Bethan Stevens

*Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, Best Illustrated Book Category 2021*On the sleepiest of nights, when the air is still and the moon is full, the conditions are just right… for WITCHES TO TAKE FLIGHT!And among all these terribly wicked, cackling witches, is one… who is actually, surprisingly quite nice!This little witch doesn’t enjoy being wicked like the others. Not one little bit. She doesn’t like creating mischief, she doesn’t like making a mess and she definitely doesn’t like any naughtiness!The other witches decide that the littlest witch needs rescuing from all this icky, gooey goodness! It’s time for some lessons in wickedness, and the best way to do that is by making a completely terrible and utterly awful potion…!Will our little witch leave her kind and gentle ways behind her and join in the wickedness? Or will she persuade her fellow witches that actually, being wicked isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?This playful take on spooky witches from the award-winning Bethan Stevens takes readers to a magical world of wickedness and kindness. This is the wonderfully funny follow-up to the prize-winning Grumpy Fairies and the fairytale twist A Damsel Not in Distress.

On the sleepiest of nights, when the air is still and the moon is full, the conditions are just right... for WITCHES TO TAKE FLIGHT And among all these terribly wicked, cackling witches, is one... who is actually, surprisingly quite nice This little witch doesn't enjoy being wicked like the others. Not one little bit. She doesn't like creating mischief, she doesn't like making a mess and she definitely doesn't like any naughtiness The other witches decide that the littlest witch needs rescuing from all this icky, gooey goodness It's time for some lessons in wickedness, and the best way to do that is by making a completely terrible and utterly awful potion... Will our little witch leave her kind and gentle ways behind her and join in the wickedness? Or will she persuade her fellow witches that actually, being wicked isn't all it's cracked up to be? This playful take on spooky witches from the award-winning Bethan Stevens takes readers to a magical world of wickedness and kindness. This is the wonderfully funny follow-up to the prize-winning Grumpy Fairies and the fairytale twist A Damsel Not in Distress.

This clever and funny inversion on a classic fairytale from award-winning author Bethan Stevens tells the laugh-out-loud story of a damsel who does not need saving!Once upon a time, hidden deep in a valley in a magical land far away, there was a very tall tower. And trapped at the very top of that very tall tower there was a damsel . . . In distress! The only problem is, the damsel is not in distress. She keeps telling the narrator that she's perfectly fine. The "terrifying beasts" in the moat are a family of ducklings. The "prickly brambles" are her rose garden. And the "wicked old witch" is actually her grandma! But the narrator just won't listen. When a scary, fire-breathing dragon comes to visit, it's up to the damsel to take charge of her story and save the day for everyone. Characterful illustrations transport readers to the magical world of the damsel's kingdom, and easy to read text is perfect for young readers. This funny follow-up to the prize-winning Grumpy Fairies is perfect for any young damsel—or prince charming—who wants to be the hero of their own story.

The wood engravers’ self-portrait tells the story of the image-making firm Dalziel Brothers, investigating and interpreting a unique archive from the British Museum. The study takes a creative-critical approach to illustration, alongside detailed investigation of print techniques and history. Five siblings ran the wood engraving firm Dalziel Brothers: George, Edward, Margaret, John and Thomas Dalziel. Prospering through five decades of work, Dalziel became the major capitalist image makers of Victorian Britain. This book, based on AHRC-funded research, outlines the achievements of these remarkable siblings and uncovers the histories of some of the 36 unknown artisan employees that worked alongside them. Dalziel Brothers made works of global importance: illustrations to Lewis Carroll’s Alice books, novels by Charles Dickens, and landmark Pre-Raphaelite prints, as well as other, brilliant works that are published here for the first time since their initial creation.

Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, Best Illustrated Book Category in 2021.Deep in the darkest forests, under rustling leaves, live the fairies. You probably think that fairies are good, kind and sweet. Well, a lot of them are. These helpful fairies take care of the forest and they're happy to do it. But I'm sorry to tell you that some of the fairies, particularly the littlest ones, are GRUMPY. I meanproper grumpy. I mean foot-stompy, frowny, bottom-lip-sticking-outy kind of grumpy. I mean ‘it’s just one of those days’ grumpy. But these grumpy fairies better watch out. There's a goblin about, and grumpy fairies happen to be a goblin's favourite food…Characterful illustrations transport readers to the animal-filled world of the fairy's forest, and easy to read text is perfect for young readers. This wonderful, funny debut will bring a smile to the smallest (and grumpiest) of children.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was founded in 1848. Their artistic beliefs were set out by John Ruskin, the art historian who ardently supported them. Their chief principle was ‘truth to nature’: that a painter should draw precisely what he or she sees, and not follow painterly conventions. They saw this as a virtue of painters working before the age of Raphael but subsequently corrupted in more sophisticated art – hence the name ‘Pre-Raphaelite’ and their admiration of Medievalism. The British Museum has an important collection of Pre-Raphaelite art which is in constant demand for international exhibitions. In particular, the collection comprises a wonderful collection of drawings by Pre-Raphaelite artists, including three notable albums by Rossetti and Burne- Jones; the Robin de Beaumont collection which includes all the most important Pre-Raphaelite illustrated books plus rare proof impressions; and 49 volumes comprising 54,000 proofs of prints published by the Dalziel brothers, the chief publishers of Pre-Raphaelite prints. Victorian poetry (notably by Tennyson as well as Rossetti’s sister Christina), novels and even children’s literature, with its tense mixture of hyper-realism and vivid fantasy, provided ideal subjects for Pre- Raphaelite illustration. John Tenniel, who was contemporary with the Pre-Raphaelites, borrows heavily from their work for his famous Alice in Wonderland illustrations, and the author offers a wide range of poetic and literary extracts to accompany these fascinating images.