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Rebecca Ashdown Petrie was born in West Sussex and grew up right by the sea. After working as a graphic & motion designer, filmmaker and freelance vector artist for years, she has returned to traditional image making and illustration. Her work currently combines a mix of drawing, printmaking and collage with digital techniques.
It can be hard to resist the temptation to classify oneself as Glump or Peeble, but just because you generally prefer to spend time alone in a cave thinking – a la Glump – doesn’t mean that you can’t also go out and dance so hard in the moonlight that you turn pink, like a Peeble. And vice versa! Told in sparkling rhyme there’s an almost Dr Seussian feel to this picture book, its pages filled with strange but definitely lovable creatures, and with its positive, life-affirming message that we’re all capable of so much more than we think, it’s a real tonic to read. ~ Andrea Reece
Everyone will enjoy this epic tale of true love and steadfastness, no less heroic or inspiring for starring a pair of woolly socks! Sosh and Suki are made for one another and their life on a fresh pair of feet is idyllic, until Sosh spots something that fills him with dread – a little hole in Suki’s big toe. The dire warnings from old sock Big Bob seem to come true when Sosh wakes up alone, but he’s determined to find his other half. Author and illustrator both go to town, creating a fabulously funny and inventive story of true sock love, with a surprise ending that will leave everyone smiling. Great fun, and the sock drawer will never be the same again! ~ Andrea Reece
In a nutshell: charming story of boy who can talk and joke with the animals | Lucky Vince – not only is his dad a zoo keeper but Vince has inherited the family trait and can talk to the animals. They can talk to him too of course, and sing, and what an eccentric but lovable bunch they are. In this adventure Vince recruits their help to track down stolen jewellery – the reward is a massive Swiss Roll, so wouldn’t you? Sophie Thompson’s narrative style is charming – she frequently breaks off to address the reader direct, and as though we are just the kind of people she really likes. She has a lovely turn of phrase – ‘There was a rittle-rittle-rootle and a frithy-frith-fatootle in the hedge’ - while the animals’ songs, interspersed throughout the story, are enormous fun. Illustrations by Rebecca Ashdown make this as good to look at as it’s fun to read aloud. Readers will also enjoy Harriet Whitehorn’s Violet stories, and The Bolds by Julian Clary and David Roberts. ~ Andrea Reece
It can be hard to resist the temptation to classify oneself as Glump or Peeble, but just because you generally prefer to spend time alone in a cave thinking – a la Glump – doesn’t mean that you can’t also go out and dance so hard in the moonlight that you turn pink, like a Peeble. And vice versa! Told in sparkling rhyme there’s an almost Dr Seussian feel to this picture book, its pages filled with strange but definitely lovable creatures, and with its positive, life-affirming message that we’re all capable of so much more than we think, it’s a real tonic to read. ~ Andrea Reece
One of our Books of the Year 2016 | Julia Eccleshare's Debut of the Month, February 2016 When Vince turns eight years old he discovers he has the most amazing secret. Although he has always hated animals, which is embarrassing because his father is a zoo keeper, Vince suddenly discovers that he can talk to them. And hear what they say back! After getting some fish fingers for a penguin, Vince finds himself with a long list of food requests from all the other animals. And he is enjoying the best birthday of his whole life! ~ Julia Eccleshare
Everyone will enjoy this epic tale of true love and steadfastness, no less heroic or inspiring for starring a pair of woolly socks! Sosh and Suki are made for one another and their life on a fresh pair of feet is idyllic, until Sosh spots something that fills him with dread – a little hole in Suki’s big toe. The dire warnings from old sock Big Bob seem to come true when Sosh wakes up alone, but he’s determined to find his other half. Author and illustrator both go to town, creating a fabulously funny and inventive story of true sock love, with a surprise ending that will leave everyone smiling. Great fun, and the sock drawer will never be the same again! ~ Andrea Reece
Cats! Some are sane and some are mad and some are good and some are bad. Meet magical Mr Mistoffelees, sleepy Old Deuteronomy and curious Rum Tum Tugger. But you'll be lucky to meet Macavity because Macavity's not there! In 1925 T. S. Eliot became co-director of Faber & Faber, who remain his publishers to this day. Throughout the 1930s he composed the now famous poems about Macavity, Old Deuteronomy, Mr Mistoffelees and many other cats, under the name of 'Old Possum'. In 1981 Eliot's poems were set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber as Cats, which went on to become the longest-running Broadway musical in history and is now a film starring Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Rebel Wilson, Jennifer Hudson, Jason Derulo, Francesca Hayward and James Corden. With illustrations by Rebecca Ashdown. The Christmas, you will believe!
Rebecca Ashdown's The Perfect Parents is every child's guide to raising model parents. It's easy - just follow Mimi's simple steps. Sometimes, Mimi's parents don't seem to get the hang of all that training, but Mimi knows her rigorous routine of strict discipline has worked when her parents agree to get her a puppy . . . Suddenly the roles are reversed and Mimi has to learn that being trained is sometimes very hard work.
Turns out nobody is perfect! Queens and kings; giants and trolls, and yes, even princesses all make mistakes! In this endearing and hilarious picture book by Jennifer Stinson, young readers can take a peek into the marvelous mess-ups and ferocious faux-pas of fairy-tale characters. Rebecca Ashdown's delightful colors and funny expressions will leave readers snickering. Perfect for fans of The Paper Bag Princess and Not All Princesses Dress in Pink. Bottom line: When children realize that everybody else messes up, maybe they'll feel better about messing up, too. Perfect for bedtime and for the classroom. Witches can be very whiny. Kings and queens don't share. Monsters sometimes want their mommies. Mermaids HATE to comb their hair.
Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown put a clever twist on the Rapunzel story in this excellent picturebook. Rapunzel sits alone and fed up at the top of her tower block. Her friends urge her to let down her hair but she won’t – and she totally ignores the prince! Eventually, her friends climb up to see her, cook her some supper and hand over her post, which includes a job offer from the library. Thoroughly cheered, Rapunzel embraces her new life! So, the story concludes, don’t just wait for your prince to show, and there’s more to life than growing hair. A wonderfully positive and empowering message for everyone! ~ Andrea Reece
'The cat himself knows and will never confess...' To celebrate Old Possum's 75th anniversary we have commissioned lively new illustrations from Rebecca Ashdown for T. S. Eliot's original book of Practical Cats. Featuring Macavity, the Mystery Cat; Mr Mistofelees, the Original Conjuring Cat; Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer and all the gang, this is a must for every child's bookshelf and is a great companion to the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage show.
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