Bookstart 20th anniversary

Spent an excellent afternoon hanging out with other illustrator folk and authors at the Kensington
Roof Gardens to celebrate 20 years of BOOKSTART. Which is a scheme set up originally by the wonderful Wendy Cooling and responsible for giving FREE books to babies and pre schoolers. There website says:


It’s never too early to start enjoying books with your baby.
Very true. I honestly don't know what I would have done without
Willesden Library when my own son was very little. Being able to take him to choose his own books and meet up with other families 
was an absolute god send on more than one occasion!


I was thrilled to be asked to join everyone and I got a bit distracted by watching:


Camilla Duchess of Cornwall swanning around.


Philip Ardaghs beard - and him tweeting for England.


Christine Hamilton....?


Cake.


Fizz.


Here's a few photos from the day. Long may the scheme continue!
Back to work in the shed for me now.

Making speeches before the CAKE!

Philip Ardah about to attack me
with his umbrella.

Book royalty!
Chris Riddell - Emily Gravett- Cathrine Rayner
Three AMAZING award winning illustrators and writers together.
Take a look at their websites and the work they do.

More book royalty.
Shirley Hughes
was there and I took this
sneaky snap
of her signing a book.

Great to catch up with Ed Vere, who's
books are HILARIOUS. Check them out here. And Jim Field.
Jim illustrated Cat's Ahoy! that won the Roald Dahl funny prize  picture book 2011. 

Jim was trying to take a picture of Christine Hamilton
for me who's in
the background. (With Axel Scheffler too!) 

Look it's Steve Cole! 

With us again.

Julia Donaldson- Marjorie Blackman- Nick Sharrat

Philip - tweeting.

Camilla talking to Shirley Hughes. SPOT the SECURITY MAN on the left.

A beard off - with fabulous Nick Sharrat and Philip.
Nick illustrats Jaqueline Wilson's books amongst
MANY other books. I went to his BOOK launch for SOCKS.

Christine Hamilton with fairy princesses
who look quite stern.

Julia Donaldson about to read her POEM to all (and cake).

a

Shirley Hughes.

Actress and author Susan Hampshire -
Who is very severely dyslexic
I seem to remember? She had to develop all
kinds of ways to learn her lines.

My empty glass.
As soon as Camilla
disappeared we all DUG into
the CAKE straight away.