MICHELLE ROBINSON - CHILDREN'S AUTHOR
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All the latest updates from me.

10 Years on the Shelves!

4/1/2022

 
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Sorry I've been quiet recently. I've not had much time to update this blog, or send out newsletters to schools, and I've not been posting much on social media. It's a sign that I've been busy, busy, busy.

Busy settling into a new home - I moved to Atlantic Canada last year with my family, not the smallest of undertakings - and busy with new writing projects and virtual school visits.

I have, I think, at least 10 books currently in production, and I'm working on several brand new ones. This makes me very happy as I celebrate 10 years on the bookshelves today. 

Thanks to my agents, The Catchpole Agency for getting behind me, and thanks to YOU for reading. I'm a very happy author indeed.

Isabelle and The Crooks - out now!

1/14/2022

 
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Isabelle and The Crooks is out in hardback with Walker Books! I'm so excited. It's my first picture book collaboration with my friend, Chris Mould.

Chris is one of my absolute illustration HEROES. His work is as unique, wicked and charming as he is, and I'm so chuffed that we're making books together. Look out for number two later this year...

I'm also as honoured as ever to be working with Tanya, Ines, Maria, Dee and the rest of the team at Walker. They're truly brilliant too, as are James, Celia and Lucy at The Catchpole Agency. Back when I was only dreaming of making books, this is how I hoped it might be. Thank you, all, you're champs!

Anyhow, a funny story for you... I emigrated to Canada a few months ago, and my new house belonged to an Isabelle who lived here into her 90s. She shared many attributes with Isabelle Crook, but I doubt she was half as sneaky, and I'm fairly certain she was a law-abiding citizen...

I hope you all enjoy the story - I know you'll enjoy looking at the pictures. Here's the blurb...

They are sneaky. They are stealthy. They are cunning... They're the CROOKS!

Isabelle Crook is a very good little girl, who would never dream of breaking the law.

Her family, on the other hand, are the stealthiest, most cunning burglars around!

Can Isabelle ever feel like one of the gang - a true Crook - while staying true to herself?
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Irreverent and adventurous, this picture book comedy sees everyone tip-toeing about at night, and is brought to life by Chris Mould's expressive, gloriously detailed illustrations.

Witch In Training - out for Halloween!

10/9/2021

 
Front cover of Witch In Training by Michelle Robinson and Briony May Smith, A young witch rides a broom through a starlit sky, her red cloak flowing behind her. A ginger kitten sits between her hands as they grasp the broomstick, an owl flies alongside them and papers fly in their trail, spilling from the witch's open satchel.
Witch In Training, with enchanting illustrations by Briony May Smith, is now available from Walker Books! It's the follow-up to the equally gorgeous Tooth Fairy in Training, which is also packed with Briony's charming characters and background details that are truly a delight to delve in to.

Betty, the little witch in our story, is having just the kind of adventure I've always dreamed young witches must have. She hops on her broomstick to go shopping for potion ingredients, joined by her mum and her kitten, Pumpkin Patch. But shopping is exciting work in her magical world - read the book and follow her to ghostly tombs, zombie towns and enchanted woods in a cosy spooky world that's just right for Halloween!

I hope you enjoy Witch In Training! 
A mother witch and her young daughter, each with long purple hair and green skin, are standing beneath a tree inhabited by fairies. The tree is alight with glowing fairy house windows. Mother witch holds a glowing fairy in her hands and smiles at it happily as the fairy sprinkles fairy dust into the daughter witch's upturned hat.
Look out for Tate and May from Tooth Fairy in Training, making a cameo appearance! Art © Briony May Smith 2021

When Cucumber Lost His Cool - out now!

8/6/2021

 
It's here! The third instalment in me and Tom Knight's funny food series, published by the equally fun folks at Scholastic.

When Cucumber Lost His Cool features a very confident Cucumber named Kevin -- but even Kevin can't stay chilled ALL the time. Luckily his friends are around to help him out. Fans of The Day The Banana Went Bad might spot a certain bad banana hanging out in some of Tom's colourful scenes, too...

I hope you enjoy reading it! I shared it with a school recently, and every class I read it to loved joining in the refrain, :If you wanna be cool, just repeat after me: I AM A CUCUMBER, COOL AS CAN BE!"
Front cover of When Cucumber Lost His Cool. A cartoon cucumber with a cross face is stomping on his own sunglasses. A strawberry watches on, a little alarmed.

Red Truck, Yellow Truck - out now!

8/2/2021

 
RED TRUCK, YELLOW TRUCK is now available across North America from Peachtree Publishing! Jez Tuya's illustrations are a delight - loads of fun vehicles to discover, complete with a cast of adorable, funny doggy drivers. 

It also publishes in the UK with Andersen Press next month, where tongue twister fans can get their teeth around the slightly different title - RED LORRY, YELLOW LORRY! And Denmark and Finland get a look in too, but their titles are a tongue twist too far for me.

Look out for this book if you have vehicle loving tots. It really is packed with fun.
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Art © Jez Tuya 2021.
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Do Not Mess With the Mermaids - publishing  8 July!

5/23/2021

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Front cover of Do Not Mess With the Mermaids. A sassy mermaid sits on a rock. Princess Grace, wearing armour over her gown, looks annoyed by her. Above them a cute baby dragon looks ready to create mischief.
YAY! We're going back to Wondermere! Do Not Disturb the Dragons, my first chapter book, was one of the many published during lockdown when shops and libraries were closed. Poor Sir Grace didn't get quite the epic launch she deserved. I hope her second quest in Wondermere makes a good old splash!

I have loved working on these books. The whole team at Bloomsbury have been amazing throughout, and Sharon Davey's illustrations are just superb. Beyond superb, really - they're characterful, funny, engaging and add so much to the humour and sense of place. Grace's third adventure is taking shape, too, so I really hope you'll enjoy diving in to these action-packed stories with me.

​Here's an example of Sharon's amazing internal art, followed by the blurb ...
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Dennis takes a bath in the pot - Art © Sharon Davey 2021, c/o Bloomsbury
Grace has proved to the kingdom of Wondermere that when it comes to courage, determination, playing TROLL-O on unicorn-back and being a BRAVE KNIGHT, she's just as good as any boy!

But now Wondermere is expecting a VERY IMPORTANT visitor: the MERMAID QUEEN of the Outer Ocean. That means frilly dresses and best behaviour – and absolutely NO RULE BREAKING.

But when a purple DRAGON EGG falls into the moat of Wondermere castle, Grace and her sister Princess Portia find themselves babysitting a BIG SECRET.

One teeny tiny little dragon called Dennis couldn't possibly disturb the royal visit … could he?

Cheeky, charming and laugh-out-loud funny, this is the side-splitting sequel to bestselling Michelle Robinson's debut young fiction novel, Do Not Disturb the Dragons. Chock-full of chuckles (and grumpy unicorns), it's perfect for fans of Cressida Cowell and Pamela Butchart.

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1, 2, 3 Do The Shark!

5/21/2021

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I have a new picture book coming out 24 June. It would have been on shelves sooner, but my shark got held up in the Suez Canal blockage! 1, 2, 3 Do The Shark is published by Farshore and illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw. Her undersea scenes are gorgeous and her characters are adorable! If you enjoyed 1 ,2, 3 Do The Dinosaur, you're in for a treat! I suppose I ought to invest in a shark onesie ... but maybe only if it doesn't require international shipping.

It's available to pre-order from all the usual places, I highly recommend asking a local independent book store to bagsy you a copy - The Rocketship Bookshop in Salisbury can definitely sort you out.
Illustrated front cover of 1,2,3 Do the Shark. A smiling little girl in a shark onesie is splashing in a rockpool with a baby turtle and crab.

​The irresistible undersea follow-up to 1, 2, 3, Do the Dinosaur, shortlisted for the 2020 BookTrust Storytime Prize

1, 2, 3! Do the shark with me!
4, 5 … DIVE to the bottom of the sea!

There's a storm brewing and Bessie's fish friends are scared. Luckily Bessie has the perfect solution – a fun-filled journey to the ocean depths. But deep down, there is something else lurking… It couldn't be … a REAL shark, could it?

A fun-filled rhyming adventure, with a message about facing your fears and making friends!
Author Michelle Robinson is dressed in a dinosaur onesie. She is holding her book 1,2,3 Do the Dinosaur and is smiling.
Illustration from 1,2,3, Do the Shark. An undersea scene with bubbles, seaweed and a variety of small, friendly, colourful fish.
Art © Rosalind Beardshaw 2021, c/o Farshore
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The World Made a Rainbow - read by David Tennant!

3/15/2021

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This is an amazing bit of news to be able to share. An animated version of The World Made a Rainbow will be available to watch from 3.30pm today, read by David Tennant!

Thanks to everyone who has bought and shared THE WORLD MADE A RAINBOW. It's been absolutely wonderful to receive your messages and see all the incredible ways you've been using the book in schools and nurseries. Just a few of your images are shown above, but I've honestly been inundated.

The book has been helping children talk about their feelings during the strange and unsettling times we're living through. I know from your messages that it's been helping adults, too. It's raised £25k for Save The Children so far, and I couldn't be more proud. Thanks to David Tennant for lending the story his gorgeous voice, and well done to the whole team behind the book and the animation. This is a proud day for us all, and it's so great that the story will now be accessible in another way.

David Tennant’s reading can be viewed here from 3.30 p.m. this afternoon UK time (Monday March 15th 2021). 
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New video for World Book Day 2021

2/24/2021

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Here's a video for World Book Day and beyond. I answer the five questions I am most frequently asked during my school visits. I hope you find it helpful. Teachers: if your class has extra questions, you can always email them to me; I promise I'll reply. Enjoy World Book Day. I'm sure this year it will feel extra special knowing that, in just a few days, everyone will be back in school together. At last!
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Free half term event!

2/11/2021

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Join me and illustrator Tom Knight for some free half term fun, live online on Wednesday 17th February at 11am (UK). It's free to watch, bagsy your space and watch live on the day by following this link: ​crowdcast.io/e/when-jelly-had-a-wobble/register
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    Michelle Robinson is a
    UK-based, best-selling, major award-winning, sausage-wearing children's author.

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