5/8/10
This is the last entry on this page because Neal has started a brand new blog-page for all his news here.

(This page will remain on the internet as an archive...)



1/7/10
The third book in the Emily Brown series, Emily Brown and the Elephant Emergency has been re-printed in paperback with a brand new cover, and should be available from all good bookshops and libraries...





4/2/10
David Tennant reads the new Emily Brown book, Emily Brown and the Elephant Emergency on cBeebies! Click this link to watch it on youtube...





16/12/09
Neal's has been interviewed online again this month. The American blog Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast asks him about his illustrations for Nicola Davies award winning Poo! series of books.



18/11/09
Illustrations by Neal Layton and Lauren Child have been used as part of a major refurbishment of the John Harvard Library in Southwark.



12/11/09
Neal's work has been featured on a two blogs this month. The Apple and the Egg shows previously unseen sketches from That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown, and Ed the blue owl interviews him for Ed On The Web.





23/9/09
This year Neal was selected as one of the judges for the Early Years Awards. Well done to all authors and illustrators short listed!





18/9/09
The fourth book in the Mammoth Academy Series is here! 'Mammoth Academy Surf's Up!' is published by Hodder Children's Books and is available from all good bookshops and libraries...





29/7/09
Nicola Davies and Neal Layton's book What's Eating You? has been nominated for the Garden State Children’s Book Award 2010. Click here for more details about the award and the other books shortlisted.





17/7/09
The new Chinese versions of the Mammoth Academy Series, published by Cotton Tree Publishing, are displayed at this years Hong Kong Book Fair.





26/6/09
Neal's work is included in a new exhibition of children's book art held as part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. The show will be at the Fidra Gallery, 18 Bruntsfield Place, EH10 4DC and will run from Saturday 11th July through to Saturday 29th August, 10.30 till 7pm. Prints from Emily Brown and original illustrations from Mammoth Academy Surf's Up! will be available for sale.





11/6/09
Bartholomew and the Bug has been re-printed with a new cover in paperback and should be available from all good bookshops and libraries soon...





15/5/09
Extreme Animals: the Toughest Creatures on Earth has been nominated for the North Carolina Children's Book Award - Junior Books - 2009-2010.





17/3/09
Neal would like to thank everyone who organised and participated in the Portsmouth Literary Quiz 2009. Congratulations to the winning team from Corpus Christi Primary School!





3/3/09
That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown is going to be on TV! Read by Amanda Holden on CITV's BOOKABOO the show will go out Thursday 5th March at 12.15 and 5.45, and be repeated Tuesday 24th March at 12.15, 15.15 and 17.45.





13/11/08

All three Oscar and Arabella picture books have been reprinted by Hodder Children's Books with new covers in paperback format, and should be available from all good bookshops and libraries...

29/9/08
Teach Your Granny to Text & Other Ways to Change the World is published. Thousands of children were invited to come up with simple, everyday actions that we can all do to make a difference to the biggest problems facing the world today, with the best 30 selected for the book. It's full of GREAT ideas, seeds, maps stickers, pictures and has a cover illustration by Neal. Click the link for more details...





29/9/08
Neal would like to thank the children of class CE1 in the village of Coimères France, for awarding 'Oscar et Arabella et Otto' their Special Prize for Prehistory, and for all their wonderful letters and pictures. Merci beaucoup!

25/7/08
At the moment Neal is finishing work on the sequel to The Story of Everything. This new book will again feature the amazing paper engineering of Corina Fletcher and is due for publication next year.

More details to follow...!





12/6/08
The third book in the Mammoth Academy Series is here! 'Mammoth Academy on Holiday' is published by Hodder Children's Books and is available from all good bookshops and libraries... Click here to see how Neal turns sketches into finished illustrations...





12/6/08
Extreme Animals, written by Nicola Davies, Illustrated by Neal Layton and published by Walker Books has won a first prize from the young readers of Nanterre, France! Neal would like to thank everyone involved in the 'Prix du Jeune Lecteur 2008' for selecting it and for the lovely package of books that he received.





3/6/08
Neal would like to say a huge thanks to everyone involved in the Red House Book Awards and an extra special huge thanks to all the children from the Airdale, Aldbourne, Barrowby & Grantham, Brimingham, Dudley, Dundee, Harrogate, Ipswich, Oxted, Plymouth, St Albans, West Wales and York reading groups for the WONDERFUL book of letters and drawings that he received as a prize.

And in answer to the many that asked, yes there will be another Mammoth Academy book coming soon!





8/5/08
Books for Keeps magazine have run a feature about Neal's work as part of their Windows into Illustration series. Click the links for more details...





23/4/08
Neal's work is featured alongside artists Leo Hillier, Oliver Jeffers and Helen Shoesmith in an article about Children's Illustration for Advanced Photoshop Magazine.





13/2/08

Mammoth Academy in Trouble has been selected for The Red House Children's Book Award! Founded in 1980 the award is judged entirely by children, from shortlist to final overall Winner. Any child in the UK can take part. Click to link for more details and to vote...





22/11/07
You can now peek inside some of Neal's Books on the website...



...more to follow!



31/10/07
Wooooo hoo hoo - it's Halloween! - and Emily Brown and Stanley are back in a brand new book called Emily Brown and the THING! The story has been written by the extremely talented Cressida Cowell, designed by David Mackintosh, published by Orchard books, and should be available from all good bookshops and libraries...





28/10/07
Neal's work has been included in a new book Pen Play: New Children's Book Illustration. Written by Martin Salisbury and published by Lawrence King Publishing, the book also features the work of Marc Boutavant, Kveta Pacovská, Sara Fanelli and Harriet Russell amongst others.

01/10/07
A new book from the team that brought you Poo!

Written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Neal Layton What's Eating You? is published by Walker Books and should be available from all good bookshops and libraries...





27/9/07
Work continues on the third of the Mammoth Academy books - Mammoth Academy on Holiday! Click the line drawings below to see how Neal develops the illustrations from sketches to finished artworks...





28/8/07
The picture storybook 'That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown' has been short listed for the Early Years Awards! For a list of all the shortlisted titles and more information about the awards click here...





19/7/07
The second of the Mammoth Academy books is out now!
Mammoth Academy in Trouble is published by Hodder Children's Books and is available from all good bookshops and libraries...





26/6/07
Neal is now currently working on the third in the series of 'Mammoth Academy' books. As yet untitled this new story will feature the woolly students on a study trip heading for warmer climes...!





25/6/07
The artwork for 'Emily Brown and the THING' is now all finished and currently being designed by David Mackintosh. Once the words are set in place it will go to the printers, and with fair weather and a tail wind the finished books should be in the shops for Christmas...



16/6/07
A couple of little animations have gone up in the STUFF section. More to follow...




9/5/07
DOUBLE WOW! The picture storybook 'That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown' has been shortlisted for the Stockport Childrens Book award! A huge thanks to everyone that works so hard to make this fantastic event happen. For a list of all the selected titles click here and for more information about the award here...