Book deal for Killough artist Kieron

Book deal for Killough artist Kieron

19 July 2017

ALL parents will know the terror of losing a little one’s much-loved blanket or well chewed toy.

But for Killough artist Kieron Black, it proved the inspiration for a children’s story which is now part of a just confirmed two-book publishing deal.

While he has illustrated many books in his career, The Goblin’s Blue Blanket is the first time Kieron has put his own story alongside his fantastical visual creations.

“Ogie is the goblin in question with the blue blanket, which goes missing at the start of the story,” he explained. “Along with the cat Gerald they set off to search for it. They have the chance for adventures on the way but Ogie is fixated on the blue blanket.”

With snowboarding and skateboarding some of exciting things Ogie could be missing out on while he is busy searching for the blanket — the moral of the story for the tempestuous toddler is clear.

“It is for any parent who has had to go through their child losing Mr Snuffkins, or whatever it happens to be,” said Kieron. “In my case it was when my daughter Penny lost her Mr Squeaky in the Oakley Fayre in Downpatrick. We went back for it but it was closed. It was only overnight but when you’re two-and-a-half that’s a long time.

“She will be five now in September. She is delighted with the book, we have a print-out of it stapled together which she can look at.

“She loves Ogie and was straight into it and Gerald the cheeky cat also caught her eye.”

While Mr Squeaky, the beloved white rat from Ikea, solidified the plot for Kieron, Ogie first took form as an illustration.

“From around February 2016 I started jotting down a beginning, a middle and an end to the story, I had an image floating around,” he said. “I was flirting with different ideas.”

Kieron’s designs were picked up on social media and piqued the interest of Sheffield based publisher Vertebrate, which specialises in inspiring outdoor adventure books.

A professional artist and illustrator, Kieron is well-known across the world for his cartoons and unique snowboarding creations. A keen snowboarder and surfer himself, he has also used the opportunity of his own book for a more realistic presentation of lesser known sports.

“In children’s books when sports are being represented they tend to be football, hockey etc., skateboarding, for example, is seen as one of the extreme sports,” he said.

“I wanted a realistic presentation of the sport, to give it a bit of credibility.”

The Goblin’s Blue Blanket will be published in March 2018, to be followed by a second book in the series.