'Oh I do like to be beside the seaside. I do like to be beside the sea!' Who else remembers singing this whilst marching to the beach as a kid?
Ahoy fellow seaside and book lovers. This weekend, my fifth children's book is being launched in to the wild. 'Sunny Sands' is my homage to Folkestone and to being beside the sea. Written, painted and on sale at my beloved Custard HQ in Folkestone. You can also order anytime online.
Inside 'Sunny Sands' are fourteen funny seaside verses for children of all ages to laugh and learn from. Packed with stunning watercolour illustrations by my very own, Mr Custard, AKA Phillip Price.
If you are local or have visited Folkestone, you will be able to spot the references in some of the verses and illustrations. If not, no worries, you will still recognise all the excitement and creatures you encounter beside the sea, like our 'Snack Thief' below.
We will be giving away FREE giant rainbow lollipops this coming weekend at Custard HQ to launch 'Sunny Sands'. More details at the end of this blog.
In my last blog Back with Bang! I introduced you to phenomenal, Benjamin Smith aged 7, who was raising money for his local special educational needs school. He challenged himself to sit in a pool of custard and read from my book 'Standing on Custard'. Well...well...drum roll please... he raised an astounding...wait for it... £1,073! What a guy. Click the image below to watch him completing his challenge. Look and listen out for his helpers in the form of his twin brother, a behind the scenes foreman and his fearless sister, Molly, who took to being covered in custard, like a slice of jam sponge at school dinner time.
When Benjamin's mum contacted me to tell me how my book had inspired him. I invited Benjamin and his siblings to visit Custard HQ. Phil and I were over the moon to meet them and gave them VIP treatment for being such a wonderful family. As a special acknowledgment for his kindness and creativity I decided to dedicated 'Sunny Sands' to Benjamin. I even named a character in one of the verses after him. Shhh... he doesn't know yet. It's a surprise!
In other marvellous news, below is lovely, Indie and her dad, who grabbed an emergency copy of 'Standing on Custard' for her to read whilst they had lunch in one of our amazing local cafes 'Marley's' just a few doors up from Custard HQ. Unexpectedly they came back, post lunch, to show us her smashing drawing of the cover of our book. We love seeing your work so do keep emailing them or popping in with them. It really does make our day.
Oh I almost forgot to tell you about 'Custard Bear' who you can see showing off our books in the window of Custard HQ. As most of you will know, both our dogs are rescues and this bear is another rescue. Can you believe this beauty was being thrown out? To be honest I have never been a bear kinda gal, but who could allow this special little fella to end up in a dump? So he is now firmly part of team Custard, you will no doubt see him in various guises in our window. I have already bought him an outfit for the book launch this coming Bank Holiday weekend.
We hope you are having a splendid summer and look forward to seeing you this coming weekend to celebrate the launch of 'Sunny Sands'. Don't forget we are giving away FREE giant rainbow lollipops when you spend £20 or more at Custard HQ. Polly Lopps, from 'Sunny Sands', loves lollipops, among lots of other things. It will be no surprise to hear that her verse is a tongue twister.
Custard HQ is open weekends and Bank Holidays 10-4pm or you can order online anytime. All our books are signed by both of us, with an optional personal message of your choice for your loved ones, handwritten by us, on the inside cover.
Keep creative.
Big love from Custard HQ
Jo, Phil, Sky, Jasper & Custard Bear