wisdomist

The Big Green finally arrived in UK shops in January 2026. It launches in US shops in March. The story about this book has just begun. We have been careful and attentive to how the book is portrayed, and hopefully, this will make it more discoverable. There are so many new titles released each year that the biggest challenge to their success is whether or not readers know they exist. This post…

© Ken Wilson-Max 2013 So, I looked at the first version and thought something was not quite right. It looked too much like a real bird, too soft perhaps… I had to think about the final set of images and how I’d like to use them. It meant making a more detailed plan of the project. I’m really hopping to be able to screen print these and need to do some tests in January. Anyway, I came up with…

A few years ago Astro Girl was published to wide acclaim.It was followed by Eco Girl. It's with enormous pride that I introduce to you the next book in the series – Aqua Boy!

I’ve been asked a few times how and why Eco Girl andAstro Girl came to be. So made a short video which has some of the answers. It’s quite tricky to explain how publishing works because there aren’t very many easy answers. As a result any explanation can end up being long and indirect. But overall, making books for children is an enjoyable job. It’s not complicated but is conditional. It seems…

Eco Girl is here!

I created a portfolio page for Eco Girl, which was published in October 2022. It contains an outline of the book project, some sketches and some finished art. It was a really intense and enjoyable project to work on. Lets hope it is a successful book too!

Stars With Flaming Tales

The first poetry book I’ve had a the good fortune to be involved with is on the #CLiPPA2022 shortlist. So pleased! Wonderful poems by Valerie Bloom and a mountain of belief from Otter Barry Books. It’s also one of the few older children’s books I’ve illustrated, in black and white, all finished digitally on a tablet. The whole experience was a big step out of my comfort zone and I am so glad to…

The Power of The Drum

One of my most important books is “The Drum”. I wanted to find a way to write something African that was also universal, and easy to ‘get’. It had to be simple and rhythmic so that children and grown-ups could almost perform it without feeling self-conscious. I worked with Catell Ronca as the illustrator and she really delivered something special. Besides the voice, the drum is the oldest…

Astro Girl: Helen Sharman

Helen Sharman is a British chemist and astronaut who became the first British person, first Western European woman and first privately funded woman travel to space, as well as the first woman to visit the Mir space station in 1991. She travelled on a Soyuz spacecraft and spend eight days orbiting the Earth, living and working on the Mir Space Station. In space, her tasks included medical,…

Astro Girl: Judith Resnik

Judith Resnik was born in Akron, Ohio in 1949. Both her parents were Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. She joined the North African space Agency (NASA) in 1978 and sh made it to space in 1984 on the Space Shuttle Discovery as a mission specialist. On a space craft, a mission specialist is the astronaut with a specific mission, like doing medical or engineering experiments. Even though she made…

Astro Girls: Jeannette Epps

Jeannette Epps qualified as a NASA astronaut in 2011. Her training included extensive Russian, spacewalk and robotics training, and geology, T-38 jet training and leadership. She was aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO 18 undersea exploration mission for nine days in 201. In 2017, NASA announced that Epps would be a flight engineer on the International Space…

A Year in Video

The pandemic drove us all online more than ever for work, leisure and learning. The downside was needing stronger glasses to cope with the extra screen time, but the upside was meeting more people from around the world than ever before. in short we all had to take the best with what we had. I n my case I had wonderful people around me who helped to bring these events to life. Here are some of my…

Always something to learn.

Childrens book illustration trends are cyclical. Every four or five years methods from the past resurface. But digital work is on the increase. Each year the are better skilled illustrators producing wonderful work without using paint and paper. Some of us ‘old-schoolers’ find it hard to keep up. We are used to taking our time and our illustration rituals rely heavily on the feel, the smell and…

Astro Girls: Nancy Curry Greg

Nancy Currie-Gregg is an engineer, United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut. Her Twitter account (@Astro_Buckeye) introduction reads; @NASA Astronaut, @TAMU professor, engineer, wife, grandmother, reining horse enthusiast. She has been on four space shuttle missions and spent 1,000 hours in space. She flew as mission specialist – flight engineer, in 1993, 1995, 1998 for the…

The Illustrationist Newsletter is here!

I’ve been running a newsletter for a while which offers insights into creating books and publishing for children. This is after receiving many questions about becoming an author over the years and realising there is no way to answer everyone in a satisfying enough way. Take a look. Sign up