The Grotlyn

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Find out more Read more books by Benji Davies Titles include The Storm Whale The Storm Whale in Winter Grandad’s Island On Sudden Hillwith Linda Sarah Goodnight Already with Jory John Find out about organ grinders and their monkeys, watch a video: How does a hot air balloon work? Describe the forces taking place when a hot air balloon is in flight.​

After The Storm Whale books and Grandad’s Island, it’s my first rhyming picture book. It might feel quite spooky at the start but I urge the reader to carry on and see who The Grotlyn is. Because this book is about finding out that not everything is what we might first assume – that in the dark there is light. It was a lot of fun to write. Where did the idea for The Grotlyn come from? It's not a name we've heard before! The story is essentially about flipping the darkness on its head, the characters finding out that these mysterious goings-on are not what they seem, that they have a playful, hopeful outcome. One of my favourites was Frog And Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel. It’s the ongoing story of a beautiful and life-affirming friendship. When you read your own stories to children, how do you tell them? One part of the story says, ‘For things are not quite what they seem’. What does this mean? Could you use this idea in your own writing? Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child...The winners of the Diverse Book Awards 2023 have been announced, with one winner from each of the four categories announced: Picture book, Children... It's a name that I made up. It just popped into my head one day when I was thinking about this creature who slipped out of the shadows in a grimy Victorian setting. 'The Grotlyn' just seemed to fit. I suppose deconstructed it is a kind of portmanteau of grotty or grotesque and gremlin or goblin. It borrows the sounds from these words and mixes up their meanings to create something new. The book follows your success with The Storm Whale and Grandad's Island. You write such lovely stories. Where do you get your ideas from? All in all, a wonderful book by Benji Davies. And I would highly recommend this book to everyone young and old! Age 5-7 Since hearing an organ tune Rubi has a strange rhyme in her head about a Grotlyn visiting houses at night. Soon she and others in the town report hearing strange noises, sightings, objects disappearing. Rumours about a Grotlyn are spreading. But in the words of the story ‘..don’t be afraid to sleep – to dream! For things are not quite what they seem.’ A mysterious rhyming picture book to cuddle up and share, with just the right amount of spookiness, wonderfully rich illustrations and a surprise ending.

The notes just fix an idea in my head – they are visual, so it's a picture in my head first of all. Whether I make a note of this as text or a drawing is not important. Describe the process from idea to concept to finished product Use the title of this story as the starting point for your own story. What is a ‘Grotlyn’? What might happen to it?We then spent some time looking at all the things the grotlyn had stolen and how the monkey had used them to escape. Leila looked really hard and spotted the bike wheel in the hot air balloon. This led to a conversation about hot air balloons and how they work. When we go to the library, we will try to find some information about them. There were so many things to notice in the book and it really encouraged us to look closer at the images, make connections, look things up that we didn't fully understand. Intensely atmospheric, full of biting cold, tender detail and warm light, this is a book to cuddle up with” – The Guardian