Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2012

Cor! How about that then?! 

My book "Claude in the City" is shortlisted in the Children's Fiction category for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize! 

I'm very excited about it and really honored to be amongst some really great books written and illustrated by some super authors and illustrators.

The books are being promoted in store and online from now until when the winners are announced on 28th March, so do check them all out.

I'm equally as pleased and excited for my fellow Arena Illustration (Team Arena) illustrator Jonny Duddle whose brilliant book The Pirates Next Door is up for the award in the Picture Book category. Jonny's work is breathtakingly beautiful, cinematic and full of warmth and charm and quirky characters. He's also had the  green-with-envy making job of working as a designer on the new Aardman Pirates movie.

Also in the picture book category are books by the brilliantly bonkers Nadia Shireen and the fantastic Marta Altes. 

Good luck to all and I can't wait to see you all at the awards ceremony!

Ella! ( Front Cover Sneaky Peek!)

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Ta- DAH! Here it is! The final cover for my new picture book ELLA which hits the shops in paperback and hardback form early 2012 ( just in time for Valentine's day!)

Hasn't my designer Alex Fowler at Scholastic done a brilliant job?! I'm really pleased with it and I can't wait to see the finish thing in all it's glossy or maybe shiny glory!

EGG!

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"Of all the suspicious looking houses in all the deserted woods

in all the world, he had to roll up to hers..."

Yesterday this arrived -my advance copy of my new picture book - EGG!

I'm so delighted with it - the colours have reproduced beautifully and the spot varnish on the cover is a glorious, shiny treat.

If you think you might like to read an exciting story - a sort of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?/A Streetcar Named Desire, but for children and with a Fox and an egg - this is the book for you.

It can be pre-ordered here, or here and of course at you local independent bookseller.

(Don't forget about them - they are brilliant.)

I do apologise for the quality of the photos. The light today is truly awful and these are very much the best of a bad bunch!

Tom and Matt: The Baddie and The Horrible Princess

How exciting!

Sarah, the brilliant art director/ book designer extraordinaire over at Meadowside Children's Books, has just sent these photos over.

They show the hot-of-the-press advance copies of my two new books.

(Brilliantly) Written by ( the very nice and tremendously talented) Anna Maxted, they tell the story of brothers Tom and Matt (and their little brother - Baby) who go on two amazing adventures.

THE BADDIE takes place in Deep Space when Tom and Matt find that their parents have been kidnapped by the dastardly BADDIE. Thank goodness the two brothers have their blasters and a cardboard box spaceship so they can come to the rescue and (hopefully) save the day!

In THE HORRIBLE PRINCESS, Isabella (or IS-A-SMELLA) the little girl from over the road, kidnaps Matt's best toy - Baby Dragon. The boys, their little brother Baby and a new, enormous, fire-breathing friend, are determined to get Baby Dragon back. What follows is a terrifically exciting adventure involving knights and dragons, a castle with a deep, dark dungeon, Kung-Fu fighting dolls and lots and lots of enchanted frogs!

Both books were such fun to illustrate and I can't wait for them to hit the bookshops.

The Baddie is publishing at the end of July this year with The Horrible Princess following in September. You can pre-order both books here and here!

Introducing...CLAUDE!

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The first in my children's fiction series 'CLAUDE' is available now for pre-order!

To find out now, and place your order, click here and here!

More details soon!

Bella and Monty: A Hairy, Scary Night!

OUT NOW IN PAPERBACK!

Kind words and nice things

Images via The Apple and the Egg.

Bella and Monty: A Hairy Scary Night by Alex T Smith

Published in 2009 by Hodder Children's Books

Kind things being said about my book 'Bella and Monty: A Hairy Scary Night' by the very nice Nikalas over at The Apple and the Egg. Thanks you!

The Apple and the Egg is a brilliant website and a wonderful resource - so great to be able to have a peak inside other's illustrator's sketchbooks.*

* I am quite nosey.

My Mum has X-Ray Vision

The first review for my newest book 'My Mum has X-Ray Vision'  (written by Angela McAllister) is in and can be seen here at The Bookbag website.

I'm so pleased the reviewer liked it.

***SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT***

If you would like to read it  it's available in hardback and paperback here on Amazon and at your local book shops!

My Mum has X-Ray Vision!

My next book is now available to pre-order from Amazon both in Hardback and paperback!

It's an exciting story written by Angela McAllister with illustrations by me. Publishing in January.