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One of the World Book Day 2014 Authors.
Emily Gravett has a rare talent indeed for creating exceptional books for children. The winner of two Kate Greenaway Awards, her skill and wit are second to none as she pushes the boundaries and wrings maximum fun and detail from every page. Emily first sprang into the limelight with the ground-breaking Wolves, in 2005, which has been followed by such brilliant modern classics as Meerkat Mail, Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears, Monkey and Me and The Odd Egg and the fabulous Bear and Hare series for younger readers, as well as the beautiful Tidy. Each book is unique and different from the last - and each features endearing, beautifully drawn characters that touch the heart and tickle the funny bone. Emily lives in Brighton with her family. Her next picturebook with Two Hoots, Meerkat Christmas will be publishing in October.
Read a Q&A with the author here. Follow Emily on Instagram.
Julia Eccleshare, the editorial expert on Lovereading4kids says, Prize-winning illustrator Emily Gravett’s distinctive illustrations are always full of wit bringing the unexpected into stories and injecting them all with delightful humour. There’s magic in Spells as a frog turns himself into a handsome prince – well, almost!, excellent advice for rabbits on how to spot the danger of wolves in Wolves, lots of useful tips on how to be braver than you feel in Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears, a thoughtful exploration of how home often turns out to be best despite feelings of wanderlust in Meerkat Mail, a celebration of exuberant movement in Monkey and Me and a fresh and delightful look at Dogs.
Meg and Ash, two magpies, build a cosy nest in the tallest tree for their four bright blue eggs. But they then start to get worried ‘their nest/ Needed more stuff to make it the best.’ Written in rhyming verse, we stare in amazement at all the things the magpies collect to add to their nest – until there is no hope of seeing the nest, and we can only see the teetering heap of things that have been added on top! Disaster strikes as the tree gives way! Happily, all the animals around help to clear the mess – and create useful homes and shelters out of all the rubbish! A gentle, funny and very beautifully illustrated poem, with a little frisson of anxiety when the tree collapses, about waste and recycling – a good way to introduce children to the idea of recycling useful things. As ever with Emily Gravett – there is a great deal going on in all the illustrations – lots to see and talk about, all beautifully laid out across the double-page spreads. The end papers are particularly fun, containing adverts for some of the items in the book – and also an advert for libraries! I particularly liked the 4 ‘R’s of Recycling right at the back of the book! This will become a class and personal favourite for many people – children and adults alike – and could provide the basis for class projects on recycling, too.
December 2019 Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month November 2019 | The delightful Meerkats are back for a new and special Christmas adventure. Everyone in the Meerkat family is excitedly getting ready for the perfect Christmas in their home in the Kalahari Desert. But Sunny is sure that something is missing. Well, many things! His Book on Christmas tells him that the perfect weather needs to be snow, the perfect presents have to be in a huge pile, the perfect dinner has to include well-boiled sprouts while the perfect music to accompany it all has to be Christmas carols. Donning his Christmas hat, Sunny sets off on an adventure to find somewhere more Christmassy. Visiting his friends around the world, Sunny finds that some have snow, some have presents, some have sprouts but all have something missing …
Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2020 | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month June 2019 | Award-winning author/ illustrator Emily Gravett explores the fun of being friends but different in this light-hearted and playful picture book. Sad Cyril the squirrel is all alone in the park until he finds a meets Pat. Together Cyril and Pat have a great time playing all kinds of games and making sure each other is safe – especially from the fierce dog Slim. Does it matter that they are different? Everyone else thinks so but Cyril and Pat know that they can be the best of friends come what may. Readers will love knowing the joke, and the point, before Cyril and Pat get it!
Witty and characterful illustrations and a clever rhyming text tell an inspiring tale of friendship against all odds.
Prize winning illustrator Emily Gravett triumphs again in her witty story of how a lonely chameleon does what he does best in a desperate attempt to make a new friend. Changing colour comes naturally to the blue chameleon so he tries yellow and says hi to a banana, pink to greet a cockatoo, brown to say Howdy to a handsome cowboy boot… Nothing seems to work until the triumphant and delightful final spread when the chameleon finds another chameleon – just like him! ~ Julia Eccleshare
Apparently a celebration of dogs of all kind, this is also a book with a witty twist at the end. Gorgeous pictures of big dogs and small dogs, hairy dogs and bald dogs, stroppy dogs and soppy dogs delight in themselves but the best is kept to the end when the reader finds out exactly who the narrator is! Prize-winning illustrator Emily Gravett delights with Dogs, now happily available as a chunky board book. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Emily Gravett was selected as one of The Big Picture campaign's Best New Illustrators in 2008 And since her launch onto the children’s book scene she has made a considerable name for herself with children with her stunning and clever but simple picture books. Young children will love guessing what animal they are pretending to be, before shouting out the answers as the pages are turned to reveal the real creatures. Click here for an activity sheet related to this book !
Roll up! Roll up! Kate Greenaway medal winner Emily Gravett will make children laugh uproariously as the foolish pigs risk all. The three circus-owning pigs make the wolf the star of their show. They can make him stand on a stool, jump through a hoop, and be fired from a canon – and still he won’t bite… Watching the wolf’s expression, children will relish the power struggle and love the last laugh! ~ Julia Eccleshare
Apparently a celebration of dogs of all kind, this is also a book with a witty twist at the end. Gorgeous pictures of big dogs and small dogs, hairy dogs and bald dogs, stroppy dogs and soppy dogs delight in themselves but the best is kept to the end when the reader finds out exactly who the narrator is! Prize-winning illustrator Emily Gravett delights with Dogs, now happily available as a chunky board book. ~ Julia Eccleshare
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award June 2017 Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month June 2017 In glorious illustrations about hats of all kinds Emily Gravett makes a deliciously simple joke about the folly of following fashion and the desirability of just being yourself. Harbet has a lovely warm hat which was knitted for him by his Nana. He feels good wearing it but when the others see it they all laugh at it for being Old Hat! Harbet tries to keep up with the changing fashions but he soon realises that he must be himself and adopt a ‘no hat’ policy! Suddenly, Harbet is the trend setter as no one can keep up with him! Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for June 2017 Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds by Horatio Clare Adventures of John Blake, The: Mystery of the Ghost Ship by Philip Pullman Axel Scheffler's Flip Flap Ocean by Axel Scheffler Maisy Goes to the Bookshop by Lucy Cousins Tender Earth by Sita Brahmachari Old Hat by Emily Gravett The Cow Who Fell to Earth by Nadia Shireen
Award-winning Emily Gravett’s stunning picture book is a charming, witty and moral tale about the perils of making the world look too spick and span. Deep in the forest lives a badger called Pete with a mania for tidying up. Pete’s tidies up the leaves as they fall from the trees, then he tidies up the trees themselves. When that causes a flood he sets too to deal with the mud. Tidying up mud leads to putting down concrete. But then, how can Pete ever get back into his own home? Pete realises he must put everything back! Emily Gravett’s woodland folk are delightful and the world of nature that she creates for them to live in is incredibly appealing. Good lessons will be learnt from Tidy!
One of our Books of the Year 2016 | Celebrating 10th Anniversary of Wolves! Rabbit borrows a book about wolves from the library. He can't put it down! But soon a sinister figure with sharp claws and a bushy tail starts to creep right off the pages. You won't believe your eyes - but if you're a rabbit, you probably should. Brilliantly witty, ingeniously constructed, and with amazing artwork throughout, Wolves was first published in 2005 and thrilled critics and booksellers alike. Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal 2006. The judges said: A real page-turner of a book. The style is spare, but at the same time there is so much in it, and the device whereby the book becomes the book within it is brilliantly employed. The illustrator’s style is totally unique, and the love and attention to detail here is obvious, even down to her having chewed the book herself to get the right effect.
