Tuesday 22 April 2014

Busy zoos, magical hot air balloons and the deep, blue sea! - A catch up with Izzy Bean!

Where on Earth is Izzy Bean?


I'm still here! This last few months I have been so busy, I haven't had time to update my blog! I've been scribbling, doodling, drawing, colouring, editing and designing... and it's been GREAT! 

Would you like to see what I have been up to?

INDIVIDUALISED BABY BOOKS by Marc Gawley

I had a lot of fun illustrating these personalised hard-back books for the Individualized baby books company. 



Each book features your child's name, both on the cover and throughout the story - creating not just a fun bedtime book but also a keepsake for years to come!

These books make your child the star of the story! 

Here are my beautiful nephews enjoying theirs - they loved to see their names in print!



Marc Gawley has done an excellent job in writing this lively, interactive book.

Your child will see his or her name in the story interacting with the zoo animals on four of the pages, plus twice in pictures with the mother, though the way the book is illustrated the face is obscured, so your child can recognize themselves regardless of skin/hair color etc. 

This book has bright colors and lots of opportunities for interaction, and has been especially written with the help of a language expert. 
Learning activities incorporated into the book include: 
* Animal identification and naming - can you see a monkey? 
* Mimicking of animal sounds - what noise does an owl make? 
* Counting - how many lions can you see? 
* Letting your child 'lead' the reading - what can you see on this page? 

A portion of the profits from this book are donated to the Honeypot Children's Charity. Since 1996 Honeypot has been working to enhance the lives of vulnerable children and young carers aged 5-12 years by providing respite breaks and on-going outreach support.





You can buy one of these books now with Amazon


And you can like the official page on Facebook too;



THE ADVENTURES OF ALEX by Roughy Toys

You may remember, but some time ago I shared a project I was working on for the Roughy Toys company. Well it's not only finished and launched, but it's a huge success! Check it out!




The Adventures of Alex is a story about two friends, Alex & Alex, who travel in a magical balloon around the world to help others and bring fun to children. 

The book is available in Kindle, as a free PDF through their website and as a great hardback too!


When you buy an Alex toy, one is donated to a child in need somewhere in the world. This amazing concept of using fun to help others makes these toys more meaningful.



Head on over to their website now to find out more, and watch a cool video starring Alex and Alex!


And don't forget to give them a like on Facebook too - you can see Alex having fun with children all over the world, and send in pictures of your own too!


LITTLE RED OVERALLS by Evergreen Creations LLC

I've been illustrating for Aaron at Evergreen Creations for some time now, their products in one word are; FANTASTIC!

The newest addition to their FairyTale Trail series is the cute and gutsy LITTLE RED OVERALLS - a unique twist on the traditional story.




I'm not giving anything away... you'll have to go and have a read for yourself!


You can see all the other great stories too, including;

Jack and the Cornstalk
Ciderella and the Glass Sipper
Beauty and the Bees

...and if you keep your eye out, you may also see a new book appearing sometime soon! 
(I told you I'd been busy!)


"Evergreen Creations, with support from a network of family farmers and early childhood educators, publishes The Fairy Tale Trail, a series of timeless fairy tales adapted to the agriculture industry to help teach children about farming in a fun (and healthy!) manner.  Each story along the Fairy Tale Trail can be presented as a magical and educational walk-through reading experience at the farm.  The tales are ideal for incorporating into corn mazes, pick-your-own fields, and other kid-friendly areas on the farm, and can easily be integrated into field trip programs that meet local educational requirements.  They are also fun for parents and teachers to share with their children." 


You can buy Little Red Overalls, and the other stories from The FairyTale Trail right here;




THE SELFISH SHELLFISH by Grandma Paintpot

I love illustrating books, but I love it all that bit more when the characters are loveable too - and that's exactly what Grandma Paintpot has done with her debut book - The Selfish Shellfish. Even the name has a ring to it!


For the first book in a series, this is a sure-fire winner! It tells the story of a group of sea creatures battling the tide in Falmouth, Cornwall.


You can find out more about this book by visiting the blog, or Facebook - and there are even some colouring sheets for the little ones hiding there!



And you can purchase the book on Amazon - a small percentage of the sales will be donated to the Special Olympics Cornwall.


I'm currently working on Book 2 of the series, and I can tell you now that it's already lined up to be as good as the first! You haven't heard the last of Crusty and his friends...




But wait, there's more

I am currently working on some great books which I'll share with you all when the time comes, but for now, I'll leave you with a few more peeks at what has been keeping me busy.

Thanks for reading!









If you have a book, or any other project and you'd like me to illustrate it for you
 - you can email me at;


or visit my website to see more illustrations!