Hello, dear reader. Do you remember the Ponds Institute? Here at girl and duck HQ, I desperately wanted to call our new school, The Pond Institute. In loving memory, of course. And so I could justify a lab coat. But. I didn't want to get sued. So, we have opened the girl and duck …
Let’s dress up! Book Week costumes a-plenty. Send me your pics!
Lights! Camera! Book Week! I LOVE dressing my characters. I have to know what they're wearing, in order to get a true sense of them. Over the years, loads of readers (and their parents) have sent me their Book Week, Truly Tan pics. But there's plenty more inspiration in my books. Here's my own little …
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How to become a better writer
I wrote my first picture book in the 1980s. It was about a teddy bear. Mr Bear spent several hours dangling from a clothesline. Gripping stuff. I popped my story in an envelope and sent it to a publisher. Six months later when the rejection slip arrived, I stuck it to the wall above my typewriter. …