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Posted on 6th September, 2023
I have a number of books being published over the next year or so:
A WAY TO THE STARS, picture book illustrated by Gill Smith, Walker Books, Nov 23.
This has already received a starred advance review by Kirkus Reviews in USA:
A WAY TO THE STARS [STARRED REVIEW!]
Author: David Almond
Illustrator: Gill Smith
A loving father supports his son’s desire to soar among the stars.
Joe’s bedroom shows the signs of a budding astronomer/determined engineer: a toy rocket, a solar system mobile, a sketchbook of transport ideas. His buddies laugh at him: “In your dreams!” His dad, however, suggests they “have a think” when he finishes hanging the laundry on the clothesline. The mixed-media scenes of this close-knit pair exude cozy, comfortable warmth on a fall day. They are both pale-skinned and sport black. They work on flight plans and implementation together; risk-taking is not impeded by another adult in the home. Dad catches his son when he falls from a tree and propels the cardboard rocket ferrying Joe from a homemade seesaw into a leaf pile. Almond’s trim text—with enough repetition and simplicity to engage emerging readers—leaves space for Smith’s narrative contributions. As the duo keeps trying (a trampoline, taped-on wings, a cannon), the fun grows. When his father asks if Joe is ready to give up, it’s now the protagonist who says, “In your dreams.” And that is how they eventually achieve their goal. After painting a marvelous skyscape, father and son fall asleep and, in their dreams, they “danced among the stars.” The palette has shifted from warm compositions to cool midnight blues.
An uplifting story featuring a child with big dreams and playful, responsive parenting.
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TWO NOVELS ARE COMING IN 2024: More details soon!
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SHORT STORY
I have a short story, Musical Speeches, in the anthology, The Poet and the Echo, published by Scratch Books in September ’23. The story was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
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INTERVIEW
There’s an interview with me by Suzi Feay in the 30 August issue of The Tablet.
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