WHAT WE'LL BE DOING AT HOME THIS WEEK...

Freya Hartas, the artist behind SLOW DOWN, and her mum Jo (who also happens to be an art teacher and nature enthusiast) have joined forces to bring us a whole week of craft activities for anyone looking for things to do at home.

SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A BOOK…

One of the first books to be published by Magic Cat has been created to bring calm to a busy world.   Designed to help readers of all ages slow down – including parents of young children – this was a unique challenge for us as bookmakers, as we often make books on tight deadlines. The book began with my daughter, Violet, who asked to stop and watch a bee pollinate a flower on the morning nursery run. The question gave rise to other questions – could I explain to her how a rainbow forms in a simple way? How would I describe a thunderstorm to her? Could I tell her how a butterfly emerges from a chrysalis in a step-by-step story? It grew to include 50 moments like these that happen in cities, remote areas and small towns all around the world. Visualised by Nicola Price, our art director, the book is designed to help us look outside and be amazed by nature. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have loved making it with illustrator Freya Hartas, who has written a bit about her journey with the book here for us…