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David Lucas - As a child
"I was born in Middlesbrough, where my Mum was a teacher and my Dad worked in the steel works. I am the third of six brothers, and as children we were all dressed the same - same haircut, same jeans, same jumpers. When I was five years old we came to London (my Dad had decided to go to Art College) and at first we lived in a tent before moving to a council flat in Hackney. My parents both loved nature so I often spent holidays exploring forests and wandering on the moors in Yorkshire or by the seashore. I loved ruins and castles too - magical, haunted places. I always enjoyed drawing and in my teens I became fascinated by mythology and fairytales and folklore and began writing stories and inventing imaginary worlds and characters."
As an adult
"I live in east London, close to where I grew up, beside Victoria Park. My home is full of strange old books - books of magic spells and secret alphabets and half forgotten legends. I collect old toys too, and colourful folk art and carvings of scary tribal gods with staring eyes. I've always liked fancy dress parties - it's fun pretending to be someone you're not - and I enjoy being on my own in nature - I love places where I can escape the modern world and imagine I'm living centuries ago. I just feel very lucky to be able to make my living from writing stories and making pictures and mostly I live a very quiet life."
As an artist
"I believe the world is alive with magic - and it's that feeling that really inspires my work. My drawing is picture-writing - I never draw from life - I make patterns, as if I were knitting with ink. Writing, for me, is pattern-making too - putting words together as if they were simple shapes, making story-patterns that are a mixture of autobiography and myth and fairytale. I spend the mornings writing, looking out onto the park, listening to the birds singing and the canal boats chugging past. I paint and draw in my studio near London Fields. As well as making picture books I'm also working on an illustrated fantasy novel."
A giant baby is on the loose and everything in the Kingdom is about to be destroyed! He tramples the forest and flattens houses and bridges, he sits on the train station and shakes the passengers out of a double decker bus. Neither the soldiers or the airforce can stop him. As he approaches the castle, the King and Queen shake in terror and call a meeting of all their best advisors. What is to be done to save the kingdom? Only the Princess has an answer. As she keeps saying, he is only a baby…Young readers will love this playful and imaginary realisation of a familiar family drama which is vividly captured in Bruce Ingman’s large scale illustration which blend real and imaginary worlds perfectly.
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month July 2021 | A giant baby is on the loose and everything in the Kingdom is about to be destroyed! He tramples the forest and flattens houses and bridges, he sits on the train station and shakes the passengers out of a double decker bus. Neither the soldiers or the airforce can stop him. As he approaches the castle, the King and Queen shake in terror and call a meeting of all their best advisors. What is to be done to save the kingdom? Only the Princess has an answer. As she keeps saying, he is only a baby…Young readers will love this playful and imaginary realisation of a familiar family drama which is vividly captured in Bruce Ingman’s large scale illustration which blend real and imaginary worlds perfectly.
This Christmas-set story has the charm and depth to fill a year’s worth of reading. A woman is knitting a toy cat as a Christmas present for her daughter. ‘Why was I made?’ asks the cat – a question it repeats lots of times on an adventure that takes it out of the house and into the snow. Everything questioned – the stars, the wind, the river – has a different answer but it’s the sun’s that satisfies the little cat. David Lucas’s illustrations, predominantly purple, pink and blue, and often framed by patterned borders, conjure up a sense of things hand-made, and the story will set children thinking about life and love.
“This is my rock!” proclaims a young goat. “It’s not yours,” he bleats at Eagle. “Or yours,” he grumbles at Bear. “Nor yours!” he shouts at the other goats that dare to climb his rock. But standing atop a mountain all day and night can be lonely, especially when you have no one else to play with…
Everybody loves chocolate! Grendel certainly loves it more than anything else so, when he finds a message inside a chocolate egg and offering him three wishes, he naturally makes a very terrible mistake. After he has turned the dog and his mum into chocolate, Grendel soon learns that there are other things that matter besides chocolate.
Everybody loves chocolate! Grendel certainly loves it more than anything else so, when he finds a message inside a chocolate egg and offering him three wishes, he naturally makes a very terrible mistake. After he has turned the dog and his mum into chocolate, Grendel soon learns that there are other things that matter besides chocolate.
One very special Christmas Eve, Bunting and the rest of the toys in the museum are gathered around the tree - but what's this? There are no presents! What can they do? The normally reserved Bunting has a wonderful idea. Why don't the toys give themselves to each other as gifts?
“I’ll never be beaten!” boasts the skeleton pirate. But it turns out not be true... Bound in chains and tossed over board by his enemies, the Skeleton Pirate is set free by a mermaid before both are swallowed up by a passing Whale. How the skeleton pirate learns that there are better ways of behaving than fighting makes a delightful story and David Lucas’s illustrations are as striking as ever.
The Lying Carpet is a timeless philosophical fairytale about taking control of one's life and will capture readers of all ages. It's the story of a little girl who wakes up to find she is a statue in a room with just a tiger skin rug for company. Has she always been a statue or was she once a little girl - which the tiger seems to lead her to believe ? But can what the tiger says be trusted and if so, will it set her free? David Lucas' storytelling powers are second to none. With breathtaking illustrations and verse with wonderful a off-beat rhythm The Lying Carpet is something to share and enjoy with the whole family.
Full of enchanting magic, all the excitement of Christmas is packed into this delightful story. It's Christmas Eve and the toys in the museum discover that there are no presents under the tree! How disappointing! Cleverly, they think of a plan. Wrapping each other up as gifts, they know they’ll all have something to unwrap. But when Bunting is unwrapped, there’s nothing left for him to open! Luckily, someone is keeping a special eye on the toys and soon Christmas is full of traditional sparkle.
What do toys do when no humans are about? A fabulous night time adventure as all the toys in the museum come to life and play a wonderful game of hide and seek. David Lucas’s illustrations are full of detail making them perfect to enjoy time after time. David Lucas is an extraordinary new talent in children's picture books - in 2008, he was named as one of The Big Picture campaign's Best New Illustrators.
Tender and touching, Cake Girl is a delicious fantasy in which a lonely and unhappy witch is taught how to be kind and loving by the charming Cake Girl she creates. With no friends for her birthday, the witch makes a Cake Girl first to keep her company and then to eat. But to save herself from being eaten, Cake Girl comes up with a better idea. She teaches the witch how to be nice. Soon the two of them are having a wonderful time enjoying all kinds of magic and, by the end of it, the witch knows all about how to be nice. Lovereading comment: Tender and touching, Cake Girl is a delicious fantasy in which a lonely and unhappy witch is taught how to be kind and loving by the charming Cake Girl she creates. With no friends for her birthday, the witch makes a Cake Girl first to keep her company and then to eat. But to save herself from being eaten, Cake Girl comes up with a better idea. She teaches the witch how to be nice. Soon the two of them are having a wonderful time enjoying all kinds of magic and, by the end of it, the witch knows all about how to be nice.
