[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-dinosaur-police-the-launch-party":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Today's official launch of my new Scholastic UK picture book, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/dinosaur-police/\">\u003Ci>Dinosaur Police\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, involved quite a lot of preparation, but not all of it by me. \u003Ca href=\"http://whodunnknit.com/\">Deadly Knitshade\u003C/a> and her crew of dinosaurs were very busy: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"3086\"/>\\r\n\\r\nAnd I was BAKING, something I almost never do! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_baking_zpseam5ovll-b4081c0c97.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThen we all gathered at the Herne Hill bookshop in south London, \u003Ca href=\"http://talesonmoonlane.co.uk\">Tales on Moon Lane\u003C/a>, which had a lovely display of loads of the books I've worked on: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_shopdisplay_zpso2ay3eyh-3bfc5a5dc2.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nMy sculptor friend \u003Ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/EddieSmith3D\">Eddie Smith\u003C/a> had been busy making my hat (for Hay Festival and the launch), and here he is with my \u003Ci>Dinosaur Police\u003C/i> editor, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/PauliinaPopcorn\">Pauliina Malinen\u003C/a>: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_pauliina_ed_zpsv3mapbqc-bc423c1272.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd the hats were terrific! Check out \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/deadlyknitshade\">Deadly Knitshade\u003C/a> (aka Lauren O'Farrell):\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_lauren_hats_zpshay5rnpc-b343ca9b94.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">Photos tweeted by @deadlyknitshade\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_elissaandrew_zps0jcogm1q-8ec74ee788.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for more under the cut!-->\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_hats_zpshctoytwn-0cd819bf79.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLook at this Officer Brachio badge, stitched by \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/teasemade\">Sami Teasdale\u003C/a>! She gave it to me at the end of the day, totally amazing. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_badge_zpsapkoiluc-8f9b78fddd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nMy excellent Scholastic publicist, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/davesanger09\">Dave Sanger\u003C/a>, and I did a little Masterchef cooking demonstration: how to make a dinosaur pizza.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_cooking_zps5hjthwpq-30907e3c3f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd everyone dug in to the various Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous tomato pastes, swamp cheese, chili, mushrooms, everything needed to make a particularly sweet pizza. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_cookies_zpsxmnfqtjt-0e98fe4c19.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThen I swapped hats because my big one kept getting tangled up in the chandeliers. I did a reading... (photo tweeted by Deadly Knitshade)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_lauren1_zpsdjsrfvlj-9f6228b673.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">Photo tweeted by @deadlyknitshade\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nAnd Dinosaur Dave acted out some particularly emotional parts of the story:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_dinodave_zpsasvzp3cf-ded50416ff.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThen we did some drawing and a song. Look, here's my husband Stuart's drawing! (You can download more drawing activities over on the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/dinosaur-police/\">Dinosaur Police webpage\u003C/a>.) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_stuart_zps8avxyznz-1ed482caae.jpg\"> \\r\n\\r\nThen we went out to the bookshop back yard for bubbly and book signing and Pauliina gave a fab speech:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_toml_speech_zpsim7eks11-f0bdab0730.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBig thanks to Pauliina, my designer Rebecca Essilifie, Dave, Scholastic, Tereze, Juliet and staff at Tales on Moon Lane, my studio mates (\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/ElissaElwick\">Elissa Elwick\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gnorthfield\">Gary Northfield\u003C/a> and member-at-large Lauren O'Farrell), web designer \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/rabbitdan\">Dan Fone\u003C/a>, and Stuart for being so supportive! And to everyone who came along for the launch! Lauren shot a Vine video of me signing a book:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"3087\"/>\\r\n\\r\nBut Tales on Moon Lane wasn't our only stop! Earlier that morning Dave and I had taken part in a smaller Story Time at \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/DulwichBooks\">Dulwich Books\u003C/a>, which was also good fun! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_db_front_zpsvlrmlvaa-ae9387e90e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAs \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/PhilipArdagh\">Philip Ardagh\u003C/a> pointed out, we even made the newspapers, ha ha... Young Holly managed to capture the rascal on paper:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_db_news_zpsdme8jewu-19bece6d89.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBig thanks to everyone who came along! I also took off my big hat after the intial introduction because I think its sheer size was scaring one of the littlest guys in the front row. (It's better designed for big stage events, I think>)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_db_group_zpsxekfgnsb-18e0c58329.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_db_drawings_zpsqmulkwn1-2d578adb2c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThis event was the first time Dave had drawn with me in public AND his first public outing in a dinosaur onesie. VERY BRAVE.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_db_comtemplation_zpsdtnaciac-757869c68e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBig thanks to Sheila and Annie for hosting us! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_db_annie_sheila_zpstlgcukdn-e437e442c4.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_db_display_zpsufpuvhmc-5e11536389.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd one last thanks to brave Dinosaur Dave.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dinopolice_dave_drawing_zpshuwhs3ge-60e7e63778.jpg\">","2015-06-06T21:52:00.000Z","dinosaur-police-the-launch-party",[],"dinosaur police: the launch party!",1776628727690]