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Alison Jay was born in Hertfordshire, grew up in Derbyshire and studied graphic design in London where she now lives. After graduating she worked in animation for a short while but gradually started to get commissions in illustration. She works in Alkyd, a quick drying oil paint on paper and sometimes adds a crackle varnish to give the work an aged appearance. She has worked in all areas of illustration including advertising, packaging, editorial and design. Her commissions include a 48 sheet poster for B.T, a TV commercial for Kellogg’s corn flakes and has recently illustrated the new baby range of products for Crabtree and Evelyn. She has also illustrated lots of children's books including "Picture This", "William and the night train", "The Race", "I took the moon for a walk", "The Emperors new clothes”, If Kisses were colours” , "ABC Alphabet", an unabridged fully illustrated version of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", "Listen Listen", "Welcome to the Zoo ", "A Child's first Counting Book" "Today is the Birthday of the World" and "Nursery Rhyme Rainbow". She recently worked with Aardman Animation on the development of a feature film and is currently working on a version of "The Nutcracker". Her book "Welcome to the Zoo" which is a wordless visit to a cage less "animal hotel" has been selected as one of New York's Bank Street's 2009 best books of the year.
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | October 2017 Book of the Month Beautiful illustrations full of interest and wonder accompany Alison Jay’s delightful story about a boy whose grandad helps him to embrace happy memories of the past but also look forward to new adventures. Boy enjoyed yesterday so much that he searches for a way to travel back in time until Grandad shares his own wonderful memories and shows him there are many more exciting times still to come. With interesting words to wrap your tongue around and so much to talk about on each page this is a super book to share with young children. ~ Shelley Fallows
Told entirely in pictures, this is the story of a special friendship and demonstration of all that bees do for our world. A bee strays into a dusty city and through an open window where a little girl is reading a book about flowers. She helps the exhausted bee, feeding it a solution of sugar and water, and a friendship develops. They fly out into the country where they collect seeds, scattering them over the city on their return. When winter comes, the bee leaves, but when she returns in the spring, the city is transformed, streets and rooftops sprouting grass and wild flowers. The difference between a world with and without bees is clear for all to see. An inspiring book that will open readers’ eyes.
Told entirely in pictures, this is the story of a special friendship and demonstration of all that bees do for our world. A bee strays into a dusty city and through an open window where a little girl is reading a book about flowers. She helps the exhausted bee, feeding it a solution of sugar and water, and a friendship develops. They fly out into the country where they collect seeds, scattering them over the city on their return. When winter comes, the bee leaves, but when she returns in the spring, the city is transformed, streets and rooftops sprouting grass and wild flowers. The difference between a world with and without bees is clear for all to see. An inspiring book that will open readers’ eyes. ~ Andrea Reece
A Lovereading4kids 'Great read you may have missed 2011' selection. Four stunning board books introduce the alphabet, numbers, nursery rhymes and fairy stories to the very youngest readers. The books are very robust and are presented in an equally robust slip case for the perfect gift for even the smallest hands to hold.
Come on a journey through Alison Jay’s magical festive world! Discover all the things that make Christmas the most special time of the year and see if you can spot two lucky children who are on their own Christmas Eve adventure. Alison’s range of books for babies and toddlers is absolutely stunning. Why not take a look at more of her titles on her author page.
Beautiful illustrations with a delightful nostalgic feel bring to life the stories of a host of favourite nursery rhymes selected for their reference to different colours. Little Boy Blue dozes contentedly under a hay stack, the Owl and the Pussy Cat happily set out in a boat that is as green as a pea. The robust board book spreads make a perfect show case for each scene and with its rounded edges the book is perfect for young hands.
Stroke the soft fur of a cat or the shiny scales of a goldfish and the hard shell of a tortoise in this tactile guide to some favourite animals. Beautifully atmospheric illustrations provide an attractive setting for the interactive spreads.
In this book which cleverly combines old fashioned images with delightfully tactile spreads, there’s a shiny train, a gritty sandcastle and a papery kite. Each picture also encourages readers to look closely and see what else there is in the picture.
Beautiful illustrations with a delightful nostalgic feel bring to life the stories of a host of favourite nursery rhymes selected for their reference to different colours. Little Boy Blue dozes contentedly under a hay stack, the Owl and the Pussy Cat happily set out in a boat that is as green as a pea. The robust board book spreads make a perfect show case for each scene and with its rounded edges the book is perfect for young hands.
This absolutely gorgeous wordless picture book has now been re-released in a small format rounded-edged board book that’s perfect for babies and tiddly toddlers. Curious eyes will explore the zoo, which is brimming with beauty, humour and high-jinks. Parents will enjoy coming back to it time and time again too, to find something different on every page, just as much as the baby or toddler will enjoy doing so. Among the many things to search for are 15 penguins, 5 turtles and 3 pandas and there’s a family just like yours that you’ll find on every page.
A perfect gift for a newborn baby. Four stunning board books nestle in this beautiful box. Each poses a question. Who is That?, What is Yellow?, Where is Teddy?, What is This? The answers to all the questions are to be found in the bright but delicate illustrations within each book. If you’re looking for other great books for this age range then go to our Babies and Toddlers category.
How can tomorrow ever be as good as today? Afraid of tomorrow, a little boy puts all his scientific knowledge to use in an attempt to turn back time and stay in the wonderful past. Luckily, his grandfather discovers him exploring the wormholes in the garden, trying to find a way back - and by showing him the photos of some of his wonderful past experiences, reassures the boy that there is plenty to look forward to and that every day gives the chance for a new adventure. Nominated for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2018.
How can tomorrow ever be as good as yesterday? Boy doesn't think it can be and puts all his scientific knowledge to use, trying to work out how to go faster than the speed of light and make time go backwards. His grandad discovers him exploring the garden looking for wormholes, a possible shortcut back to yesterday - and reassures him that tomorrow will hold great experiences, which will become new treasured memories.
Words and Alison Jay's distinctive artwork combine on each page to create an introduction to familiar words that children and their parents will want to return to again and again.
In this enchanting counting adventure, follow the dreams of a sleeping girl and meet favourite characters from fairy tales and folk stories as you journey from one to ten and back again.
B is for boy . . . but in Alison Jay's ABC, B also stands for basket, beehive, and butterfly. Featuring a simple format and beautiful paintings, this acclaimed alphabet book is perfect for toddlers.
Alison Jay takes us on an exciting adventure through the world of well-loved nursery rhymes. One brave young boy discovers the colours of the rainbow. After finding all the colours, the young boy manages to bring the rainbow back with him to the real world.
The beautiful Bee and Me by Alison Jay is now available in paperback! A bee flies in the window and a little girl is frightened. She traps the bee and then wonders what to do. This beautiful wordless picture book traces the growing friendship between girl and bee and introduces small children to the ecology of the natural world. Highlighting the plight of the disappearing bumble bee, it shows how some simple actions can help restore beauty and balance in our environment.
Learn new words and practice motor skills and shape recognition with this playful book of opposites. We hear much about the plight of the bumble bee population and its implications for our planet's future. This beautiful picture book makes the story personal and brings a message of hope. A little girl befriends a bee, which takes her on a journey of discovery and to an action each child can take to aid in conservation. Bee and Me is both a story of friendship and an introduction to the ecology of the natural world.
This visual feast from acclaimed illustrator Alison Jay is the perfect festive gift. On Christmas Eve, a man buys presents for the woman he loves, beginning with a partridge in a pear tree. The couple travel through town and the gifts pile up, until they get to a Christmas party so magnificent it is a little overwhelming... leading them to slip back to the quiet of home, where their partridge is waiting.
This visual feast from acclaimed illustrator Alison Jay is the perfect festive gift. On Christmas Eve, a man buys presents for the woman he loves, beginning with a partridge in a pear tree. The couple travel through town and the gifts pile up, until they get to a Christmas party so magnificent it is a little overwhelming... leading them to slip back to the quiet of home, where their partridge is waiting.
Count the animals from one to twenty while searching for the cat in this lively hide-and-seek selection that introduces animals like frogs, whales, monkeys, ducks, hens and elephants.
When young Clara is given a Nutcracker toy on Christmas Eve, she begins a magical journey to the festive Land of Sweets, meeting the evil Mouse King and the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy on the way. This well-known ballet is retold for younger readers in an edition that is both exciting to read and visually stunning.
The newset picture book from Alison Jay is a glorious trip around a classic farmyard. Meet the horse and her foal, the cow and her calves, the cockerel, hens and their chicks in this special visual adventure. Young readers will love learning the names of farm animals and their young, and in addition they will be able to spot hidden visual links from picutre to picutre, and work out the secret story about the kittens getting lost around the farm.
From cats to elephants, little ones will love learning their first animal names with these giant wall cards. They can be used as giant flash cards or mounted on a wall to make an eye catching display. Twenty-five of Alison Jay's delightful crackle-glazed illustrations make these cards perfect additions to any nursery.
Come on a magical festive adventure! A beautiful Christmas story told through Alison Jay's classic illustrations. Two wakeful children creep downstairs on Christmas Eve, meet Father Christmas and are taken on an amazing adventure to his home in the North Pole and back again. Each page also features a different Christmas object, which is named to encourage vocabulary building and every illustration is full of Alison Jay's trademark visual jokes and hidden links.
In each spread Janet Lawler likens kisses to colours of the rainbow, pebbles on the beach, raindrops, flowers, blankets, snowdrops in their number and beauty. The text rhymes beautifully and each spread is illuminated by Alison Jay's heartwarming and light hearted illustrations
These colourful flashcards offer more than just an opportunity to teach a child their ABC and expand their vocabulary. By using Alison Jay's artwork, with its hidden details and intricate scenes, the child is able to look beyond the letter and see what else is happening in the picture. With an easy-to-open,durable box, these glossy flashcards offer children the opportunity to learn letters and first words, as well as improving their observation skills.
This is the next title in touch and feel series using Alison Jay's trademark crackle-glazed artwork. It explores the theme of transport through hands-on interaction with a texture on every spread and on the cover. Transport of all kinds zooms to life beneath readers' fingertips in Touch and Feel: Wheels and Wings. Readers can prod a squishy hot-air balloon, feel the rough wood of a rowing boat or the smooth wings of an aeroplane, stroke a galloping horse's mane or a racing car's bonnet and touch a yacht's sail. This is the next in a series of touch and feel books that present Alison Jay's perenially popular artwork in an exciting new format
Next title in touch and feel series using Alison Jay's trademark crackle-glazed artwork. Explore the theme of weather through hands-on interaction. There is a texture on every spread and on the cover. Readers can touch the sky with Rain and Shine, Alison Jay's touch-and-feel about weather. Travel through the seasons, tracing your fingers over soft snow, shiny lightning, a delicate rainbow, crunchy leaves blown in the wind, sparkling sunshine and a torrent of rain. In addition to textures, the fun rhyming text encourages the reader to look deeper into the picture to discover all the intricate details of Alison Jay's illustrations.
Alison Jay's crackle-glazed picture books have been reformatted into a miniature board book collection, complete with slipcase. Perfect for little hands and with simplified text, young children can enjoy learning about first concepts with their parents.
This beautiful Christmas story is told through Alison Jay's classic illustrations: two wakeful children creep downstairs on Christmas Eve, meet Father Christmas and are taken on an amazing adventure to his home in the North Pole and back again.
This changing-picture book is a magical journey through Alison Jay's colourful world of fairy tales. Each page features a different well-known fairy tale.
When Clara enters the magical world of the Nutcracker, anything can happen - toys can come to life, Clara can become a real princess and her brave Nutcracker can become a real prince!
Alison Jay takes us on an exciting adventure through the world of well-loved nursery rhymes. One brave young boy discovers the colours of the rainbow. After finding all the colours, the young boy manages to bring the rainbow back with him to the real world.
Alison Jay has created her own zoo, in which the animals outwit the zoo keepers! Brimming with small stories and enchanting details to spot throughout, this wordless board book invites curious eyes to explore Alison Jay's beautiful and humorous illustrations.
Alison Jay takes us on an exciting adventure through the world of well-loved nursery rhymes. One brave young boy discovers the colours of the rainbow. After finding all the colours, the young boy manages to bring the rainbow back with him to the real world.
Following on from the successful boxset 'My First Picture Blocks', these midsize chunky board books work on the next stage of picture-exploration and vocabulary development.
Take a tour through a zoo like no other, filled with mischievous monkeys, perky penguins and greedy goats. This wordless picture book encourages children's imagination and observation skills.
In this enchanting counting adventure, follow the dreams of a sleeping girl and meet favourite characters from fairy tales and folk stories as you journey from one to ten and back again.
In this enchanting counting adventure, follow the dreams of a sleeping girl and meet favourite characters from fairy tales and folk stories as you journey from one to ten and back again.
Words and images combine on each page of this picture book to create an introduction to familiar words that children and their parents will want to return to again and again.
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