A rather nice posting recently reminded me of how much I love the illustrations in children’s books (putting aside the debate about whether such a thing really exists). The post reminded me of how much I loved the Tolkien-drawn cover of my own childhood copy of ‘The Hobbit’. I had always had something similar in mind for my own book: ‘A DEAD ELF’ (not a children’s book!) but updated, to reflect the differences in the two book’s content.
I was a little shy of mentioning this to my new publishers though, as it seemed a little ‘precious’ of me (ha). So, it was with excitement, and some trepidation, that I open the image file from my publisher – and was completely bowled over! It was like the talented artist and illustrator Alexandra Allden had been reading my mind! Just the right sort of ‘nod’, while being distinctive in itself. I could not have imagined a cover that more closely matched my expectations, or for that matter the book! Still in love with it – especially the soft touch paperback cover.
Looking forward to the next one, Alexandra!
Nicely Strongoak 