About

author

About the author

A graduate of Cambridge University where she was in the first year of women’s students at Caius College, Jenny Shann worked as a teacher and then as a lawyer. Now retired, she lives in London surrounded by family and her two dogs. She believes in the creative power of art and nature to inspire a love of learning and is grateful to her wonderful illustrator, Jim Starr, for bringing this story to life.

Both adults and kids will love the illustrations which were painted in watercolour by renowned artist, Jim Starr.

About the Illustrator

Jim Starr graduated in 1982 from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a BFA in illustration. For more than 25 years, Jim has freelanced advertising, corporate and editorial illustrations for clients in the United States, Canada and overseas. More recently he began illustrating children’s books starting with The Great Gold Rush Adventure in 2016. In 2017, Jim was asked by the White House to illustrate the Holiday Tour Book, which was distributed to thousands of visitors to the White House during the holiday season. He also illustrated the books Big Sam: A Rosh Hashanah Tall Tale in 2017, Don’t Thank Me in 2020, The Secret Santa Club in 2022, and most recently, George W. Bush: A Little Golden Book Biography in 2023.

Jim lives north of Baltimore in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, with his high school sweetheart Karen, who is an Art Teacher. Jim enjoys walking his dogs Annie and Ollie down his rural road. He is hopelessly addicted to playing table tennis. Jim also enjoys painting in watercolor. He was very happy that the author Jenny Shann liked the idea of watercolor painting this book! Jim’s illustration website is www.jimstarr.com. Jim’s Fine Art website is www.jimstarrart.com.

★★★★★ 5/5

'My kids LOVED this fun adventure story for a bedtime book. I loved the concept, the illustrations and the characters were so relatable. We had some really fun conversations following this.'

"...The story is fun and entertaining, with easy-to-read sentences emphasizing several positive ideas. Jenny Shann teaches us the value of art... She also shows us the fun of exploring and connecting with nature. But, in particular, she highlights the value of friendship and companionship. The plot is interesting due to the character dynamics in a fantasy environment and the unexpected solutions to challenges...The images by Jim Starr are vibrant and full of life, with tones that reflect each moment of the day...Hermes and the Magic Map will inspire children to use their imagination positively."

"A celebration of imagination and the fun of playing outdoors! A sweet story of friendship, with a dash of Greek mythology."

"I loved how it encouraged the use of imagination and creativity to come out of a tough situation."

"This was such a sweet story full of adventures and friendships...I loved the Greek mythology aspects in this and the illustrations were spectacular. Perfect to read for a bedtime story!"

"I liked the watercolor style... So beautiful to look at. The story was also great, super fun and adventurous, with good lessons about friendship and creativity. I would absolutely recommend it!"

–Profits from the sale of this book will go to support educational charities BBC Children In Need and the World Literacy Foundation.

–Copies of this book are available from Barnes and Noble, Waterstones and Amazon. If you enjoy the book and, like me, believe in the cause of education for all, please leave a review wherever you leave your book reviews.

About

About the author

About the Illustrator

Where to purchase

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com