Katie and the Waterlily pond - PUBLISHED TODAY!

Hurrah! It's publication day for Katie and the Waterlily Pond. This is the tenth book in the Katie series and publication coincides neatly with the 21st anniversary of the very first book (Katie's Picture Show).

Some parts of the book were a real challange. The one I particularly remember is the scene in the Giverny garden, with the Japanese bridge. It was so hard to "extend" the scene to the left. I looked at other paintings by Monet, as well as the modern garden layout, but it was hard to know what had changed. The bridge now has an elaborate pergola over it (this can been seen in some later paintings by Monet) which changes the view, for example. The path to the left is still there, so I included that. But the trees! I had to leave space for text! Well, the end result is inside the book - take a look in a bookshop and see what you think!

There is no grand launch or ceremony. I'm frantically busy trying to complete Katie in Scotland anyway. But later in the Autumn I am going to the Cheltenham Festival, to the British School in Paris and giving a string of workshops at the National Gallery (details will appear on this Katie site as and when...), so Katie isn't going to be neglected!