Showing posts with label swapna haddow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swapna haddow. Show all posts

Tuesday, 21 June 2016

Secret Serendipity Seven with Swapna Haddow

Today I'm pleased to welcome Swapna Haddow onto the blog, to reveal seven secrets about her chapter book for younger readers, Dave Pigeon and herself. I loved Dave Pigeon! You can read my review here. I honestly can't wait for the next book in the series. 
  • There is a comedy dog in every first chapter of every first draft of a story I have ever written who is always cut from final draft of the book. In Dave Pigeon, the dog’s name was ‘Dog’.
  • Skipper, Dave Pigeon’s best friend, was not originally called ‘Skipper’. He had another name. It was Another.
  • I don’t really plan my books, which is ironic because ‘Dave Pigeon: How to deal with Bad Cats and keep (most of) your Feathers’ is a book about plans. I tend to write and see where the characters take me.
  • I’ve been afraid of pigeons since I was a child. When I was six, I was harassed at Trafalgar Square by an army of pigeons because I was eating a sandwich. Writing the book has been very therapeutic and now I’m quite fond of pigeons.
  • I’ve been afraid of cats since I was a child. I was scratched by a cat when I was younger and never really got over it. Writing the book has not been therapeutic for this in the slightest and I may be more afraid of cats now than I ever was.
  • I tend to write in bed, which is why it takes me a while to finish writing a story because I fall asleep A LOT.
  • Despite all my sleeping, I have finished writing the second Dave Pigeon book! Yippee! In the next book Dave Pigeon and Skipper are lured away from their shed and they have to take on a very gruesome villain, one who has an incredibly sinister plan for our feathery friends. Find out what adventures are in store for Dave and Skipper in February 2017.

Published by Faber and Faber in April 2016
Summary
Join Dave Pigeon and his sidekick Skipper on their quest to defeat the most evil cat in town. There will be funny bits, scary bits and biscuity bits...
To find out more about Swapna Haddow:
Website / Twitter

Thursday, 12 May 2016

Dave Pigeon by Swapna Haddow

Dave and me were on a routine croissant heist. It was something we'd doe at least a hundred times before. 
In fact, the first time I met Dave was on a croissant heist. Back then, Dave told me he had just won a Medal of the Brave which he wore all the time. (Though I heard a rumour later it was just a bottle top that had got stuck to him with a piece of chewing gum when he got caught in a bin bag once).
Published by Faber Children's Books in April 2016
Ilustrated by Sheena Dempsey
Pages - 155
Summary 
Join Dave Pigeon and his sidekick Skipper on their quest to defeat the most evil cat in town. There will be funny bits, scary bits and biscuity bits...
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What an adorable yet hilarious book! Dave Pigeon is a brilliant and original character who you are rooting for as soon as you meet him. He is definitely one of a kind. He's not perfect, as he may have a touch of the dramatics with his tall stories, but he's a fighter! 
I couldn't stop smiling as I read about Dave and Skipper's constant changes of plans to get rid of Mean Cat. They really highlighted the brain power you imagine all pigeons to have. If pigeons could have a spoke person, I am pretty sure Dave would be in the running for the job. Human Lady has a heart of gold, though not sure I would want a pigeon living in the house. 
The illustrations really match the descriptions of Dave and Skipper, helping to bring these characters alive. I can't imagine any child not loving Dave and waiting excitedly for his next adventure.