Author has US launch

Bridgetown author and illustrator Gabriel Evans is launching his book Ollie and Augustus in the United States.

It is his first book to be released in the United States.

Ollie and Augustus is being released by Candlewick Press, the publishing company behind the Where’s Wally books.

“It’s a good feeling ... this massive publisher that has published some best selling titles thinks that this book is good enough to be taken up,” he said.

“It’s great working with such an iconic brand ... they have such a good reputation, so to work with them is good.”

Ollie and Augustus is a story about dealing with the first day of school and being away from a close friend.

“It is a book about friendship, starting school and first day of school worries”

“The difference with this book is that the little boy is not so much worried about starting school as he’s worried about his friend being lonely and about coming to terms with the fact that his friend is fine without him and knows he will always come home.”

As well as launching Ollie and Augustus in the US, Mr Evans has two books launching this year, The Cute Penguin in July and Norton and the Bear in October.

Mr Evans said The Cute Penguin contained commentary on his perception of social media.

“It’s a fun, quirky book about a penguin that is concerned it has been created too cute in a sketchbook and he wants to look more real,” he said.

“Maybe it’s a slight dig at social media where we tend to put on a facade.

Norton and the Bear is a story about copying, the bane of every child with a younger sibling.

The characters are adapted from Gabriel’s Instagram page, an idea suggested to him by one of his editors.

For more information visit gabrielevansartist.com.