Katrina Mckelvey – författare

This heart-warming picture book explores the bond between a father and his daughter. One day, a little girl notices her father mowing the lawn - in the process destroying her favourite flowers: the dandelions. She rushes out to stop him, but she's too late, they're all gone. There's nothing for it: she's just going to have to sit outside and wait until they grow back! But fortunately, Dad has another idea. Taking her hand, he leads her to the front step, and there, nestled in a crack in the concrete, are two tiny dandelion puff balls. Father and daughter each blow as hard as they can, and the tiny dandelion parachutes spiral and spin, up, up and away, spreading their seeds to create new generations of dandelions far and wide. And together, father and daughter lie down on the grass, watching as the whirl and twirl through the air. Exquisite watercolour illustrations combine with lyrical text to create a story that's perfect for readers aged 4-8. This is a book that will be cherished by families and recommended by teachers and librarians, exploring as it does the resilience of nature, the art of forgiveness, and the love between a parent and child.

A moving story about the bond between a mother and her child. My Heart depicts the many ways a mothers heart can experience love and emotion while her baby journeys through the milestones of growing up. The story uses repetition and subtle variation to reflect the activity and reactions of the mother's heart, and how they change with each mother-child interaction. The narrative moves through the early years until the child goes off on their first independent activity, a deeply moving moment for all mothers. Beautifully detailed illustrations depict the connection between mother and child, reminding readers that a mother's heart will always be with her children, no matter where they go.

One day, Dad invites Billy into his shed to build something, but Billy soon finds out that he is only allowed to watch. As Dad becomes engrossed in his project, Billy takes Dad’s off-cuts and other items from around the yard and shed and gets to work on his own invention, with Dad blissfully unaware! At the end of the day, they reveal their creations and Dad discovers that Billy has more skills and abilities than his dad had ever imagined!Joining forces, Dad and Billy set out as a team to build a cart together — the best one yet — and enter the upcoming local cart race. Just think what they could do!Up to Something lovingly explores the development of the father–son relationship. Bonding through doing something they both love and encouraging children to take on new challenges are key here, and are illustrated beautifully. The power of inspiration and creativity, and the importance of nurturing them, are also brought to the fore. This is a lovely story of the importance of letting children grow, and the joy of working together.