Busy! Busy! Busy!

by Jonathan Shipton, Michael Foreman

Mum is in a bad mood. She has too much housework to do. The little boy understands she is at the end of her tether and when he finds her with tears rolling down her cheeks he gives her a big kiss. The author also wrote "In the Night". Foreman illustrated "The Sand Horse" and "Cat and Canary".

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

I was born in Birmingham in 1948 but have spent most of my adult life in Wales where I now live with my partner Viv. I have five children and three grandchildren who keep me young and fill me with ideas and inspiration.
I have always loved books and survived my dysfunctional childhood by burying myself in escapist fiction: Enid Blyton, Rider Haggard, G.A. Henty; Sherlock Holmes and Biggles were early addictions.

Although I have written stories and poetry all my life I started writing 'seriously' in 1989 when my youngest son started at play- group and I suddenly found myself with two glorious hours of uninterrupted time. It was now or never. After a pile of rejection slips I finally got my first picture book - In the Night - accepted in 1991.

I love the discipline of writing picture books; the ebb and flow between author and illustrator, the rhythm of the words. A successful book for me is one that satisfies both the child and their adult reader. It should be able to take the weight of being read over and over again without driving everyone mad!