Ellie Snowden and Rob Brydon's Paw-some New Book at the Lady Bird and Puffin Showcase!
Our tail-tally talented Plum Ellie Snowdon is illustrating Rob Brydon’s debut children’s picture book ‘The Cat in the Cupboard’, and the Puffin team invited Ellie and her agent Daisy Bee to the Ladybird and Puffin Picture Book Showcase- check out Daisy Bee's account of the day below!
Joy in the final books was evident as authors described their creative process, with playfulness a key aspect in bringing these ideas to life. Rob Brydon’s story began from a series of rhymes and wordplay about his ginger family cat Crumbles, before putting pen to paper upon encouragement from his family. Dan Ojari spoke of developing the idea for ‘Is This a Plum’ one evening with his son, and the fun of creating endless puns together. Huw Aaron shared a similar story, as a personal storyteller for his daughter’s bedtime tales, each night imagining a new world and set of characters, with a few of these ideas materialising in finished books for other children to enjoy.
It was wonderful to hear illustrators championed by authors and publishers throughout the morning, with Rob Brydon highly praising Ellie’s illustration talent, and the collaborative process prioritised by the Puffin team throughout the project.
About 'The Cat in the Cupboard':
A thoroughly positive morning was enjoyed by all, and ended with an incredible narration of ‘The Cat in the Cupboard’, by Rob Brydon. The cheeky main character Crumbles the cat, held everyone’s attention as his escapades were described in brilliant rhyme.
Inspired by Brydon’s own ginger family cat and by the stories he invented for his children, the book follows Crumble as he slips through his cupboard cat flap and into a different garden adventure each time.
Crumble’s unusual route into his outdoor playground, through a cupboard, lends his escapades a touch of Narnia-like magic. In this story, he steps straight into a sticky situation when he comes face to face with his arch-nemesis: the formidable next-door neighbour, with whom he has an ongoing battle of wills.
When Crumble’s beloved toy, Fluffy Mouse, falls into enemy hands, he must embark on a daring rescue mission, but next door is a dangerous place for a plucky cat.
Read more about the Lady Bird and Puffin Showcase here
The Ladybird and Puffin Showcase was a lovely morning of mingling, breakfast and plenty of books, as 9 exciting new picture books were presented, ranging from monkey-pigs and panda-badgers, to superhero mums, and not-so-cuddly cats!
A notable theme from the morning was humour and the importance of enjoyment for the adults reading the story too, with authors Ed Vere, Huw Aaron, Dan Ojari and Rob Brydon all discussing the aim to make the reader laugh, and encourage both parents and children to pick up the book again and again.
This idea of stories creating moments of connection, both for those creating the story, and those reading it, feeds into a different kind of creative process; one filled with personal experiences and memories. It was this process which Selina Brown and illustrator Maxwell A.Oginni joyfully shared with the audience, explaining their fond childhood memories smelling rice cooking at the weekend, and passionately fighting the case for whose rice was indeed best!
While Sue Meikle also shared fond memories of her daughter growing up, Ben Cajee’s motivations for ‘The Panda-Badger’, came from his own struggles feeling different as a child, and the desire to help others understand similar feelings. The importance of representation was a prominent theme discussed, with TikTok influencers Caitlin and Leah’s book ‘Supermums’ showcasing LGBTQ+ family life. Selina Brown shared a beautiful story from a recent event to a school, demonstrating the immediate positive effects of a mute pupil, putting up her hand to speak for the first time, after being inspired seeing an author and book character she felt represented by.
