NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT  Susan Penny The Bright Agency Where are you based  and how would you sum up the place in three words?   A hop, skip and a jump from the Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond. Every shade (of) green. What is special to you about working with children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it?   For me, the most exciting and magical thing about children’s books – picture books in particular – is that third reality created in the mind of the child (and parent) as they interpret what the words and pictures mean to them. There are endless opportunities to convey meaning, and owning that meaning for ourselves allows the story to live on, beyond the page, reaching into the fabric of our imaginations and staying with us for a lifetime. I never forgot my favourite picture books.   Tell us about the most recent project you worked on   As an agent I have my fingers in so many pies – at different stages of cooking – that picking a highlight from such...

  GUEST NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS Mirror Me Write Why did you set up Mirror Me Write? Mirror Me Write is my online bookshop, specialising in books that promote representation and inclusion. I set up Mirror Me Write in 2019, after working in the Education sector for a number of years. The lack of representation in the book choices that were being offered to children in the classroom and the one narrative version of the world they were being taught didn't sit well with me. Denying representation to children  from entire communities makes them feel like their existence doesn't matter.  Coming from a migrant family, I knew this feeling all too well, and when I became a mother I knew I wanted better for my own children. I wanted children not to just see themselves in books but also see as many different stories of communities from all over the world. I knew that this kind of engagement, particularly from the Early Years, could do so much in terms of developing respect, tolerance...

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS Julian Beresford  Where do you live, and how would you sum up the place in three words I live in south Yorkshire, Doncaster, Newfound city status What is special to you about creating children's books, and what is your favourite part of the process? What’s special to me about creating children's books is the ability to tell stories that I would have loved to read as a kid and reflect the world I grew up in. My favourite part of the process is character creation and world-building, designing the look and style of the characters and the setting of the worlds they dwell in. Tell us about your upcoming/most recent book Having recently illustrated the Gadgeteers for the Summer Reading Challenge, I am also currently illustrating a fantastical picture book with Hachette, Title and publishing date to be announced. Gadgeteers, The Reading Agency If you could be transported to anywhere in the North/Scotland right now, where would it be? St Kilda, part of the outer Heb...

  Guest Northern Highlights Wigtown Book Festival Can you start by telling us about the origins of the Book Festival in   Wigtown ? In the mid-1990s, it was suggested that a ‘book  town ’ on the model of Hay-on-Wye would be a good way to help regenerate a community in Scotland. Six small towns with varying economic needs submitted bids. Half were from Dumfries & Galloway – Gatehouse of Fleet, Moffat and  Wigtown . The others were Dalmellington, Dunblane and Strathaven. An international panel chose  Wigtown . At the time, t he former county   town   of Wigtownshire was at its lowest ebb. There were many empty and run-down properties, and the almost derelict County Buildings on the   town   square were threatened with demolition.  Wigtown   then had one of the highest levels of unemployment in Scotland, but the   town   boasted a beautiful setting and a rich history.  In 1999 the Scottish Government acknow...

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS Neil Clark Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words?  I’m based in Leavening, a small village in the Yorkshire Wolds. I would describe it as hilly, windy and picturesque! What is special to you about illustrating children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it? The most special part of creating children’s books is the obvious one - seeing kids enjoy the end result. You can’t beat that feeling! As for the working itself, I love the fact that a book can be a long term project. Something to really get your teeth into, with a huge amount of thought and enjoyment thrown into it.  Tell us about the most recent books you've worked on I’ve got a few books on the go at the moment. I’m writing and illustrating a series for Ladybird, which is a dream come true. The first book, Crash! Bang! Wallop! was published last August. It’s a celebration of noise, and quiet. Being a quiet child, it’s a topic really close to my ...

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS  Louise Corcoran    Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words? I’m based in Manchester. It’s lively & unexpectedly green.   What is special to you about working with children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it? I think they both come down to the range/diversity in children's books. I love working with everything from board books to young adult fiction via illustrated non-fiction and graphic novels.   Tell us about the most recent books you've promoted How to Be True by Daisy May Johnson. It's the sequel to How to Be Brave , and is middle grade fiction set in a school run by nuns, The Good Sisters. There are lots of book references, mentions of cake, and pun-heavy footnotes. I love it.   If you could be transported to anywhere in the North/Scotland right now, where would it be? Saltburn-by-the Sea. It's a small coastal town in North Yorkshire which has a Victorian pier and funicular cliff ...

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS Jenny Bloomfield    Where do you live, and how would you sum up the place in three words?   Leeds - Urban, Dales, Evolving   What is special to you about creating children's books, and what is your favourite part of the process?  Children's books are mini-works of art and a favourite book will be looked at hundreds and hundreds of times - not many books get this much attention from their audience! I am always drawing (I've drawn every day since 1st September 2014 - you can see every single day on my instagram @Jennybloomfield ) so I love being able to transfer my sketchbook observations and ideas to a living breathing story. For instance,  The Worry Jar , has some scenes at a swimming pool and I was able to go back to all the drawing I did sitting on the side of the pool while my kids were having lessons.   Jenny's sketches by the pool The Worry Jar, Oxford University Press, 2022.       Tell us about your upcomin...