Caryl Hart's Blog, page 2

How Kind! A Picture Book Created with Families in Tameside

For the past four years, I've been creating picture books with families in Tameside as part of the Storymakers project. 

Working with illustrator Andy Rowland, we've created some great books that promote community cohesion, empathy and understanding.


Aimed at families with preschool children, the Storymakers project has been a huge success, engaging over 500 families each year with books and reading. The project is helping families discover how to get the most from sharing books with their children and has brought hundreds of new families into the fantastic support system that Tameside Libraries have to offer.
This year, our theme is Be Kind and we've come up with a fabulous story about an elephant called Elvis who sets out to rescue a crocodile in distress!


Picture books are usually created by a team that includes author, illustrator, designer, editor and sales & marketing people. Editors are there to help ensure the text is tip-top and a designer will decide what the overall look of the book should be including fonts, text placement and size, and what the images should include.
But for the Storymakers project, Andy and I do all this ourselves!
This year we've worked with families learning at home, and with groups of children attending nursery, all of whom have given us loads of great ideas and suggestions to make this story sing. I am super proud of everyone who's got involved!



Everyone involved in the project will get a free copy of the book, which will also be available to borrow from all libraries in Tameside.
Storymakers is generously funded by Community Safety, Tameside.

Meet the Mini Monsters - Picture Books about Friendship for Preschool Children

We are the Mini Monsters
We love to laugh and play
So join in our adventures
And have some fun. Hooray!

Pre-School Emotions
Meet the Mini Monsters - four adorable characters who are learning valuable lessons about friendship and how to get along, in a pre-school setting. This new, character led-series is perfect for LITTLE pre-schoolers learning to deal with BIG emotions.
Mini Monsters - Can I be the Best? 
Published on 21 January, Can I be the Best? is the second book in this colourful new series. 
The Mini Monsters LOVE playing games together but as Arthur finds out, sometimes it's very hard to come last. He loses at snakes and ladders, his sandcastle won't stick together, and he comes last in the running race. Even so, he is quick to congratulate his friends on how good they are.
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Still, Arthur can't help feeling a little bit sad that he never wins anything. Luckily his friends have noticed something that Arthur is REALLY good at! They all work together on a special surprise that will help Arthur feel great about himself again.

After all, EVERYONE is best at SOMETHING - and that being BEST FRIENDS is the most important thing of all.

At a time when children's - and families' - mental health is being challenged, this series is great for helping little ones identify and process their emotions and learn to recognise how their actions affect others around them.

ReviewsWe sent out copies to some popular reviewers to see what they thought. Here's what they had to say:

Ivy's Library - Immersive with a Strong MessageThis is one of my favourite kinds of books - a fun, immersive story with a strong message buried inside.The characters are wonderfully warm and engaging - and we love trying to spot the slightly elusive Tiny!
It's great for opening up conversations about your child's own talents and discussing the importance of kindness and compassion.Read the full review here

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Little Library Owl - Fun and UpliftingThe illustrations are brimming with bright and cheerful colours an the monsters are depicted in such a sweet and relatable way.
We love the physical design of the book as well, with rounded corners, textured title and shiny cover, perfect for younger little readers.
A fun and uplifting tale that makes a perfect read-aloud for preschoolers. The series provides a wonderful way to teach children some valuable lessons about friendship and how to get along with others.Read the full review

Picture Book Snob - Absolutely AdorablePreschool protocol and etiquette can be confusing, especially as we are spending more time than usual at home at the moment. These books are ideal for teaching children how to interact harmoniously at a time when there is a lack of opportunities to learn this in person.Read the full review and author interview

Books B4 Bedtime - Bright and BrilliantLike the first book, this is brilliant at observing the behaviour of little people. Each one of these four Mini Monsters have their own personalities and it's really good to see each one represented in a positive light and all of them are loveable in their own way.
Follow @booksb4bedtime on instagram to read the full review and exclusive interview with questions from five year old Finn.


Next week we will be launching a fabulous Book Play Photo Competition on Instagram. Do head over and follow me @carylhart for more information and the chance to win a fabulous prize.

Mini Monsters, Can I be the Best? is published by Simon and Schuster, 2021
Illustrated by Tony Neal.

Meet the Oceans by Caryl Hart and Bethan Woollvin - Publishing March 2021

Let's dive through a world full of mystery
and go visit the OCEANS and SEAS    
on a SUBMARINE epic adventure
All aboard - take your seats if you please!
I am so excited to announce the upcoming publication of MEET THE OCEANS - my new book with Bethan Woollvin, and published by Bloomsbury next spring!
Meet the Oceans is a wonderful underwater journey through some of the world's best known oceans and seas. Told in rhyming verse, the book brings each ocean to life in a friendly, approachable manner that is perfect for pre-schoolers.  

Each spread is packed with undersea wildlife and seashore landscapes highlighted in zingy neon colours.
Bethan's illustrations are incredible and I feel so fortunate to be working with her on this series!
Meet the Planets has proved a massive hit with young children and schools, so we hope that Meet the Oceans will follow suit!
If you are a book shop or blogger, you can request a downloadable copy on NetGalley
Meet the Oceans is published by Bloomsbury and will hit the shelves in March 2021
SPLOOOSH!!

How to Ride a Polar Bear by Caryl Hart and Ed Eaves

Albie is off to the museum and he is not happy! He thinks all he'll see are fusty, dusty, smelly old things!

But when he and mum arrive, Albie is very happy to discover the museum is running an Arctic Exhibition! Cool!

As he's having fun building an igloo, a snowdrop lands on his nose! Then...

GRRRRRR!! A polar bear appears out of nowhere!

Before he knows it, Albie is whisked off into an exciting Arctic adventure with new friends Yura and Tuka the bear. 

Can they get Yura home before the frozen sea ice melts? Albie, Yura and Tuka dodge a blizzard, wolves and an avalanche of giant snowballs. They build a real igloo to sleep in an cook stew over a camp fire.

They even meet a special friend....

Crammed with Arctic animals and with stunning scenery, this adventure story is perfect for little ones. And there's an gentle environmental message in there too. 

"My little boy is a huge fan of these books, he's been looking forward to this new adventure. Again, he loved it." Luke from Sudbury via Toppsta

How to Ride a Polar Bear is published by Simon and Schuster, 2018 and is part of the Albie series which is TEN this year! Find out more

Click here to buy a SIGNED copy direct from me.

 

Peter Pan for World Nursery Rhyme Week

This week is #WorldNurseryRhymeWeek - otherwise known as #rhymeweek Hooray!

BUY a Signed Copy Here

I love writing in rhyme and have lots of books that are written in verse. Young children love rhyming stories and find them easier to learn by heart.

In this post, I'm going to tell you about my version of Peter Pan, illustrated by Sarah Warburton and published by Nosy Crow.

Back in 2015, Nosy Crow asked me if I would be up for the challenge of retelling this timeless classic in rhyme. Of course I said, "YES!" even though I had no idea how I would go about such a thing!

I don't know if you've ever read JM Barrie's original story - most of us probably know this tale from the film adaptations rather than from having read the original book. I had never read it, so the first thing I did was to find a copy and dive in. Immediately it was obvious that the book was very much "of its time," and is a very different read to the book we wanted to create.

My editor courageously offered to create a plan, highlighting which bits of the novel to include and what to leave out. 

For the next two months I was pretty much chained to my desk, writing and rewriting verses and trying to communicate this magical story in a way that was more in line with modern values without losing the essence of the original.  

I can't tell you how many revisions there were during editing but it was a LOT! And once Sarah Warburton started creating artwork, there were MORE edits. In fact, this book went through more iterations - both of the text and the artwork, than any other project I've worked on. 

In all, editing continued for over three years, which is a crazy long time for a picture book. We had many, many conversations on diversity, gender, politics, historical context and cultural representation. Writing can become a very political activity and this book was even affected by the Trump administration and talk of the Mexican border wall. You'd be amazed how politics can influence the creation of children's literature.

It was the biggest challenge of my writing career and hey, was it worth it! I'm hugely proud of this book, which is twice as long as a normal picture book and printed as a gorgeous hardback with embossed detail and dust cover.

Sarah's illustrations are incredible and I feel so fortunate to have been able to work with her and the whole Nosy Crow team on this book.

You can buy a personally signed copy direct from me, direct from Nosy Crow or from your favourite independent.

Peter Pan by JM Barrie, retold in rhyme by me, Caryl Hart, is published by Nosy Crow 2019.

BUY this book

An Engineering Princess - A new STEM take on Christmas

Princess Eliza was brainy and brightShe kept herself busy from morning till nightWith wood, lots of string and some pieces of wireThe princess could make anything you'd desire!

Princess Eliza lives on top of the world where the icy winds blow, in a beautiful palace carved out of the snow. But the woods are dangerous and wild, full of tigers and bears that might eat a small child.

Instead this feisty princess fills her days, and the palace, with fabulous inventions of her own making.
But she's lonely so, encouraged by her parents, Eliza sets out to make a new friend. But how?
 

She tries baking one from gingerbread, but he just jumps off the try and skedaddles away. Kissing a frog doesn't work either and when she tries dangling her long hair from her window, she waits for hours, but nobody comes. So much for the old fairy tale tricks! Eliza needs something much more inventive to get what she needs.


Spotting some smoke curling up through the trees, the princess decides to set off to find a friend in the woods. (leaving a note for her mum and dad of course). And she soon happens upon a little house full of elves who are in a terrible tizzy because they have too much work to do and not enough time.


Luckily Eliza has a few time-saving inventions up her sleeve and secretly helps the elves to get everything ready for the big day.  And as Santa arrives, recovered from a bout of the flu, Eliza is on hand to help deliver the presents in a souped-up snow-powered sleigh.
And does she make friends? You BET!

The Princess and the Christmas Rescue is lavishly illustrated by Sarah Warburton and published by Nosy Crow. 
It's the perfect book to read with your children on the run up to Christmas! And the great news is, you can buy personally signed copies direct from me. Why not add one to your Christmas Advent this year?
I'll include postcards, stickers and a personal message too.

"One of our favourite picture books this Christmas" Waterstones Piccadilly

"A joyful story with plenty of sly allusions to other fairy tales, and the illustrations bring a Nordic winter to life brilliantly." The Scotsman - Best Children's Books for Christmas 2017

"This is just perfect with a touch of ‘female engineering’ too! Loved it!" Independent Book Reviews

If you would like a copy, send me a direct message or order from my website here: 
Happy Holidays!

Storymakers 2020 Has Begun!

I've been working with Tameside Libraries for the past three years on a project called Storymakers, which aims to improve literacy in preschool children and help get them school-ready. The project has been hugely effective in attracting families into the library service and keeping them coming back week after week.

As part of the project, myself and an illustrator work with families to create a picture book on that year's theme. To date we've created SIX books and worked with over 500 families!  

This year, we can't run sessions in libraries, so we've gone virtual and have now run our first set of workshops using Zoom. It's been a very different experience and we've so far had far fewer families joining in, but we're hopeful that word will spread and the numbers will grow week on week.

Our theme this year is BE KIND and we are focussing on all the lovely things that have been going on in communities to support those who are socially isolating, social distancing or shielding. We're going to build on first hand experiences and use those ideas to create a story!

You can find out more about the project and watch a video here!

SPACE WEEK - Meet the Planets

It's SPACE WEEK! And what better way to celebrate all things celestial than spending some time with the planets in our amazing solar system.

Meet the Planets is a super-fun and friendly way to get to know our Sun and the planets and moons in our night sky.

Hello I'm the SUN - nice to meet you!
I'm the biggest thing up in the sky
I'm friendly but don't get too close now
Or I'll frizzle you up to a fry!



Each planet has its own personality and friendly smiling face and I'm told by fans that young children love learning the rhymes and little facts we've included.
Bethan Woollvin's distinctive illustrations sing from the page, with zingy dayglow orange to balance the black pages and white text.



You can watch me read the story here and demonstrate the relative sizes of the planets using fruit!
There are also loads of free facts and activities for you here.
Meet the Planets is published by Bloomsbury, 2019. Watch out for BOOK TWO coming soon!

Lunch on a Pirate Ship - A Rollicking Rhyming Adventure

Join Jack in his quest to find the perfect lunch in the rollicking rhyme that takes us on a fantastic food adventure!

Jack says:
"I can't eat that soggy old chip!
I'd rather have lunch on a pirate ship!
I'll sail with the crew far out to sea,
They're bound to have lunch for a boy like me!"

So he tripped and he skipped to the bustling docks
And there was a pirate ship, tied to the rocks
"Ahoy there lad!" the pirates cried. 
"Climb on board if you'd like a ride!"

But Jack quickly discovers that a pirate's lunch is not quite what he was expecting! 

So they SPLASHED and DASHED through a thousand waves
To a place were giants live in deep dark caves.

But the giant's lunch is even worse!

Finally the boy and the giant and the pirate crew find something that looks much more appetising, and in true Billy Goats Gruff style they TRIP and TRAP across the bridge... but someone is lurking and ready to pounce!

Uh OH!

With fantastical illustrations by the amazing Kristina Stephenson, Lunch on a Pirate Ship is published by Simon and Schuster.

Watch me reading the story, then order your personally signed copy now.

There's a Monster in my Fridge! Perfect for Hallowe'en!

"Brilliant, original, and a ton of fun. Just how a great monster-halloweeny-squish-fest of a book should be!" Read it Daddy

What's that hiding behind the door?

Its feet have squelched across the floor

Take care, don't look, it's vile and smelly...

...A monster eating raspberry jelly!

Stuffed full of friendly monstery illustrations from the fabulous Deborah Allwright, There's a Monster in my Fridge is a fun packed rhyming story for little ones that's perfect for Hallowe'en.

Each scene includes a half-page sized flap that can be opened and closed to reveal all the silly monsters and spooks that are hiding around a haunted house. 

Shoes are a-dancing, the witch is getting dressed-up and the vampire is getting ready.. but what are they all preparing for?  

 

Open the final page and you'll find out! 

With a brilliant gatefold at the back and surprise on the last page, this book is sure to delight your youngest spook enthusiasts.  

There are no scares here, just laughs a-plenty!

There's a Monster in my Fridge is published by Simon and Schuster and brilliantly illustrated by Deborah Allwright.

Buy your signed copy here