Scholastic lands Pichon's new Tom Gates book to get kids drawing

Scholastic has landed a new Tom Gates book by Liz Pichon which aims to get everyone drawing in the UK as part of a national campaign.

Lauren Fortune, fiction publisher, acquired world rights to You Can Draw Tom Gates with Liz Pichon from Caroline Walsh at David Higham Associates. It will be published in paperback on 31st March 2022.

The publisher called it a "must-have art activity book which is a celebration of imagination and creativity, packed with step-by-step drawing guides, how-to doodles, pages to colour-in and things to make and do". Tom Gates is the doodling schoolboy at the heart of Pichon’s award-winning series of middle-grade books. 

You Can Draw Tom Gates with Liz Pichon will be launched with a nationwide campaign including a tour, PR appearances, partnerships and a huge Tom Gates drawing challenge. 

Pichon said: "I’m so excited about this book and can’t wait to share it! Over the last 10 years of writing and drawing Tom Gates, I’ve seen how much kids have enjoyed drawing and copying the doodle style. So it’s going to be packed full of tips and tricks for drawing and loads of fun activities. I’ll be sharing some of my sketches from the original Tom Gates books and writing some funny scenes for the kids to add their own drawings too. It’s exactly the kind of book I’d have loved as a kid.”

Fortune added: “Liz Pichon inspires creativity like no other. Drawing, making, music and more are crammed into all her books and fully accessible for all children. The world of Tom Gates is full of characters, creatures and scenarios that spark imagination and it is a dream to be able to show children how to draw like their favourite character. The atmosphere in Liz Pichon’s events is electric as she gets every single child (and adult) drawing and thinking creatively. We know You Can Draw Tom Gates with Liz Pichon will do the same.”