Author duo support local bookshops in Dartmoor mini book tour

Local authors Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre inspired children and grown-ups, showing them how to draw their mini hero in a mini book tour of Astor's Bookshop & Art Materials in Chagford and Gnash Comics in Ashburton. On Wednesday, 5th April, the duo decorated the bookshop windows with characters from the first book in their new highly illustrated series for early readers, ‘Adventuremice: Otter Chaos’. After showing bookshop visitors how to draw Pedro, a young mouse who wants to join the Adventuremice team, Reeve and McIntyre signed books and drew portraits of children into them, helping them imagine themselves as characters in the story.

Reeve and McIntyre are keen to emphasise the importance of local bookshops in inspiring children to read and bringing the community together. Astor’s owner Tucker Sorrell said: “It’s a huge help to independent bookshops to get support from authors and illustrators.”

“Gnash Comics was packed,” said owner Jenny Donaldson. “Everyone had an amazing afternoon. It was wonderful to see so many kids loving Adventuremice and having fun drawing with Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre today.”

Besides drawing Pedro, the children helped the authors design a brand-new island for their story.

“We have a map of the Mouse Islands in the back of our book,” said Philip. “And right in the corner you can spot ‘the Nameless Isles’, which gives us room to explore them in further books.”

Sarah added: "It’s also a great chance for children to invent their own islands. At Gnash, we created one with a population that included an axolotl, a guinea pig named Gerald and a penguin in a leopard leotard named Verity. It’s a creative exercise, but it was also a good laugh!”

Those who missed the bookshop events can visit the shops to see the original artwork painted on the windows, and both bookshops have signed copies of the new book. Readers can also download more book-related activities on the website Adventuremice.com.

Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre have created many award-winning books together, including ‘Oliver and the Seawigs’, ‘Pugs of the Frozen North’ and ‘The Legend of Kevin’. Sarah McIntyre is Patron of Reading at Chagford Primary School and the first Adventuremice book is dedicated ‘to the children of Chagford Primary School with love and toasted cheese’. Reeve and McIntyre’s second Adventuremice book, ‘Mermouse Mystery’, launches in June.