Simona Ciraolo – illustratör

Come summer, autumn or winter, a little boy is going to make the best of it.Nothing is better than summer, swimming every day and eating ice cream. But a little boy's big sister has BIG news. She tells him that summer is going to end soon ... and winter is coming! When winter comes, she says, it will be cold … and dark … and rain all the time. They’ll be stuck on the sofa for days and won’t even dream of eating ice cream...From author-illustrator Simona Ciraolo, this is a celebration of the changing of the seasons, showing just how much joy can be found around each sunny – or snowy – corner.

A stunning new picture book from Simona Ciraolo who, with wit, style and emotional insight, shows her readers that imperfections and making a mess are beautiful, vital parts of childhood.A little girl and her best friend, Rita, are drawing together. Rita’s drawing is very beautiful and her dad tells her that he will keep it forever. The girl looks at her own drawing. It's good, too, she thinks, but then ... she sees it: a stain. The next day, she finds another stain – an inky blue mark on her crisp white dress. This would never happen to Rita. The stain begins to blot everything and soon, it is all the girl can see. Everything is ruined. The stain, however, has other ideas. It begins to take on a life of its own – dancing across the pages of the book, speaking to the girl and encouraging her to see that it is not a mess or a mistake ... but something joyful and surprising. Life is full of beautiful mess.

Ever feel like you need a hug, a really big hug from someone?That’s how Felipe the young cactus feels, but his family just isn’t the touchy-feely kind. Cacti can be quite prickly sometimes you know… and so can Felipe. But he’ll be darned if this one pointy issue will hold him back, so one day Felipe sets off on his own to find a friend and, just maybe, that long awaited hug.