Yesterday took in a swim in the sea at Pett Level, a scone in Hastings, fish and chips looking out to France, pirates en fete and aboard floats, a dip towards St Leonards and quite a lot of up and down and along the coast path from Winchelsea to Hastings. Perfection. #coastpath

On the way of town for #KingstonRegatta. Very hot already but hey I have my book (from indie Book Nook in Ware), sunscreen, sarnie, binoculars & water. Ready to shout for nephew 1 racing for #Vesta and nephew 3 racing for #TidewayScullers. I think I’d like another go #rowing #balance

Dudley’s finest Sir @lennyhenryofficial.bsky.social is on BBC Saturday Live today - chatting about the Polka Theatre’s production of his middle grade adventure The Boy With Wings - can’t wait to see the play, had a lot of fun doing events with his books

It’s tonight, and the shop has air con! Come and meet #InvestiGators creator @johngreenart.bsky.social at Waterstones in Cambridge - he’s signing from 5-6.30pm

So very many congratulations to the winning - and shortlisted - authors and illustrators. Honoured that the young readers themselves chose to award beautiful and moving graphic novel Homebody by Theo Parish the Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Illustration

It’s Monday! The sun is shining and it’s time for @johngreenart.bsky.social to talk Mango, Brash and all things InvestiGators in Sheffield! @panmacmillan.bsky.social

Hurray! Author and comic book creator @johngreenart.bsky.social has landed so the UK InvestiGators tour can begin! First up a signing at @goshcomics.bsky.social in London at 1pm today!

We are so excited to be welcoming the brilliant John Patrick Green, creator of the hit graphic novel series InvestiGators to the UK & Ireland in June! #TeamInvestiGators #MacmillanChildrensBooks

Fabulous questions @hayfestival for Hamza Yassin from his sell-out crowd! Did you get to see any animals on Strictly? (No, except for time out at WWT Barnes) #hamzaswildworld What’s the scariest animal you’ve ever filmed? Polar bears!

Super busy weekend underway with the brilliant Hamza Yassin. First up - signing at Lowdham Village Hall, Notts, with the ace team at indie bookshop The Bookcase. A few tix available on the door. First signing when I’ve been offered a tab at the cafe in the hall and plants for sale! #Hamzaswildworld

@marlboroughprods.bsky.social hi I’d love to be in touch about pitching authors for The Coast is Queer. What’s the best way to do this please. Loved The Bookseller cover!

A week in Sweden - cardamom buns, blue skies, borders bursting with tulips - and @ellemcnicoll.bsky.social brilliant new YA to rush through, pause and reread. The most generous of writers, and a sparkling summertime read with a sprinkling of insider info. Loved it!

Beyond this lies the sea - and to the left The Bridge - so we went for the water, wooden changing cubicles, hot saunas, silent saunas and chatty saunas. Sunday morning #malmo

#CapitalRing adventure continues with ducklings, deer, views of Richmond Park, speedy cyclists, smells and sounds of the Thames - and a distinct lack of people if you forget the Richmond bit. Wimbledon Park > Boston Manor #winningonthebankholiday #sorefeet

This is so exciting to see - congratulations to the UK nominees Emily Gravett & Michael Rosen!

#CapitalRing day tripping under blue skies took us from Crystal Palace to Wimbledon Park Loved Streatham with woods, common, Rookery and Carvalho’s cafe - well over half way round now

Today’s stretches of the #CapitalRing took us from Falconwood to Beckenham to Crystal Palace spotting an egret, a lot of horses, an inquisitive donkey and the wet woodland ready to be reclaimed in Beckenham Park #tiredlegs #happyhead

Super delighted for Kate Rolfe author illustrator of Wolf and Bear and Theo Parish creator of graphic novel Homebody as both books are on the Carnegie Medal for Illustration shortlist! Formerly known as the Kate Greenaway Medal this is a super prestigious prize judge by professional librarians

Happy #WorkdBookDay on the train to the Black British Book Festival’s Reading for Smiles in Birmingham - starring @lennyhenryofficial.bsky.social and then @salomeydraws.bsky.social

Very excited that we have two titles on this year’s prestigious Carnegie Medal for illustration longlist - Kate Rolfe’s Wolf and Bear and Theo Parish’s Homebody. Here’s the full list: carnegies.co.uk/2025-longlists-announced

Hello UK based teachers and librarians. As we countdown to the end of term I have a giveaway of a trio of advances of @johngreenart.bsky.social brilliant InvestiGators: Class Action. Out in paperback 30/1/25. Please follow & RT to be in with a chance. Ends 9am Saturday.

Spot of bother landing at #Gatwick so the plane we’re on headed back east to safety. Landed in Koln and now wait to get off plane and fly back to Tallinn. Hey ho. #AirBaltic #thankyoucrew

More lines, angles and snow in Tallinn and this perky little red squirrel! #Outdoors #Estonia #LovedIt

Tallinn in 4 more - what a welcome when we discovered the Estonian National Children’s Literature Centre. Wow! A fairytale attic, library & exhibitions. Look at this ogre’s bookish pockets. #Estonia

Tallinn in 4 - double gloves but not cold. So many echoes of different pasts. Seaplane Harbour Museum, Russian Orthodox service and a dusting of snow. #Estonia

It seemed a good idea to set off for the ferry port, sporting rucksack, just as the snow started scurrying around. Now with Rose Tremain & a banging 80s soundtrack as my companions it’s dark outside and the horizon has disappeared. Helsinki > Tallinn #snowonthesundeck

Day 2 #Helsinki where I have already taken on the -7° with windchill and my trail shoes. Running before and as sun rises is one way to tackle the dark and sightsee #winning

This week I’m off to Helsinki and Tallinn to take in libraries, bookshops, architecture and eat marzipan. Maybe an icy dip & sauna too. Would love all your tips please!

Very excited to hear that our Children’s Laureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social and childhood hero Baroness @floellabenjamin.bsky.social announced as @bbcradio4.bsky.social Today programme guest editors

Five star day trip to Brighton starring whizz round Waterstones, best ever hair cut at Lush HairLab with heated blanket, scalp massage & general loveliness, a general wander around, and taking in the waves. Here’s hoping #StormBert now waves the train home through…

I’m doing a free event at Hillsborough Library for #NationalTreeWeek for The organisations, Kids Plant Trees and the Urban Tree Festival. It’s free but you need to book here www.tickettailor.com/events/kidsp...

#owlrecommends #owlbooksoftheyear2024 🦉📚🎁🧑‍🎄🎄 ‘The best novel that’s been written about contemporary Britain in the past ten years. It’s funny but desperately moving too’ – The Sunday Times

Spotted this map at Bateman’s House in East Sussex - fascinating. It’s embroidered with such tiny, fine stitchery. German Ocean became the North Sea post WW1. Look at the prominence beautiful Flamborough Head is given. Next time I’ll take a better photo of the entire map.

Went to Bateman’s House yesterday to talk children’s books and more with the team. What a treat of an afternoon. Loved the dark oak, the collections of books and atlases and the clever decorations. Such beautiful grounds, rich colours in late autumn light, but I fear today v different scene.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... Such a great episode of The Food Programme about edible delights in children’s books starring Michael Rosen & his Chocolate Cake, the brilliant Sanchita from The Children’s Bookshop & lots more food and authors. Highly rec.

I chanced across ChocoLit Bookshop in Clapham on a bit of a dark afternoon this week and it looked so enticing - also spotted @ellemcnicoll.bsky.social Some Like It Cold in the window

@johnfreeman.bsky.social Hi John I work for Macmillan Children’s Books and wondered if you’re the right person for me to speak to about the UK Comics Laureate pse. We’re proud to publish InvestiGators & Theo Parish’s Homebody.

What are you reading? I’m now rationing the last 100 pages of Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes. Rob Wilkins has done Terry proud. Oh so poignant. It is proving a very good companion in the depths of some dark nights. Check out the endpapers. Borrowed from Wantage Library. #uklit

Introduce yourself with some jobs you have done apart from what you do now: 1. Prep school junior matron 2. Cook 3. Mother’s help 4. Swimming gala official (voluntary)

Last night me and mum had fun ordering up #Christmascheese from The Courtyard Dairy, a cheese emporium in Lancashire. The shop is full, full, full of wheels, rounds and chunks of cheese & more, with white coated staff ready to shave & slice samples #cheese www.thecourtyarddairy.co.uk?srsltid=AfmB...

Home early today shattered thinking about kindness & more. Brilliant, exhausting Pan Mac Pride event for #TransAwarenessWeek - words of Ellen Jones (Outrage out in Jan), Harry Taylor, Harry Woodgate and ace chair Becky filling my brain. Just #BeKind

Today is #KindnessDay and completely unbidden a colleague went and bought me a hot chocolate and a mince pie and left them on my desk. In time I will pay it forward but for today I was very grateful.

Right now I’m reading those two hardbacks from Islington Library & Wantage Library (mum’s card). Both absorbing, both arresting, both helping in their different ways. Lucky me to have access to two libraries all for free!