There have been many new and exciting development for Toys at Night, my second collaboration with European artist Anya Lauchlan. The book, published by non-profit press GoldfishbooksUK Ltd., is now available to booksellers — including booksellers in the U.S.A. — through online orders at Gardners.
In the meantime, twenty copies of the book have been donated to Glasgow Children’s Hospital along with a considerable donation pledge to the GCH Charity. It is an honor to help support this large Scottish national hospital, along with the causes we are supporting in Ukraine and England.
As Anya says, “Toys can talk, and they can work hard, too.” Recently, the artist stopped into the Medina Bookshop in Cowes, Isle of Wight, and found the book on display. A customer was leafing through the pages, enjoying the gorgeous artwork inside and the fables with their positive messages for children. She walked out with a purchased copy in her hands.
For more information about Toys at Night, visit www.goldfishbooksuk.com. In the United States, I have some author copies on hand that I can sell directly until more bookstores pick up the book; just send me a note through this site’s contact page (if you’re in Chatham, New York, check out the copies currently available at The Chatham Bookstore).
All illustration, writing, layout, and translation work for this book were donated by those of us who brought it to the world. Two hundred copies were donated to hospitals and schools in Ukraine, along with many of the stuffed (or soft) toys that inspired the illustrations in the book. A large donation from the U.S. sales was made to an organization supporting stray animals and families in Ukraine who are having trouble caring for their pets during the war. Donations are also headed to the Mountbatten Hospice in England, and the book was recently featured in an article in The Herald, the largest newspaper in Scotland.
More is on the way! We hope Toys at Night will become a modern classic to be enjoyed by children worldwide.