Simon James's Blog

Polly belongs to Molly, Eric belongs to Derek, Martha belongs to Arthur – everyone knows that owners and their dogs belong together in their own unique way. There’s a poodle, a sausage dog and an old English sheep dog, and they are all suspiciously like their owners.

But for poor Mr Scruff, alone in the dogs’ home, there is no one – until a very special little boy arrives looking for a friend…

You can read quite a lot into this heartwarming picture book, which only adds to the joy. The young boy, Jim, picks a dog who looks nothing like him. He’s small, Mr Scruff is big. Their names don’t even rhyme! But they’re still the best of friends. There’s a gently inclusive message here to look past your preferences, and outside your bubble, and welcome all kinds of different people in your life. People come in all shapes and sizes and everyone deserves love and kindness.

It’s a snuggly, cuddly sort of book that inspires a real sense of belonging and home, as well as appealing to all young animal lovers.

After all, you could definitely just enjoy Mr Scruff for its brilliant read-aloud rhymes and funny watercolour illustrations. The expressions and detail on each dog are brilliant! By the end, your biggest problem will be convincing your child not to go out and get their own Mr Scruff immediately…

Book Trust -October 2019

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“The Boy Who Went to Mars” (Candlewick, 30 pages, $16.99), a child dismayed by his mother’s departure on a business trip relieves his feelings by jumping into a cardboard rocket and blasting off. When the spaceship returns to Earth, as we see in Simon James’s engaging ink-and-watercolor illustrations, a small “Martian” emerges wearing rubber gloves and a colander on his head. “I’ve come to explore your sibilization,” the Martian tells the boy’s family in a book that is a perfect equipoise of wit, tenderness and empathy.

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Here is the finished cover (front and back) for Mr Scruff. I hope you like it. I am not sure when the book is being published, it is sometime next year. I will let you know nearer the time on this page.

The post Mr Scruff -the cover appeared first on Simon James Books.

A couple of the covers from The Boy From Mars I received in the post today. They are in Japanese and Danish. The book is also being published in the United States, China, Australia, South Korea -and hopefully more to come.

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Mr Scruff is complete. Well, almost. I just have the cover to sort out. The cover above, is just a rough, I will be working on it for the next few weeks. I will post it here when it is finished. The book will be published in 2019.

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Have you seen how dog owners can often look like their dogs? This is part of the theme for my latest book project, it’s called Mr Scruff. All the dogs in the book seem to be perfectly matched with the right-looking owner, but who will look after Mr Scruff, he is waiting at the local dog rescue centre for the right person…

The post Latest Project appeared first on Simon James Books.

The Boy From Mars is published in hardback in the UK in November 2018. This illustration depicts the moment when Will introduces the ‘martian’ to his dad. ‘You’re just in time for tea’ says Dad. You can click on to the Books Page for more information.

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Simon’s new book ‘Frog and Beaver is published today, below is a review from Lovereading4kids.com

Lovereading4kids: ‘From the best-selling author of classics such as Dear Greenpeace and Leon and Bob, Frog and Beaver is a beautiful book about friendship, tolerance and respect. Frog is delighted when Beaver moves in nearby and immediately welcomes him as a friend. But Beaver’s determination to build the biggest and best dam ever causes all sorts of upset to the other river creatures, and eventually to Beaver himself. Fortunately Frog is on hand to help and to show Beaver how he can make everything perfect again, including his new dam. The different animal characters are full of personality while the river bank setting is beautifully realised in Simon James’s watercolour illustrations. There’s a great deal for children to enjoy and to think about in this compact little adventure story. ~ Andrea Reece, Lovereading4kids.’

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It’s been another busy year with many events around the country, particularly with the publication of a special edition of Dear Greenpeace, to celebrate it’s 25th year. There have been more new festivals to attend this year, starting with a new one for me, the Henley Book Festival last September, and then Birmingham, Totnes Children’s Book Festival, WOW at Worthing, Cardiff Book Festival and culminating in another event at the Hay on Wye Literary Festival in May. I am also looking forward to attending Cheltenham Literary Festival and the ‘Off the Shelf’ book festival in Sheffield later this autumn. It is always a great pleasure to get out of my studio and meet children and parents at these events.

As always , my school visits have kept me busy. I would like to post here a sincere thank you to all the teachers and children who have welcomed me in to their school halls. There are too many for me to list here, but a special mention to Widey Court, St Andrews, Plympton St Maurice, and St Mary’s in Plymouth, South Marsdon in Swindon, Denbury School, Prince’s Mead in Winchester, Callington and Burraton schools in Cornwall and Marlborough Primary School. Finally, thank you to the lively teenagers at Exe Academy in Exeter. These are just a few of the many wonderful schools I have enjoyed visiting this year. Thank you to all.

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