this 😅😭

Coming soon!