Neal Layton's Blog

There’s not long left to vote for your FAVOURITES in the Week Junior Book Awards 2026!

I’m absolutely BUZZING that Boing! A Bouncy Book of Bugs has been shortlisted in the Best Poetry category!

A huge good luck to all the brilliant shortlisted books — what a wonderful bunch!

And fingers crossed I’ll be seeing some of you at the awards ceremony…

Boing! A Bouncy Book of Bugs
Written by James Carter
Illustrated by yours truly
Published by Otter-Barry Books

I feel blessed to have these beautiful creatures living at the back of our garden. The badger is Britain’s largest land predator, and we’re fortunate enough to share our space with them.

Many people ask, “Aren’t they a problem?” But considering the badgers were here first — their setts can often be hundreds of years old — perhaps the better question is, “Are we a problem for the badgers?”

We do our best to make sure the answer is no. In truth, we rarely see them.

We tend not to venture into that part of the garden at night, and while they occasionally dig holes in the lawn, it’s hardly a lawn in the traditional sense. It’s a patchwork of grasses, clover, daisies, dandelions and buttercups, with paths winding through it.

The badgers have their own paths too, which they use every night. We know where they are, so we’ve allowed the surrounding undergrowth to grow thick and wild with hawthorn, brambles, nettles and elder. I call them the badger motorways, and on many evenings you can hear the badgers charging along them.

To borrow a quote from my book, A World Full of Wildlife:

“We need to make sure that creating a habitat for us humans to live in doesn’t damage the other living things on Earth.”

If the badgers have their habitat and we have ours, then we can coexist happily.

And as I said, I feel truly blessed to have these wonderful creatures living at the back of our garden.

For more information about badgers and how to help protect them, visit The Badger Trust.

‘A World Full of Wildlife’ is published by Wren and Rook.

The drawings are preparatory work for a new book with poet James Carter, publishing with Otter Barry Books.

Join me on Wednesday 20th May for a free interactive workshop and immersive musical experience of Stanley’s Stick as part of the #NationalYearofReading2026. 

Aimed at Early Years and KS1/P1-P3 pupils, this event will spark their imaginations and encourage them to use stories to explore the world around them. 

Find out more and sign up here: Go All In Together! event: Where sticks become stories: A musical journey | National Literacy Trust 

#shareastorymonth #GoAllIn 

Last few days to see ––––> Wow! Amazing Science in Children’s Books

A family-friendly exhibition that brings together vibrant artwork and surprising facts to investigate the wonders of the world around us.

It includes my books about AI, Stars, Climate Change and Plastic Pollution alongside books by wonderful artists like Oliver Jeffers, Chris Haughton, Yuval Zommer and more… WOW indeed!

What is AI, The Story of Stars, Climate in Chaos and Planet Full of Plastic are all published by Hachette Childrens Books.

Until 26th April Royal Albert Memorial Museum in #Exeter.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Children's Bookshow (@childrensbkshow)

Be prepared to learn LOTS and laugh LOADS!

Written by super author Nicola Davies, illustrated by your truly…

Published by Walker Books

Next week is all about trees, nature and art…

I’ll be in Torquay with the The Children’s Bookshow  and the Devon Wildlife Trust, reading my book ‘The Tree’, and running collage workshops with children in schools – which will then be exhibited in Torquay Library – hopefully over 130 artworks!

And every child attending will receive a book. How amazing is that?

Another great review! Poems by James Carter, drawings by me, published by Otter Barry Books.

An interesting article by Nicolette Jones in the Sunday Times about toys that ‘come alive’ covering great selection of books. Nice to see comparisons made with The Velveteen Rabbit, as this was certainly a touchstone for me when I was illustrating Stanley Rabbit.

Stanley is of course from the Emily Brown books written by Cressida Cowell published by Hachette Children’s Books, a series now spanning 20 years since it’s first publication.

#cressidacowell #thatrabbitbelongstoemilybrown #emilybrownbooks #neallayton #velveteenrabbit

Thrilled that my book ‘What is AI?’ Has been longlisted for the School Library Association Information Book Award. It’s an wonderful selection to be amongst – brimming with ideas, information and possibilities…

What is AI? was one of the most difficult books I’ve written for young readers, but I felt our world is changing SO FAST, it was important to find a way to present it clearly and simply. If you do read it, I hope you enjoy it.