Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year. Time with the family, time away from work, the sense of hygge and happiness. Special moments are created at Christmas that turn in to the fond memories of the future. One of the most special things to share at Christmas is a story, and these tales are books to treasure, don’t waste another minute, get reading!

This beautiful story about a little girl, boy and their dog on their countdown to Christmas Day. There are 25 flaps to discover, each of which introduce a new Christmas word. From singing carols in the square, to baking Christmas cookies rounded off by picking the perfect tree.

This book is on to treasure and come back to year after year.

For some, Christmas can be lonely as they are missing family members or separated logistically during the festive season. This is the case for Mia who misses her Dad, who has a very special card to deliver to him before Christmas, this is a real race against time. Can a magical postbox and Reindeer help her to fulfil her mission? With lot’s of adventures on the way this heartwarming story is one to warm your cockles this Christmas.

Every year Tortoise sleeps through winter. It’s cold, windy and snowy- what could he be missing?

His friends are determined to change his mind- making him stay awake to see the joys of winter for himself. Will they succeed? From best-selling author Katy Hudson this book is a beautiful wintery tale full of loveable characters.

The follow up to Story Orchestra the Four Seasons – this book is the perfect Christmas gift, it’s like a John Lewis advert in a book, absolutely beautiful. Clara is on a magical adventure through this classical ballet tale. Meet the nutcracker , the Sugar Plum Fairy and visit the Land of Sweets all to snippets from Tchaikovsky’s original score. You will be a twinkle toes in your own right in no time. This book is perfect for everyone.

From the creator of Alan’s Big, Scary Teeth, Jarvis, and author Patty Toht, bring us this beautiful and enchanting Christmas Book. Based around one of the biggest decisions of the season – the picking of the Christmas Tree. This excitable family classic depicts the festivity of the season perfectly.  From digging out jam-packed boxes of trimmings, to decking the halls with tinsel and the all important twinkly lights, every family ritual is accounted for.

When Caro and her mum move to a new house, Caro becomes lonely- it’s just not as fun exploring without a friend by your side. Until one day she makes a new friend – The Snow Lion. They have so much fun together they play hide and seek, they chase each other around, Caro is happy again. The Lion encourages her to make other friends and venture out on her own…This will definitely be a story to treasure for a lifetime. This is why the Snow Lion is our Emporium Christmas Book!

One of the most successful alumni from the Bake Off tent, Nadiya, has launched her second fabulous storybook, come cookbook. Illustrated by the fabulous Clair Rossiter this is a truly great book that will bring all the family together for some baking adventures. The stories include: The Snow queens desire for treacle ice cream. Where do all the odd socks go at Christmas? Well you’ll have to read to find out. This book will give you activities galore this Christmas time.

Halloween has become a huge celebration in the UK over the last 10 years, and a s a result we have seen more and more spooky halloween tales for children being published. Here is a curation of some of the best Halloween tales we have on our Bright Emporium shelves.

What is the mysterious Grotlyn? What sort of creature could it be, scuttling across the town, frightening everyone in its path? And why has it stolen PC Vickers’ knickers?!

A beautifully illustrated rhyming tale about things that go bump in the night. From picture book superstar, Benji Davies, of The Storm Whale and Grandad’s Island. Winner of Oscar’s First Book Prize 2014 and Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year 2015.

This book is 4+ year olds.

This story has all the ingredients to make a wonderful Halloween surprise. Jake is baking a birthday cake for his best friend Sam. All is well until his friends decide to help- this cake becomes less of a masterpiece and more of a monstrosity- with spiders legs, rotten eggs, slugs and slime. This will certainly be a cake to remember.

A little added extra the book comes with stinky scratch and sniff stickers!

This book is for 3 – 6 year olds.

William is a foodie and aspiring chef – which isn’t valued highly in the land of fairy tales, he just doesn’t quite fit in. Until once upon a time.. he stumbles on a delivery of food destined for Fairy-Tale Headquarters (a pumpkin, apples, and a few measly beans), he decides to make something super yummy from these menial ingredients! But there are a few wicked stepmothers and a fairy godmother or two who aren’t ecstatic with his plans for their plot changing ingredients.

This brilliant book by Penny Parker Klostermann and Ben Mantle is a gentle reference to the magic of the holiday without the Halloween focus.

This book is for 3 – 6 year olds.

This hillarious and slightly spooky tale about Raymond the hairdresser, who is horrifically busy. The Monster’s have a Ball to attend, and they want to look their best so visit Raymond the hairdresser to get their hair in check. But it isn’t plain sailing at the salon- in fact it turns into a very scary site indeed- the dyes get muddled, the hair gel overflows and the monsters are not happy! But maybe something will win them back round…

This book is for 2-5 year olds.

Five little pumpkins are sitting quietly on a gate until… night falls and they are joined by a cast of creepy characters – witches, spiders, bats, frogs and ghosts – all determined to cause plenty of Halloween mischief. What a terrific treat!

As the Pumkin Said himself – “Good folk, beware!” This book by Ben Mantle serves as a great introduction Halloween for very young readers.

This book is for 1 – 4 year olds.

It’s Diwali! The Festival of light. One of the most important religious festivals for Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, it is also one of the most beautiful. Literally meaning “Series of Lights”, Diwali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil.

Many celebrate by putting out candles, and lanterns, eating sweet treats and watching fireworks. Why not try your hand at these simple paper lanterns and join in with the Diwali celebrations.

All you need is:

• Two sheets of coloured card
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Glue – you can use a stick glue or PVA
• Jewels/ pom poms/ glitter (optional) – to decorate your lanterns.

Pick the paper  you would like to make the outer shell of your lantern. Fold this piece of paper in half (long ways).

Cut through the fold, leaving an uncut gap at the top.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WCk05G6f8Yhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCP546nrQPQ

Put some glue on the edge of the uncut, second piece of paper. Stick the cut sheet, fold facing upward, onto the glued edge of the second sheet. Now do a second line of glue just over 3/4’s of the way down the page of the uncut piece of paper. Stick the edge of the folded cut paper onto that line. You will see a little of the uncut paper still. Cut along that line, this will become your handle.

Roll the card together to form a tube. At the point where the paper touches staple to secure. Then using the spare bit of card to create a handle. Arch over the top of the lantern and staple to secure.

Finished Article

Sue Hendra is indeed the master behind the wonderful illustrations of SCARY HAIRY PARTY! The picture book is a wonderful narrative featuring odd looking monsters and different animals who are preparing themselves for a monster party. This book has it all – spooky creatures, humorous hair styles and perfect for Halloween.

Not to mention, SCARY HAIRY PARTY will open your child’s mind to funny monster terms and descriptive language whilst they all get ready at Raymond’s hair salon.

SCARY HAIRY PARTY is illustrated by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet & written by Claire Freedman.

We have an exciting line up of Storytimes coming your way! Check out Bright Emporium’s Timetable here to find out which illustrator is hosting the next story reading.

And remember ‘We are a destination for the next generation of creators, not users; the pioneers of tomorrow.’

Browse through our Storytime Sunday workshop where Sue Hendra and her wonderful helper Wanda helped to make an unforgettable Sunday reading with our bright sparks.

The Big Sneeze with Marvin and Marigold is illustrated by Simon Prescott, written by Mark Carthew and published by New Publishing Pty Ltd.

Our brightsparks made mice using wooden spoons which they decorated creatively and also built their 3d mouse card-house.

Storytime Sunday runs every other Sunday. Join in on the fun and become a brightspark yourself!

To find out who is visiting for our next storytime reading, check out the Emporium timetable.

Here are some pictures from our workshop…

If there was a person that sums up the ethos behind The Bright Emporium and what we are trying to do, it is Vicki Willden-Lebrecht.

Although this may not be surprising as she is the founder of this amazing space, and MD of our big sister, The Bright Agency. We talk a lot about what the Emporium is becoming, and less about where we have come from. Vicki’s recent article in the Sunday Times Business & Money section got us wondering why Vicki had chosen to open up the Emporium arm of the Bright Agency?

What is the Bright Agency?

For the last 15 years, The Bright Group has been one of the leading illustration agencies for unique children’s publishing. We work with artists to nurture and promote their talents creating all of the books and artworks that you see in The Emporium today. Books like Supertato, The Storm Whale, Time for bed Fred and The Bear and the Piano – were born of our artists’ ideas that we have developed with them, together with publishing houses to produce the stories you have fallen in love with.

And what is the Bright Emporium?

The Bright Emporium is a space with many faces; a shop, a venue for hire, and a gallery; but above all we are an immersive space. Every weekend, we open our doors, and with it children’s minds, delving into the imaginative world of their favourite authors and illustrators. Our aim is to encourage a generation of creators, not users; who can go on to pioneer tomorrow. We endeavour to run a wide range of creative workshops that encourage new perspectives, problem solving, confidence and free-thinking.

Why create the Bright Emporium?

“Everyone in children’s publishing has a duty to produce books with a strong positive message, and everyone in it feels that duty and does their bit.” –  Vicki

When we moved the Agency office to The Bright Emporium two years ago, part of the deal was that we’d have a retail space at weekends. However for Vicki the Emporium has always been more than a contractual obligation to the landlords; it is first and foremost an opportunity for the agency to do our bit as part of the publishing industry – by spreading the news that creativity and reading are critical to our society.

“The power and the essential availability of books and reading to the next generation will greatly improve the future of the world, a big statement but one I absolutely stand by.” – Vicki

The importance of reading and creativity has often been discussed. We recently wrote an article on this topic which you can read here, but as a creative entrepreneur herself, Vicki has seen first hand how valuable these assets can be in her own life and successes.

“If you get your kids reading you’re half way there. As a parent you can give so much, but if you give your child a love of books and reading you will feed their mind with endless possibilities, viewpoints and experiences.”– Vicki

In a time when parents are spending four times the amount of time engaging with their screen as opposed to reading to or with their children (Book Trust), the Emporium gives us a platform to stand on and from which to jump in and swim against the current.

Of course, as an agency we can’t pretend our motives are totally selfless. We want to make our illustrators and authors into the likes of rock stars — as real talent and hard work should be celebrated.

“Fame should be a by product of talent, we want children to grow up aspiring to create and be originators. To value the thinkers, visionaries, the idealists and talent in general.” – Vicki

Our children are growing up in an era where the number of likes, retweets and FOMO (fear of missing out) rule the day – fame has become a destination not a by product of talent or experience, with 19% of children up to the age of 10 just wanting to be famous when they grow up. And by the time they reach 16, that number swells to 54% who would like to be a celebrity and when asked how, nearly a quarter stated – by going on reality TV (The Independent). Snap chatting the moment isn’t living it – emotions captured through a lens aren’t the same as feel them first hand – these are ironically the moments that add to our personality and character, drawing people to like us in real life. 

The Emporium is here to play its part in helping children discover, nurture and appreciate their talents and practice them in a relaxed and informal setting. But we wouldn’t be here without Vicki, who has curated this team and the vision that drive us on to bring you the best Emporium we possibly can. So this is a little blog with a big lot of thanks and excitement for the future.

BRIGHT BOOKS COMING TO THE EMPORIUM NEAR YOU!

We are so lucky at the Bright Emporium to be linked directly with the authors and illustrators behind the books you love- this also means that we are the first to know about the new books coming out that you need to know about.  These titles will be wining their way to The Emporium this September. There are some really beautiful and inspiring books here that we are really excited about. So come in store to raid our shelves and find the book for you, as there is a story for everyone.

S E P T E M B E R

What is the mysterious Grotlyn? What sort of creature could it be, scuttling across the town, frightening everyone in its path? And why has it stolen PC Vickers’ knickers?!

A beautifully illustrated rhyming tale about things that go bump in the night. From picture book superstar, Benji Davies, of The Storm Whale and Grandad’s Island. Winner of Oscar’s First Book Prize 2014 and Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year 2015.

This book is for 4+ years old.

Count your way through the seasons! From spring, when the leaves appear one by one – to summer when the whole canopy sway’s in the breeze. Then that breeze goes way to strong gusts of Autumn wind, making the leaves disappear as quickly as they came. Through to the bare trunks in winter. There’s lots to see and do, spot he animals through the seasons too. Bouncy rhymes and bold illustrations make learning to count easy.

This book is for 1- 3 year olds.

Every year when Moonlight Pond freezes over, a talent contest takes place — ducks dance, mice perform… But there is one animal that never competes. Toad watches the talent show from behind his rock, careful to keep himself hidden. But when toad is discovered hiding, he slips on the icy pond and realises he does have an incredible talent…ice-skating! This hilarious, heart-warming, story shows the reader that you never know what you can achieve.

This book is for 2 – 5 year olds.

This wonderful poem by John Argard is beautifully bought to life by Jess Cortney-Tickle’s illustrations. Little persons from all over the world join together to celebrate the dance of life and love. A book for both little persons and big persons to treasure and pore over.

This book is for 2 – 5 year olds.

Choo Choo! Little Train is going out on the track all by himself for the first time. He is so busy chugging through fields, across bridges and up the sides of mountains to notice he has gone too far- how will he get home. With the advice of his parents eve present in his mind Little Train finds his way home. Celebrating independence, but also the need for mum and dad this is a wonderful story for all the little adventurers out there.

This book is for 2 – 5 year olds.

Jake is baking a birthday cake for his best friend Sam. All is well until his friends decide to help- this cake becomes less of a masterpiece and more of a monstrosity- with spiders legs, rotten eggs, slugs and slime. This will certainly be a cake to remember.

A little added extra the book comes with stinky scratch and sniff stickers!

This book is for 3 – 6 year olds.

You may have met Carter the crocodile before, in – Open Very Carefully. Well he’s back with bite, Carter isn’t happy. All he wants to do is find his way home, but he can’t get there by himself – he needs some help! This unique book is highly interactive- readers are encouraged to create doors in the page and use their imagination to help Carter home. You’ll be transported from stormy seas to hot deserts and icy lands. Can you help get this cranky croc home?

This book is for 3 – 7 year olds.

William is a foodie and aspiring chef – which isn’t valued highly in the land of fairy tales, he just doesn’t quite fit in. Until once upon a time.. he stumbles on a delivery of food destined for Fairy-Tale Headquarters (a pumpkin, apples, and a few measly beans), he decides to make something super yummy from these menial ingredients! But there are a few wicked stepmothers and a fairy godmother or two who aren’t ecstatic with his plans for their plot changing ingredients.

This book is for 3 – 7 year olds.

Every year Tortoise sleeps through winter. It’s cold, windy and snowy- what could he be missing? His friends are determined to change his mind- making him stay awake to see the joys of winter for himself. Will they succeed? From best-selling author Katy Hudson this book is a beautiful winters tale that will warm you from the inside out.

This book is for 3 – 5 year olds.

When Caro and her mum move to a new house, Caro becomes lonely- it’s just not as fun exploring without a friend by your side. Until one day she makes a new friend – The Snow Lion. They have so much fun together they play hide and seek, they chase each other around, Caro is happy again. The Lion encourages her to make other friends and venture out on her own…

This story is truly beautiful both the illustrations and the narrative capture the themes of loneliness, isolation and confidence – in a mesmerising and evocative way. This will definitely be a story to treasure for a lifetime. This is why the Snow Lion will be the Emporium Christmas Book- with a special Storytime Sunday on the 3rd December.

This book is for 2+ year olds.

Definition of Creativity: The use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness. (Oxford Dictionary)

Synonyms for Creativity: inventiveness, imagination, originality, individuality, artistry, expressiveness, inspiration, vision, resourcefulness and ingenuity (Oxford Thesaurus)

Who knew creativity was code for so many qualities we hold in such high regard? Words that wouldn’t go a-miss when describing a CEO like Steve Jobs, an Entrepreneur like Elon Musk, or a pioneer like Arianna Huffington. But how important is creativity to our children and what is considered a creative activity?

Creativity spans every discipline; not just the arts, but science, maths and engineering all utilise the skills that a creative brings.

What is Creativity?

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things” Steve Jobs

Scientifically, creativity is built on two steps. Divergent thinking: Freely seeing things in more than one way, questioning something that is, and thinking of other possible ways it could be.
Step two: Convergence: Distilling these ideas down to one that fits best with reasoning, context and experience. When summarised like this it’s clear that being creative has some merits.

Children inherently see the world in a creative way. They have a vivid imagination and limited boundaries to their thought processes. We should harness this strength, nurture and encourage it, because as Whitney Houston said; children are our future.

Why is creativity important?

Well if we haven’t convinced you yet, maybe Stamford Professor Paul Romer can.

“…Great advances have always come from ideas. Ideas do not fall from the sky; they come from people. People write the software. People design the products. People start the new businesses. Every new thing that gives us pleasure or productivity or convenience, be it an iPod or the tweaks that make a chemical plant more efficient, is the result of human ingenuity”

Unsurprisingly the last word, ingenuity, is a synonym of creativity.

But there are other skills that arise and are nurtured through the creative process:

Resilience: Just because we have a good idea doesn’t mean it will work, but approaching things in a creative manner allows us to find a way around the problems, flex the idea and adjust it to make it work.

Problem solving: Often the catalyst that sparks creativity, it in turn becomes another skill.

Self Expression: Encouraging children to take a creative approach helps them to express their individuality as well as to listen to and be accepting of others.

What is happening?

If creativity is really so important, why are we systematically removing ‘creative’ subjects from the school syllabus and focusing on just the three R’s — reading, writing and arithmetic (we are as puzzled as you as to why only one of these really begins with ‘r’). To discuss this more I want to hand you over to Sir Ken Robinson — who until recently held the record for the most watched TED talk of all time: ‘Do schools kill creativity?’

We sympathise with schools and teachers; they work within the confines of a curriculum that is skewed away from creativity. But seeing as the Bright Emporium doesn’t have to answer to a syllabus or targets we want to do our bit in bringing creativity back. We are championing creativity for what it is — an advantage for children and in turn all of us. The Bright Emporium is on a mission to inspire generations of creators, not users. Come and join us!

This months Bright Recommends is inspired Fiona Woodcock’s recent book launch for, Poppy and the Blooms. Held at Dalston Eastern Curve Garden, I highly recommend it as a place to go with family, or with friends for an evening drink. It’s magical.  This book got us thinking about how even small actions can result in big reactions. We see this all the time, from politics where the decision of a few change the lives of the many. In education where one fly away comment like “I can’t draw” can stop you doing it forever. But perhaps the best example is in the environment- however I’m not just talking purely about nature and the themes of ecology, but also about the health of our communities too. The Oxford Dictionary has this definition for environment:

Bright Recommends: Poppy and the Blooms- Fiona Woodcock (Age:2-5)

It makes sense to kick off with the inspiration for this blog. Poppy and the Blooms is a beautiful story about Poppy and her skateboard wielding flower friends. Setting out to rescue the last park in the city they get more than they bargained for. Poppy and the Blooms think they have undertaken a tiny deed turning around one park, but it isn’t until they look back towards the city and realise that they joy, colour and life is contagious. Their actions reminded people of the beauty that greenery and nature brings, especially in the nitty gritty city.The message is great for children and adults of all ages- reminding us that something as small as a smile is contagious, which in turn could make the environment we live in better.

Bright Recommends: The Unexpected Visitor- Jessica Courtney- Tickle (Age:3-6)

This book is about sustainability and greed. There is a fisherman who fishes in the same spot everyday, he always gets a good haul. He cooks all the fish up every night in case he has a visitor who’d like join him for dinner, but there’s never a visitor. Every night he throws away the leftover fish. This is fine until he meets a whale and offers him dinner- but there are no fish to be caught. He feels guilty for depleting the fish stock and not even eating them so the whale takes him to a new spot full of fish. Using this as a lesson, the fisherman teaches his other fisherman friends to only fish what they need and no more. This tale seems apt for a community that wastes 4.4 million tonnes of edible food in the UK each year. Maybe we could learn from the Unexpected Visitor…

Bright Recommends: South- Daniel Duncan (Age:4-7)

This beautifully illustrated story is all about saving wildlife. A lonely fisherman rescues an injured bird, and nurses him back to health. Setting out to reunite the bird with it’s migrating flock, the fisherman sails South. Obviously this tale ties in with helping the natural environment. However it also demonstrates that small actions have a big impact. We recently had Daniel Duncan in for a Storytime Sunday who helped our Bright Sparks to save birds too. A great summer activity- to build your own birds house. Can you do a little to help a lot of nature?

Bright Recommends: Grandad’s Secret Giant- David Litchfield (Age:4-7)

This captivating book focuses on community, and what it feels like to be left out. A coming of age tale about acceptance and inclusion. Billy is a little boy with big dreams for the town mural, that can’t be finished because they can’t reach the top of the wall. His grandfather suggests they ask the Giant to help. Billy doesn’t believe in giants, well at least not one that lives in his town. So he decides to prove that once and for all- creeping out at night he realises he isn’t alone- there really is a GIANT! Billy runs away in fear, but the Giant was only trying to help. Billy realises he may have hurt the Giant’s feelings so sets out to rectify the situation. This story is poignant as we live in a time where loneliness and isolation is epidemic. 3/4’s of people over 60 say that they feel lonely. But it isn’t just the elderly effected- in the UK men aged 35 are said to be the loneliest, with nearly 3 million feeling lonely every day. Meaning this issue effects the wider community.

Let’s Explore- Lonely Planet (Age:5-8)

People say knowledge is power- so if we want to help the environment we need to know more. Reading that 1 in 8 children having never seen a cow in real life these books are a timely resource. These activity books are insightful, colourful and fun. Full of interesting facts about different environments- but what else would you expect from Lonely Planet! Did you know that 70% of the species that live in Madagascar are not found anywhere else on Earth? Or that Hummingbirds flap their wings 70 times per second? There is a lot to learn about the world around us, these books are a great place for children to start.

You may well have two or more of these books at home, illustrated by Ada Grey.
The Bright Agency spotted her talent and snapped her up, where Ada was immediately catapulted into the UK best-seller lists with the inspired Royal Baby series with Bloomsbury. We are delighted to be joining Ada with her new book, Rockabye Pirate, (written by author and playwright, Timothy Knapman) at The Bright Emporium for a story time on Sunday 4th June.
Here’s a little bit about Ada…

Where did it all begin?

My mum was a ceramics and textiles designer before joining my dad to run a small chain of bookshops in the north of England. I guess I’m the result of the combination!

Did you study illustration?

Yes, I did a degree in illustration at what was Manchester Polytechnic. I was taught by Tony Ross and David Hughes amongst others. (Funnily enough, my teachers at school told me I wasn’t good enough to do O level art, so I only did a CSE). You don’t need to do a degree to get into drawing by any means, but it does immerse you in the environment and give you the opportunity to do nothing but draw for three years. Practice is key!

 What’s your favourite part of making children’s books?

I love it all (especially if you get to have lunch with your publisher!).

I love the roughs, that’s the bit where you concentrate and plan out a new world, and the colouring-in bit where the world comes to life (and you can listen to podcasts at the same time), and the people are just super to work with, supportive and imaginative and fond of tea and biscuits.

“I never thought I’d ever draw The Queen in a onesie, jumping out of a plane!” Ada Grey

 With a number of titles to your name now, do you have a favourite and why?

That’s hard because all of them are special to me in different ways. I love the fun and silliness of [Steve Smallman’s] Hippobottymus and Poo In The Zoo, and the warmth of family in [Tammy Salzano’s] I Love You Just The Way You Are, [Adam and Charlotte Gullaine’s] School for Dads and [Mo O’Hara’s] More People To Love Me.

But I think Smriti Prasadam Halls’ Santa Baby has a special place, as I could really play with the look of the characters. I’ve been able to carry that on with [Timothy Knapman’s] Rockabye Pirate and the forthcoming [Sarah Kilbride’s] Being A Princess Is Really Hard Work.

From Smriti Prasadam Halls’ Santa Baby

With the positive media focus on the Royal Babies and the two princes currently, I expect the Royal baby series to have it’s own baby-boom! Did you enjoy making these?

Absolutely! Shh! Don’t Wake The Royal Baby was the first picture book Vicki [Vicki Willden-Lebrecht, Bright Agency Founder and MD] matched me with, and I hit the ground running as it were! It was a real challenge getting the characters to remain respectful and identifiable, yet move them into the realm of gentle silliness at the same time. I never thought I’d ever draw the Queen in a onesie jumping out of a plane. I hope they carry on, [but as they are no longer babies, I think the series has run it’s course sadly].

Who inspired you to become a picture book illustrator?

There are two books I can specifically identify that had a big impact on me.

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak, taps into the most basic needs of a child, to know that they are loved, no matter what, and that they can independently cope with their fears. Pair that with fearsome monsters and stunning illustrations and you have genius.

The other was The Pirate’s Tale, illustrated by Jill McDonald and written by Janet Aitchison when she was only five and a half years old! I laugh out loud every time I read it.

Both books made me realise that drawing pictures for books was actually a job, and that I could possibly do it for a living one day. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do (plus I’m rubbish at everything else!).

Things have come full circle, as I have just illustrated a gorgeous story written by ten year old Isabel Harris! She won a story writing competition held by The Book People and Little Tiger Press, and all the proceeds go to Action For Children.

When can we expect your first self penned picture book?! Is it something you’d like to do, or do you prefer to collaborate as a team on books?

Oh! Writing picture books is so much harder than people realise. Coming up with a totally new idea and characters that have never been done before, and then to put all of that across in a limited amount of words is a real skill. It’s not easy and I don’t mind saying I’m struggling. I’d love to do it, but I’ve been so busy, that up to now I’ve got a list of ideas, but haven’t had the time to work on them yet. One day I hope!

I’ve been really lucky to work with some outstanding authors and it’s just a joy to bring someone’s work to life.

With huge thanks to Ada, and we look forward to Storytime!

You can follow Ada on Twitter and Instagram!

If you’d like to work with Ada, you can contact her via her agent, Arabella Stein, here.

And if you’d like to join us for a Rockabye Storytime, you can find more details and tickets here!

The Bright Emporium is a calm and warming space, yet it’s also buzzing with creativity. The interior is full of picture book art along with the picture books themselves, so what better place than here to hold a book launch?

This year we have hosted a number of launches, working closely with publishers, authors and illustrators in making sure picture books are celebrated and shared with fans, industry experts and fellow creatives.

David Litchfield’s launch for Grandad’s Secret Giant, with Frances Lincoln.

Yasmeen Ismail’s launch for Happy, Sad, Feeling Glad, with publisher Laurence King.

Illustrator Laura Hughes and author Lucy Rowland, and their launch for The Birthday Invitation with publisher Bloomsbury.

Daniel Duncan at the launch of his debut picture book, South, published with Abrams Chronicle Books.

Illustrator Jorge Martin and Author Tracey Corderoy at the launch for Fairytale Pets, published by Little Tiger Group.

If you’re looking for a venue, we’d love to help.

Simply get in touch with Emporium Gallery Manager, Lorna Oakley-Smithfield:

Email | lorna@thebrightemporium.com
Telephone | 0207 326 9140

We had such a great time at Storytime on Sunday, the brilliant illustrator, Sebastien Braun came in to the Emporium to do a magical storytelling of Spinderella. As you can see from the photos- a lot of fun was had by all.

We were all captivated by Seb’s reading of the story, the children joined in with their numbers, practicing their counting out loud, along with Spinderella the spider. The story was great at conveying the importance of counting and teamwork.

We then got creative, making our very own spider football team, just like there was in the book. Each participant made their very own spider, inclusive (in most cases) of all 8 legs. We set up some goal posts and used the spiders we made to test out our football skills, working hard to score, it’s fair to say the word ‘GOAL!’ was heard a lot in the Emporium on Sunday.

Get ready for the next Storytime Sunday by reading our ‘Go behind the book with Migy and Karl Here.

The Unexpected Visitor by Egmont

We welcomed back Jessica Courtney-Tickle, who joined us last year with her beautifully illustrated book The Story Orchestra, all about the seasons and featuring music by Vivaldi.

For this storytime sunday event, Jess read her brand new debut author/illustrated picture book, The Unexpected Visitor – a stunningly beautiful and warm-hearted picture book all about the friendship between a fisherman and a whale. The perfect way to introduce the notion of sharing, sustainability and taking care of the creatures in our oceans with young children. You can read her ‘About the Book’ blog here.

After reading the book (right up close on the stripy storytelling mat!) everyone headed for the craft table: With a boat and fish scene drawn out by Jess, our mini mess makers had their own fish to decorate and add to Jess’ colourful FISH SCAPE!

Many thanks to Jess for visiting us again, we had a fantastic time and can’t wait to get you back!

OUR NEXT STORYTIME SUNDAY:

Has already SOLD OUT! But we will release some wait list tickets nearer the events, so do check it out:

We are extremely excited to be hosting a storytime with artist Sebastien Braun, who has illustrated the best selling Spinderella, by the very well known and much loved author of The Gruffalo, and many more, Julia Donaldson!

This is a wonderful story,by an award-winning author, with the perfect illustrations to match.
After a reading, there will be creativity and crafting, followed by a book signing with Seb.

We look forward to seeing you!