FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAUDE
The Not-So-Noticeable Shrimpton

lauren child illustrated by trisha krauss

Lauren Child teams up with a debut illustrator to tell a cautionary tale about the perils of craving constant attention.
Meet the Shrimpton familyso talented, so eccentric, so larger than life that you couldnt

miss them if you wanted to. Mrs. Shrimpton wears flamboyant hats, and Mr. Shrimptons mustache makes quite a statement. The youngsters each have a standout quality: beauty, dancing, singing, a Shrimptons live to be noticedall that is, except Maude, who prefers to (literally) blend into the wallpaper. But when Maude receives a ferocious tiger for her birthday instead of the goldfish she magazine and Edward Gorey, here is a story to bring a smile to all the quiet stars among us.

sense of humor thats a laugh a minute. Indeed, the

asked for, might her talent for blending in come in handy? With stylized artwork evoking both Vogue
On sale August 6, 2013 HC: 978-0-7636-6515-9 $16.99 32 pages Ages 58

Lauren Child has published many best-selling and award-winning books, including the hugely Trisha Krauss

popular Charlie and Lola and Clarice Bean series, as well as, more recently, the Ruby Redfort series. She has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal. Lauren Child lives in London.

spent sixteen years working in New York for magazines and advertising agencies, and her work has been exhibited in New York and Rome. Maude the Not-So-Noticeable Shrimpton is her first picture book. Trisha Krauss now lives and works as an illustrator in London.

MAUDE
The Not-So-Noticeable Shrimpton
A Note from Illustrator

trisha krauss
thinking about what would make her blend in but eventually stand out. She is a Mona Lisa Maude in the sense that behind her seemingly expressionless face, there is so much expression. She has the look of someone who is about to say something very funny or profound but clears the slate facially before delivery to catch you off guard. At least this is how I imagined her. I have worked as an illustrator for many years, and my work is largely figurative. I love depicting characters and the world in which they live.I have done a lot of fashion illustration over the years, and it has always been important for me to not only show lovely clothes but to show the inner character of the women that I paint. The Shrimptons were a perfect opportunity for me to express myself.Lauren is a dear friend and she wrote a story that suited me very well and I am eternally grateful. Because she is a wonderfully talented illustrator and extremely visual, every page she wrote was full of visual possibilities. I have worked with authors before, and it is not usually the case that words become pictures so readily. She is an absolute professional, and I admire her greatly.

I suppose I will start with Maude. I, for many reasons, was very able to understand and relate to Maude. Not because I was anything like her but because I wish I could have been more like her. Like Maude, I am a middle child; however, I made it my mission not only to be noticed but to be the most absolutely noticeable Shrimpton of all. My character was the combined forces of Penelope, Hector, Constance, and Wardo. I sang, I danced, I paraded, I found myself terribly funny, and when all else failed, I rode a unicycle dressed in my mothers psychedelically swirled bellbottoms. I would have been the first to be eaten by a tiger, and no one would have protested! I was an intolerable show-off and guilty of continuous attention-seeking behavior. When my eldest brother read this book last week, he said, You have managed to paint a full book of yourselfwell done. I loved Maudes stillnessa quality I lack completely and admire in others. I spent endless hours painting her and

PHOTO COURTESY OF TRISHA KRAUSS

Can you

see
her?

Illustration copyright 2013 by Trisha Krauss