What is it about Mummies that makes them so lovable and so very special?

Could it be that they are good at wiping grubby noses and singing favourite songs or that they give expert cuddles?

Whatever the reasons, this cheery picture book explores the relationship between a mother and her toddler through a simple rhyming text about everyday experiences with which small children will be very familiar.

Bold, simple, large format illustrations add an extra dimension and are sure to appeal to the under fives.

Award-winning children's author Giles Andreae has enjoyed success both in the UK and abroad with his picture books, such as Giraffes Can't Dance and The Lion Who Wanted to Love, published by Orchard and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. He has also enjoyed huge success with his 'Purple Ronnie' character cards and merchandising.  He lives in London with his wife and young children.

Emma Dodd was brought up in Guildford, Surrey, in a family of artists. As a child she loved the work of Peter Firmin, John Burningham and Gerald Rose and from as far back as she can remember she wanted to be an illustrator.

Emma studied graphic design and Illustration at Central Saint Martin's School of Art and has worked in advertising, editorial and book illustration. She has illustrated bestselling Noisy Noisy series for Ladybird Books and, with author Giles Andreae, won a Booktrust Early Years Award in 2010 for I Love My Mummy.

This book, based on the story of legendary jazz musician Django Reinhardt, is illustrated in a detailed and painterly style, evoking the Romany gypsy traveller lifestyle that the young Django (Jean) lived as a child, with old fashioned caravans and scenes round the camp fire. 

The boy Jean is taken over by ‘the Django’, who has a life of his own, makes Jean play and then damage his father’s banjo and generally causes trouble.  But Jean’s father realising his son must have musical talents buys him his own banjo.

The Django eventually disappears to leave Jean to develop his musical talents on his own – but with a suggestion that he may be hiding somewhere in the background whenever music is being played, dancing and singing along with Jean. 
 
This insight into what makes a musical genius is a beautiful and fascinating read.

Levi Pinfold was born in the Forest of Dean. His love of stories, painting and the work of illustrators such as Maurice Sendak, Alan Lee and Dave McKean led him to study Illustration at the University College Falmouth, where he developed narrative illustrations in his own style; a stylised realism.

Alongside painting, Levi writes stories in his spare time. Since graduating from university in 2006, Levi has worked as a self employed illustrator. The Django (Templar Publishing) his debut picture book, is inspired by Levi's love of music. Levi lives and works in Cornwall, and plays banjo and guitar when no one else is looking. Levi won The Booktrust Early Years Award in the Best Emerging Illustrator Category for 2010.

Levi was chosen for a Booktrust Best New Illustrators Award in 2011.

Illustration Technique

Creating stories is an organic process for Levi. Sometimes he does a drawing and then the story might come afterwards which is common with people who write and illustrate. He likes to get the text finalised before he starts on illustrations.
 
Levi works up detailed roughs to arrange the order of illustrations so that both he and his publisher know what they are getting before he starts the long process of painting. He typically takes from one to three weeks on each illustration as he likes to paint a lot of detail as he enjoyed detailed illustrations as a child. As a child he absorbed himself in books and comics which were big influences on him as he grew up, as well as fine art as an adult.

Levi grew up on Roald Dahl and Morris Sendak, John Burningham, Pat Hutchins, and was obsessed with Clocks, Clocks and More Clocks. He now loves painters like Breugel, David Friedrich and the Romantics. He says that if you cast your net as wide as you can you can take bits from other artists. You can see what’s possible.

The Django was painted in watercolours and gouache and his latest book, Black Dog, is painted in tempera – a mix of pigment with egg and water which has the same light touch as gouache but you can lay down dark underwashes with.

A small silver fish has done everything he can possibly do in the ocean - he sings, dances and even performs plays, but has never walked upon the land.

So, the fish crafts himself a set of feet and manages to walk on to the beach. A few million years later his idea catches on and fish begin to grow their own feet, eventually evolving into all the species that now populate the earth.

A beautifully illustrated book, published to tie in with Charles Darwin’s bicentenary celebrations. Children will love poring over the colourful spreads and spotting the many varieties of fish that fill the pages.

Chris Wormell lives in North London with his wife and children. He was the winner of the Ragazza Prize at Bologna in 1991 and the Smarties Bronze Award in 2003. In addition to his children's books, Chris undertakes other illustration work including advertising campaigns, packaging and, issued in January 2005, a set of stamps featuring farmyard animals for the Royal Mail.