World book day is here again! A great opportunity to look at some of my favourite books with my daughters.

With this in mind I want to share with you one of my main sources of inspiration, books!

As a child I fell in love with books, not with the written words, but with the beautiful illustrations that accompanied the text.

When I look through the books that I have treasured and saved from my own childhood, it is the ones with the beautiful illustrations that have captured my heart.

Now, as a doll maker I find a lot of inspiration through illustrations, from new to the very old.

One of the shelves in my workshop is full of children’s books. Some books have been written and illustrated by the same person – and I am sure that the ability to write and illustrate must be amazing!

A few of my favourite books are:

• Alfie’s Feet by Shirley Hughes
• Adventures of the Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton
• Tom and Pippo Read a Story by Helen Oxenbury
• A Flower Fairy Alphabet by Cicely M. Barker.

However my favourite children’s illustrator has to be Mabel Lucie Atwell. I just adore the way she captures the essence of childhood through simple lines – and I have tried to reflect her influence on my style in my logo. She has written her own books, but also collaborated with other creatives such as Peter Pan and Wendy written by J. M. Barrie.

Have books inspired your work? If so which ones and how? Let me know below!