Catch!

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by Trish Cooke, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max

Interest age: 4 to 5

Published by Alanna Max, 2023

Picture books

About this book

Kiona and Mummy are playing catch in the garden on a hot sunny day. First, Kiona tries to catch a large yellow ball, but it’s too big so they try and find something else to catch. But a berry ends up being far too small, an apple is too hard, and the bubbles from bath time disappear!

It doesn’t take long for Kiona to get very frustrated with herself and she wonders if she’ll ever catch anything. Luckily, Mummy knows there is a very special something Kiona can always catch...

This is a joyful and heartwarming picture book that celebrates the magic of everyday moments between parent and child while also encouraging perseverance.

The simple, repetitive text from award-winning author Trish Cooke is brought to life by Ken Wilson-Max's signature bright and bold illustrations.

About the author

Former children's TV presenter Trish Cooke is an Olivier nominated playwright. She writes for theatre, TV, film and radio and is a multi-awardwinning children's author. Born and still living in Bradford, Trish's parents are from Dominica. Frustrated by the lack of roles for black women, Trish began writing plays she could act in herself. Similarly, when she had her first child, the lack of black characters in children's books drove her to create stories with black children in them.

Her most popular children's book, So Much, was voted one of the 100 Best Children's Books in 2016 by Time Out. It won the Smarties Book Prize and the W H Smith Award among others. In 2009, So Much was included in the National Strategy good practice publication on raising achievement of Caribbean children at foundation stage.

About the illustrator

Born in Zimbabwe, Ken Wilson-Max lives in London. He has written and illustrated over 50 books for children. He also illustrates things for grow-ups and businesses and publishes work from other creators through Alanna Max.

As a younger man, Ken made stories from what he saw in his travels. He was excited and so the work was exciting. As he became more experienced and familiar with his surroundings, he saw that everyone had a story to tell. He became determined to inspire others to tell theirs. He found this made his stories much better. It also allowed him to experiment and learn. Since 2014, he’s also been publishing the Chicken Newspaper for children all over the world.