I've been doing quite a lot of travel these past few weeks. The squid has been protesting its mode of transport, although it should feel HONOURED to ride in a super-stylish Books are My Bag conveyance.



But I haven't been taking much time to do my morning sketches, and I really hope to get back into them. So here's one I did this morning:



If you're stuck for an idea of something to draw today, try making up a character and show them read out a passage from one of your favourite books. (This passage is from GOBLINS by Philip Reeve.)

So Monday evening, I did NOT talk to monsters (except for the squid), but with some very friendly, well-read children who have completed the Summer Reading Challenge through Sutton Libraries, in Surrey. Here's the Creepy House poster Chris Riddell designed for this summer's challenge, and I was able to tell the kids and their families that next summer, I'll be the one doing the art. (Exciting!)



Look at them, aren't they a great bunch?



And of course, the squid couldn't just stay on my head. Here are some of the awards ceremony presentation team: councillor Jill Whitehead with squid, Sutton's head of libraries Angela Fletcher, libraries coordinator Rachel Levy. And then we managed to wrangle the squid onto Lord Graham Tope's head. (The House of Lords really needs more squids.) Sutton's children's librarian was there, too, and I must hunt down her name, as she's a real library hero.



A big thanks for inviting me, Rachel, and congratulations to all the young readers who completed the challenge!