Tuesday 29 September 2015

Another London Calls review...

From the fabulous, the fantastical, the one and only Instagram sensation: @thereadingninja

Very much like that ninja picks up on London Calling/the Clash/punk vibe of the book. Nice one ninja.

#thereadingninja

Monday 28 September 2015

WILL MESSY GET KIDS TO LOVE SCIENCE?

* "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about"

A super review of "Messy Goes to Okido" by Lucy Gill for the Huff Post parenting section!

I'm pretty chuffed that the Balloons episode gets a specific mention - and thrilled that it's in an albeit slightly contentious context. 

(See my mum's similar comments in an earlier post…)

"The legendary: Valley of the Lost Balloons"
The Okido magazine/Doodle production team should be delighted - reviews don't get much better than this!

Read the full review here: Will Messy Get Kids to Love Science?
This little monster has come a long way...



*Oscar Wilde


#OKIDO
#MESSYGOESTOOKIDO
#ART&SCIENCE
#STEM



OKIDO - the TV issue!


To celebrate Messy & the gang getting their own 52-part series on CBeebies the 37th issue of OKIDO magazine is all about…
...TV!


Messy blasts out of the cover of the TV issue!

1. Messy, Zoe & Felix watching the moon
2. Make a TV set & star in your very own TV show!
3. Cut out & make Messy goes to Okido characters!
4. Make a flip-o-rama? 


SO MANY THINGS TO MAKE AND DO IN EVERY ISSUE!

#OKIDO
#MESSYGOESTOOKIDO
#ART&SCIENCE
#STEM











Wednesday 23 September 2015

Autumn

#colour




Jay feathers, sloes, oak leaves, lichen, acorns and blackberries


Monday 14 September 2015

Junior Hipster review...

Oh Alex is going to love this one… I myself am quite delighted by the unashamed embrace of this word and all that it suggests. Enough about the blog's name, this is a smashing little review of our little book.

Thank you Junior Hipster and rock on all you hipster kids out there!



JUNIOR HIPSTER BLOG REVIEW

And the latest ECO KIDS PLANET magazine…all about the Eastern Himalayas

The latest issue of Eco Kids has arrived! It's just as jam-packed with info, stories, games and activities as usual, plus two pull-out card sections, a quiz and an experiment!

The Eastern Himalayas issue 
The introduction...
…Incredible Animal Discoveries Trumps...

…and Interview with a Snow Leopard

Three pieces of mine in this issue (see above). 

And for a bit of unbiased background information, check out the reviews of Eco Kids Planet magazine on cool blogs:

Curious Mum and Mellow Mummy

Time for me to go and write an Interview a Bengal Tiger for the next issue…



A Possum's Tail hits China!

So, A Possum's tail continues its journey around the globe - next stop...CHINA! Received a delicious package this morning from Tate Publishing: a paper parcel that contained a plastic-wrapped twin-pack of books (one the Possum, the other a possibly alarming tale that involves a hunter with a gun trying to shoot animals) both enclosed in an activity sheet for each book). 
Altogether excellent…


A Possum's Tail, Chinese edition
What a wonderful package!
Here's the other book and the activity sheet…





Saturday 12 September 2015

Yahooooo!

What an amazing job Doodle productions/SquintOpera has done - I'm feeling so proud to be part of such a beautiful project. It hasn't been easy to adapt an arts and science printed magazine for kids that's so fresh, imaginative and visually remarkable as well as scientifically robust. How do you transfer the charm, character and energy of Okido into a completely different medium to reach a far broader market? But we've done it. And not only does it look great, but it's funny, smart, clear and has a cracking soundtrack and super-sticky theme song! Plus the simple science is all there, wrapped-up in an awesome adventure story every episode.


On that point, my mother was worried that children might think there really is a Valley of the Lost Balloons  - but is that such a bad thing? After all, there's Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny...

Messy's Lost Balloon
The legendary: "Valley of the Lost Balloons…"

Zoe & Felix chasing the escaped balloons
Giggling, lighter-than-air helium gas particles
Heavy air particles 
"Hello! My name's Messy & I'm a monster - but I'm not scary!"

Friday 11 September 2015

IT'S ARRIVED!

MESSY GOES TO OKIDO IS ON CBEEBIES EVERY WEEK DAY AT 4.20pm

And today - Friday 11th September - is my 1st episode:

"MESSY'S LOST BALLOON"

& if you can't catch the show today, you can always watch it on iPlayer any time afterwards!


BACKGROUND information...

My first picture book - called A Possum's Tail - is a collaboration with brilliant illustrator Alex Barrow and came out 6th February 2014. A second book called London Calls! is a whistle-stop tour of London, led by a Pearly grandma and her granddaughter. London Calls! came out on 4th September 2014 and is my second book with Alex Barrow. A Possum's Tail was nominated for the 2015 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal.
Both books are by Tate Publishing.

Please see my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE or CURRICULUM VITAE for more details & updates.

As well as writing children's books, for children's television and two award-winning children's magazines, I do both private and commercial art commissions, a selection of which you can see here.

The children's shoes are part of an ongoing series of "first shoes", including several cards commissioned by the Almanac Gallery.

Hand-drawn, bespoke invitations, announcements, portraits and menus, such as the examples here are also available upon request..

Any enquiries please email: gabbydawnay@gmail.com

OKIDO MAGAZINE AND TV

I've been a regular contributor to children's art and science magazine OKIDO since 2007. HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY (WOW) beautiful Okido!

An Okido animated kids tv show, based on characters from the magazine is currently in production with Doodle/Squintopera http://www.doodle-productions.com. The original adaptation of the show (co-created/adapted by myself, producer Ceri Barnes and Doodle Productions) was acquired by CBeebies. 52 x 11 minute episodes will be coming to a screen near you soon in 2015.......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .............................
MESSY GOES TO OKIDO Series ONE & TWO is now available to stream on Netflix & most episodes are available to watch on YouTube. Series THREE is currently in production.

CBeebies

CBeebies
OKIDO

Cartoon Forum 2011 Okido booklet

Cartoon Forum 2011 Okido booklet
Okido Cartoon Forum 2011

Happy Birthday OKIDO!

Happy Birthday OKIDO!
Okido was 5 years old this issue...the wonderful art and science magazine for kids I've been lucky enough to have worked on for the past - 8 - years now