book cover

Box of Tricks

by Katie Cleminson

Interest age: 3+
Reading age: 6+

Published by Jonathan Cape, 2009

  • Picture books

About this book

Eva is given a big cardboard box on her birthday. She is a magician and for her first trick produces a large polar bear.

Next Eva makes hats and rabbits that float in the air alongside the bear. After this she conjures up some delicious party food and a band of animals playing musical instruments. Everyone dances their socks off!

When they are all exhausted Eva clicks her fingers and everyone vanishes – except for the large polar bear! All the characters are drawn in black and white ink but they party against a backdrop of gloriously multicoloured ink blots, which ensures there is plenty to look at in this fun picture book. Every child loves an empty box and here, with the help of some magic, it contains a fantasy birthday party.

Winner of the 2009 Best Emerging Illustrator at the Booktrust Early Years Awards.

About the author

Katie Cleminson gained her foundation diploma in Art and Design at Falmouth College. She went on to study Illustration for Children's Publishing at the North Wales School of Art, where she graduated with a First in the summer of 2007.

Katie works with inks, charcoal and Photoshop and loves the work of Lane Smith and Jackson Pollock. She's drawn to nostalgic items like gramophones, typewriters, pipes and bowler hats, which sometimes turn up in her work. 

In 2009 Katie won the Best Emerging Illustrator in the Book Trust Early Years Awards for Box of Tricks (Red Fox).

She was chosen for a BookTrust Best New Illustrators Award in 2011.

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