Alex T. Smith’s Claude TV & New Picture Book: Claude All at Sea

This month we're celebrating all things CLAUDE!

We're very excited to announce that Alex T. Smith's Claude will be adapted into an animated series by BAFTA-winning Belfast-based animation studio, Sixteen South, for Disney Junior EMEA. The new series has just gone into production and is due to air in 2017 - there will be 52 episodes for boys and girls aged 4 to 6 and Sixteen South are keen to evoke the unique visual style of Alex's original pictures.

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Behind the Book: Ben Mantle’s ‘Dinostars’

On What Inspired the Story

Like many kids who grew up in the 80’s I loved my children’s TV.

Shows like Thundercats, He-man, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles were personal favourites.My background is in animation, so I naturally lean towards projects that have a more filmic quality to them and so I decided I would create my own version.

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Meet “Mamasaurus” with Stephan Lomp

At Bright we’re always eager to take a peek behind the creative curtain of our artists’ lives. We had the opportunity to chat with über talented Stephan Lomp following the March publication of his author/illustrated Mamasaurus (Chronicle Books). Read on to learn more about the development that went into Mamasaurus, and what Stephan has in store for this beloved dino family!

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Just Published: Neal Layton’s The Tree

Levi Pinfold’s Greenling Wins English Association Book Award

Congratulations to Levi Pinfold for winning the English Association's 7-11 years Picture Book Award for his haunting and thought-provoking fable, Greenling. Established in 1995, the awards are presented to the best children's Fiction and Non-Fiction picture books of the year.

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Arena Welcomes New Artist: Joe Lillington  

We are thrilled to introduce Joe Lillington, an exciting new talent to our roster. Joe is a recent graduate from University College Falmouth and already has two picture books under his belt.

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Charlie Sutcliffe’s Wonderful New Characterisations

Just back from Bologna Book Fair and Charlie Sutcliffe has produced a lovely series of dinosaurs! Rendering them in gouache paint, these are in a very different style to Charlie's digital artworks.

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Lucy Truman Illustrates the ‘Trebizon’ Series

Lucy Truman worked with the design team at Egmont to create a brand new look for the ‘Trebizon’ series.

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We Are Giants Cover Illustration by Kristyna Litten

Debut author Amber Lee Dodd's recently published book, We Are Giants, is beautifully illustrated by Arena illustrator Kristyna Litten, whose gorgeously subtle colour palette really compliments the heartwarming story of Sydney and her mum Amy.

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Thomas Flintham illustrates To Wee or Not to Wee

The winners of the Blue Peter Best Story Award, author Pamela Butchart and Arena illustrator Thomas Flintham are back with their fifth book in the series, To Wee or Not to Wee. Our heroine, Izzy can't wait to tell her friends what happens in Shakespeare's exciting, scary and humorous  plays, full of battles, loads of gore, witches, ghosts and even talking trees - they are the best stories ever.
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