Now the author visits are in full swing for Dave Pigeon, I’ve been collating some of the interesting questions I’ve been asked. Have a read of my post on Girls Heart Books where I relay what I said when I was put on the spot about who would win in a battle between a pigeon and a hamster.
Join the Pigeon Party
To celebrate ‘Dave Pigeon’ being out in the world and to say a huge thank you for your incredible support, Sheena and I would love to invite you all to the Dave Pigeon launch party this Sunday. There will be free arts and crafts for the kids and there will be cake so we hope to see you there!
How to design a Dave Pigeon window
It’s been exciting times at Team Dave Pigeon HQ. The wonderful Steve and Urmi at Pickled Pepper Books offered us the chance to take over one of their splendid windows in the lead up to the Dave Pigeon Launch Party! (Yes, this is like Christmas for me.)
Our window is in place and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a vision of Dave Pigeon-ness in glorious blue and grass. Should you ever be in need of wanting to create a Dave Pigeon window yourself, here’s my guide to how we designed our space.
First, we needed an idea. This was easy. Sheena’s incredible spreads in Dave Pigeon provided endless inspiration. This one of a flock of birds flying off from the garden, is one of my favourites.
This spread soon inspired an idea of a flock of birds flying out of a large Dave Pigeon book. That’s when the sketching happened:
But would it work? How do you get a bunch of birds to emerge from a book? Enter an old Coco Pops box, Lego plates, mini print-outs of the birds and the book, oh and a lot of string:
Convinced by the mini prototype, we got to work building the book to fit the window until… TA DAAAAH we had a large foamboard book! (I didn’t have a 50 pence piece to compare sizes so I had to use my 5-year-old son.)
Then came the Dave Pigeon Window Day. Sheena used her magic skills and contortionist abilities to draw in our heroes, Dave and Skipper, on the window with chalk pens.
Then came the job of trimming grass to fit our window for a truly garden feel, thanks to the husband.
This was the ‘left a bit, right a bit’ bit:
And voilà! Our gorgeous Dave Pigeon window was dressed and finished. You can see the window now up until just after Sunday 8th May 2016 at Pickled Pepper Books.
Hugest thanks to Team Dave Pigeon Window: Sheena, James, and Steve and Urmi from Pickled Pepper Books because the secret to a lovely window is team work and a bucket load of coffee.
My Top Ten Unappreciated Animal Heroes in ‘The Guardian’
Step aside horses and dogs, it’s time to celebrate the newts, rats and disgusting bagders of the children’s literary world. Here’s my top ten unappreciated animal heroes in honour of all the Dave Pigeon-esque characters out there who never get a look in.
North Somerset Children’s Book Group on Dave Pigeon
A lovely review of Dave Pigeon here from North Somerset CBG.
Dave Pigeon Day Boxing Day
Sitting in bed with my mug of tea and one and a half jammy dodgers, (the bottom half crumbled in transit from the petrol station to home), and I’m having a moment to think about how incredible the last twenty-four hours has been.
Dave Pigeon has received so much support and love already, it really has been the most wonderful celebration of all the hard work that went into writing the book. Yesterday is a day I’m not going to forget for a long while.
Thank you also to absolutely everyone who sent me pictures of Dave Pigeon on bookshop shelves, on bookshop tables and on their own shelves. I can’t tell you how chuffed I am to see how many wonderful places Dave is roosting.
Of the lot, I picked this picture as my favourite.
That’s my lovely Dad there. He’s reading Dave Pigeon. The first fiction book he has ever read. EVER.
Considering he and my mum raised three bookworms in me and my sisters, it’s hard to believe my dad has never read a book for pleasure in his entire life. But he really hasn’t.
This is his first.
Well done Dave Pigeon, I think we’ve converted him.
Happy Dave Pigeon Day!
The day is finally here! Dave Pigeon is out in the world. Thank you so much for sticking by me on this journey. Your support has meant the world to me and I’m sending you wheelbarrow upon wheelbarrow of virtual love and feathers in return.
To celebrate getting to publication day, the very brilliant Ross Hendrick has created the Dave Pigeon mini book trailer.
Enjoy!
Happy Dave Pigeon Day Eve
The first review of Dave Pigeon is in and I’m over the moon with how he’s been received. Have a read of what librarian Jo Clarke thought: Book Lover Jo
Mountains to Sea Festival
On Sunday, Sheena and I took Dave Pigeon to meet the lovely folk of Dublin at the Mountains to Sea Book Festival.
We ran a ‘Dave Pigeon: Art and Story Fun’ event were the children who attended drew their own pigeon characters and created their own pigeon adventure.
We met ‘Harry the Pigeon’ and took Dave Pigeon on a terrific adventure from a forest to the park where he escaped a wolf attack, only to fall into an underground trap. But fear not, he was rescued by a group of disco-partying penguins living in the back garden of a nearby house.
We had the best time creating a new world for the pigeons with such brilliant and creative budding young writers and illustrators.
World Book Day 2016 in pictures (continued)
Preparation for a monster World Book Day where Dave would meet 270 primary school pupils at The Blue School
Sheena and I rocking our Dave Pigeon cape chic
Incredible tickets displaying what books mean to the pupils
SHOW TIME!
An incredible author and illustrator wall made for Sheena and I
Signing books!
Did I mention our incredible wall?
HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY TO YOU ALL!