World Book Day costume for mischief makers!

Posted on Mar 6, 2013 in Writing, Zookeeping | No Comments

I wrote a piece for Guardian Children’s Books for World Book Day on 7 March. Click here to read it on the Guardian website! Red Riding Hood and Cinderella are huddling at the bus stop. Horrid Henry is hanging around the school gates. The playground is packed with Gruffalos. It can only be World Book […]

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A Catalogue of Library Misadventures

Posted on Feb 9, 2013 in Writing | 8 Comments

February is #lovelibraries month! To celebrate, I’ve put together a catalogue of my best library memories. Organized using the Dewey Decimal Classification, of course. 781.53 Music in specific settings You’re a ten-year-old boy. You quite like a bookish girl in your class. Unfortunately, she’s too bookish to seal the deal during kiss chase. What to […]

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How not to get published

Posted on Nov 9, 2012 in Writing | 6 Comments

Telling writers how to get published is a boon industry. More than 4 million web pages offer advice on writing the all-important query letter. They’ve left out some important points though. Here are my own top tips, collated during my years as a commissioning editor. True stories, people. The opening gambit Do not start by […]

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I don’t suppose you have a copy of Fly Fishing…

Posted on Oct 23, 2012 in Writing, Zookeeping | No Comments

Last week we hit Cornwall’s beaches for a summer holiday. Postponed to autumn because we suspected a holiday might not be very relaxing with three children under four. As it turns out, that long-awaited fourth birthday was not a marked transition towards adulthood, turning oldest chimp into useful third pair of hands. Instead, his chimpacity […]

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