A young dinosaur artist (looking a bit like a T-rex but a cute one) sees the dinosaur world as full of joy and beauty, something that some dinosaurs are too busy to notice. She sees all that, draws and paints it and makes it into her art. Later she decides to go live in the city with lots of empty walls to paint so more people can see her art and really look. But she has a crisis of confidence when she starts to make mistakes and colour outside the lines - she almost gives up on art until she finds out it’s the heart in art that really matters. How to Be a Lion, by Ed Vere (Penguin Random House, June 2018) Nominated for the 2019 Kate Greenaway Medal and the 2019 Carnegie Medal

This book is perfect to read with children who have started drawing but sometimes feel disheartened when their drawing doesn’t turn out exactly as they see it in their heads, as so often happens. It’s easy to start thinking you’re not good at drawing and a lot of children go through this and tragically stop seeing themselves as artists, losing the confidence to express that they had at first. This is a stunningly beautiful book with a message for young and old - and it makes readers look anew and refreshed at the world. Ed Vere is one of the most talented children’s books creators of our time and takes the care to make every word and every mark mean something, in or out of the lines. Mae deinosor ifanc sy'n artist yn gweld y byd fel lle llawn llawenydd a harddwch – rhywbeth y mae rhai deinosoriaid yn rhy brysur i sylwi arno. Mae hi'n tynnu llun ac yn paentio'r llawenydd a'r harddwch hwnnw ac yn creu ei chelf ohono. For that to happen the Power of Pictures author/illustrators must re-instill a sense of drawing confidence in the teachers we’re teaching. Many haven’t drawn since they were at primary school. We demonstrate a few simple confidence-building drawing exercises which show how a character can be easily created. From there a drawn character can interact with another. An idea for a story often sparks soon after. One brave little artist goes on one epic adventure to share her art, and in doing so learns that it doesn't matter if you colour outside the lines, that art is full of heart... and that maybe you are an artist too! Ed also works on many projects related to his books . . . from speaking at festivals fromRio to Mexico toKerala, tocurating festival experiences in the UK, tolive drawing onstage at The Barbican Centrealongside the Britten Sinfonia, and atThe Wigmore hall withthe Neil Cowley Trio.As a writer who also draws, I’m interested in how we connect with another person through words and pictures. How we engage, how we animate, how we get an idea to live in another mind. When I read to children, I’m endlessly amazed by the power of a picture book. That a character is grippingly alive for those kids. An inky drawing of an enormous, lonely gorilla playing a piano, transforms in the mind into a living breathing being, deserving of love. It blows my mind. Every time. Even if readers don't need encouragement to unleash their own talents, they should be intrigued by this protagonist's arc toward artistic assurance Publishers Weekly Vere worked with CLPE to co-create the Power of Pictures, a 12-week scheme in which author/illustrators teach teachers about writing techniques. Puffin started out as a non-fiction publisher, with its first title appearing in 1940. As the most iconic and well-known children’s book brand in the UK today, we are always on the lookout for innovative ways to tell the world’s favourite stories and for brilliant new debut talent and brands that connect with today’s young readers, from newborn up to twelve years old.

A fable celebrating ingenuity, teamwork, and asking for help from the New York Times-bestselling author of Max the Brave and How to Be a Lion.Vere staged 'Mr Big plays Jazz' at Wigmore Hall, London & Birmingham Symphony & Town Halls with the Neil Cowley Trio. There is something very special about that space in between the pictures and the words. A place which asks your imagination to fill the gap. A good picture book should leave room between words and pictures. Pictures don’t simply illustrate the words – they tell their own story, on a multitude of levels. If we make time to examine them. Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week(Ireland)-'Perfect for creative minds, Ed Vere’s beautiful children’s book The Artistfollows a young dinosaur on a mission to share her art with others...This book features joyful illustrations and a powerful message about what it means to be an artist.' - Lynn Enright As I mentioned at the beginning,it’s about howwe connect with another person. By using drawing and pictures, we engage, we animate - we get an idea to live in another mind. We understand complex expressions and emotions through drawings from a very early age, in ways we can’t yet do with the written word or spoken language.