Gillian McClure – illustratör

One day a strange cat appears at the door. 'My name is Tom Finger,' he cries. Each day he appears, and each day he leaves a strange and wonderful gift: a silk purse, a lace handkerchief, an embroidered needle case. Queenie is completely entranced by him - her brother though is convinced he is a witch's cat. But Queenie is determined to find out - and one day starts following the cat through the snowy forest, following a trail of red wool...What Queenie finds at the end of the trail is totally unexpected. A book that has exquisite, beautiful illustrations,and a traditional feel that will be cherished for years to come. Praise for Tom Finger: 'McClure's storytelling has a strange magical rhythm to it and her drawings have a wistful delicacy' Books for Keeps 'enchanting' Financial Times 'a magical tale, set in a snowy landscape' Daily Telegraph

A boy thinks there is something living inside the old hollow tree that stands in the park. It is only when he is pulled through a hole and finds himself inside the tree that the boy discovers what it is – a little white Sprite. They play together in the Sprite’s world, but when it’s time for the boy to return, the Sprite doesn’t want him to leave. With delicate watercolour illustrations, this is a gentle story showing a mysterious and magical friendship. ‘The Little White Sprite is so calm and really attractive in that the reader doesn't want it to stop, then the ending isn't quite what you thought it might be. After all the trends, especially children’s, that I've enjoyed I'm still delighted when something that stops me comes into view. Please accept my belated thanks for this surprise' . Margaret Meek chairman of CLPE

Friendship doesn’t always run smoothly… When Zoë decides to run away to sea in her little boat, she finds her Dear Old Dog doesn’t want to go with her and she must leave without him. But things go wrong when the little boat reaches the sea and Zoë is going to need all the help she can get.Children will be gripped by the ups and downs of this friendship between an adventurous little girl and her loyal old Dog. With illustrations in a frame format, this picture book gives young children the graphic novel experience and, at the same time, gives parents a satisfying read-aloud text.‘It was a pleasure to pick up this picture book which manages to be whimsical and charming in a modern graphic format. Zoe lives by a river with her ‘Dear Old Dog’. The underlying theme – how to combine a sense of adventure with a longing for home and security – is an enduring one’.Books For Keeps

We’re going to dam a stream, hold its water back.’Two boys and a dog find a place where the streams meet the sea. Can they build a dam to hold back the water? There are stones and driftwood and seaweed – is it enough to stop the stream. What is the dog up to? With fluid, engaging line and watercolor illustrations, Gillian McClure’ s story captures the spontaneity of friends working and playing together. And in the visual narrative readers can enjoy following the antics of the dog.‘A hymn to the joy of “messing about” on the beach – two small boys and their imaginations create a simple but dramatic story’. Jane Ray.

In Don’t Eat Granny, Red Hoodie is trying to write a story about herself, her granny and a wolf along the lines of the well-known story of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Red Hoodie's story is written in her own handwriting but there are punctuation mistakes and suddenly her sentences take on a different meaning. Here’s one that comes at the start of the book: ‘Red Hoodie is going to visit Granny in her bag.Red Hoodie has a cake, cookies and candy.’Red Hoodie has put the full stop in the wrong place and there’s an illustration showing poor Granny’s head poking out of her black handbag.‘I can’t see how to put it right. Please someone help me!’ Red Hoodie calls out, and four little punctuation characters arrive on the page only to become caught up in the action.In this a story within a story we see the page turns in the illustrations, with Red Hoodie peeping over the page to see what is going to happen next. Gillian McClure wrote Don’t Eat Granny for six-year-old Magnus and Bjorn when they were learning the first four punctuation marks at school. They loved spotting punctuation jokes, so she created a story full of them!

A snowy adventure for the dog pals, Dubbin and Todd. Dubbin flips off his wheels and Ta-da! His skateboard becomes a snowboard. Todd follows behind on a tray but there are frightening things along the way - can he and Dubbin deal with them? The third title in the continuing Dog on Wheels series of adventures.