Picture-This Books

29/08/2026

Bank Holiday. Rain forecast. Children to entertain. 🫣☔️

We may have just bought you 20 minutes… AND you could win a Picture-This Book. 💛

Get them creating, then DM me a photo of their masterpiece. Closes 2 September.

For the love of Dolly — and little imaginations. ✏️🌈

27/08/2026

In honour and celebration of the wonderful Dolly Parton, a competition open to parents of all children in the UK.

Simply send us a photo of your child’s latest, greatest creation - a drawing, painting, something they have made or written. We'll choose 3 entries to win a FREE Picture-This Books book 🥰

DM us the pic. No purchase necessary. For the love of Dolly ✨️❤️✨️

Holly xx

26/08/2026

Oh 🥺 like so many people the world over, I adored Dolly Parton. But as a children’s author, it was what she did away from the stage that made me love her that little bit more.

Dolly believed fiercely in books, stories, dreams - and in giving children the opportunity to discover all three.

She started her Imagination Library in honour of her father, who couldn’t read or write, and what began in her home county in Tennessee grew into something extraordinary: putting books into the hands of millions of children around the world, completely free.

She once said: “The seeds of these dreams are often found in books.” and I can’t think of a more Picture-This sentiment than that 🩷

So rather than simply post a picture of Dolly, I thought we could celebrate her in a way I think she might rather have liked.

Let’s make something.

For the next week, send me a photo of your child’s most imaginative creation.

A drawing, painting, cardboard creation, collage, something made from leaves and sticks...a "making" of any kind.

There are no rules for imagination ✨️

I’ll choose three creations that make me smile, surprise me, or simply remind me how brilliantly differently children see the world - and I’ll send those 3 entries a FREE Picture-This Books prize.

No purchase necessary. No entry fee. Nothing to sign up to. I'll also send a 20% discount code to everyone who enters.

Just DM me a photograph of your child's creation by Wednesday 2nd September. I'll notify all winners and share all entries on Friday 4th September.

This isn’t really about winning.

It’s about filling this little corner of Instagram with children’s ideas, pictures, stories and imagination in honour of a woman who spent so much of her life making sure children had books in their hands and dreams in their heads.

For the love of Dolly. 💛

Holly x

Read, Imagine, Draw.

—

UK entries only please 🙏 By entering, you give permission for the submitted creation to be shared by Picture-This Books. A child’s name or image will not be shared without separate permission.

26/08/2026

24/08/2026

Nearly there. How are we all feeling?
I always find this bit of the summer slightly strange.

One minute they're barefoot, permanently grubby and apparently surviving on ice lollies, and the next we're labelling PE kits and trying to remember whether anyone actually owns a pair of school shoes that still fit.

Back to school is coming (for some it's already here) ❤️

And with it comes a lot of structure. New classrooms. New teachers. Timetables. Targets. Things to remember. Things to get right.

BUT, somewhere amongst all of that, we need to leave plenty of room for the stuff that doesn't have a right answer...

One of my absolute favourite things about taking Picture-This Books into schools is reading exactly the same story to a whole class, without showing them any pictures, and then asking them to draw what they saw in their heads.

You'd think there might be 30 vaguely similar pictures.

There never are.

There are 30 completely different ones.

Same words. Same story. 30 little brains taking them somewhere entirely different.

And I think that's pretty bloody brilliant.

Here's to a new school year full of daydreaming, doodling, wondering, making things up and seeing things nobody else sees ❤️ and some maths I guess.

Holly x

04/08/2026

Hi all 👋

Been a little while but I hope everyone is having a gorgeous summer and managing to squeeze in some sun worshipping in between the sweating and complaining. As a generally knackered menopausal Mum I've worked out that if I basically train myself to live as close to a vampire existence as is humanly possible, I can get through much easier.
Cue me napping in the darkest room of the house with the poise and prowess of a cat every time the slightest opportunity presents itself during the day time, and sitting outside with an ice cold gin and watching the bats overhead at dusk just so I can breathe fresh air without feeling like I'm locked in a steam room hellscape. But still...apparently we mustn't complain 😅

This week I read that summer break is the ultimate creative catalyst for children. Studies have shown that by swapping rigid school routines for unstructured play, nature exploration...and a healthy dose of boredom, children naturally build original problem-solving skills and vibrant imaginations.

Picture-This Books are big on rule-breaking and imagination-seeking.

Choose from 5 titles available now at www.picture-thisbooks.com

Too early for gin, so back to the shadows I go 😉

H xx

27/01/2026

A Small Hyphen With a Big Job

A small but important note from me — involving a hyphen, of all things 🫣😅

Some of you have very kindly messaged to say you’ve tried to visit my website but ended up somewhere else entirely. You’re not imagining it — and it’s not happening to everyone, either.

Since last summer, Penguin Random House have acquired picturethisbooks.com (without the hyphen). It used to belong to a completely different business and wasn’t active, so there were no issues or confusion at the time. It then became available and...what can I say? I wasn't quite as quick as the big fellas and didn't snap it up quickly enough.

Now, depending on the browser, device, or a bit of internet magic I don’t fully understand, missing the hyphen can sometimes cause a redirect elsewhere. Not always — but often enough to be confusing and frustrating if you’re trying to buy a book.

My website has always been and still very much is:
👉 www.picture-thisbooks.com
(with the hyphen doing some very heavy lifting in the middle)

Please rest assured: Picture-This Books is alive, well, and still run by me, just as it always has been. You can shop directly via the website above, select independent book shops, Waterstones.com or Not On The High Street.

Thank you so much to those of you who’ve taken the time to message and flag this. I really appreciate it. And thank you for continuing to support small, thoughtful businesses in a very big-publisher world.

Long live the hyphen ✨

I never thought punctuation would become part of my business admin, but here we are. 

H xx

20/01/2026

Hi 👋 I’m venturing tentatively back online after a leisurely & cheese-laden much-needed Christmas break.

I’m also still very much wintering - moving slowly at every opportunity, choosing carefully, staying offline more than online - and that’s something I want to continue to protect this year.

2026 is already shaping up to be a full-on one 😅 My psychology studies are progressing, and my role as a Complex Needs Specialist continues to demand a lot of time, energy, and care. It’s meaningful work, but it’s also a reminder that I can’t do everything - and I don’t want to.

BUT what I can do is show up thoughtfully.

This year, I’ll be publishing one considered blog post a month, released on the first Tuesday of every month (well aware I'm late already - I'm setting intentions, not resolutions 😉), and then shared here. Nothing frantic. Nothing forced. Just writing that feels useful, grounded, and aligned with my values - and with the values behind Picture-This Books. First one of the year is live now. Link in bio and www.picture-thisbooks.com - side note, DON'T FORGET THE HYPHEN...more on this in a few days 😬

These blogs will be customer-led, so if there’s something you’re navigating as a parent, carer, or educator - anxiety, creativity, storytelling, emotional wellbeing - please get in touch and let me know. I’d genuinely love to write in response to real needs, not trends!

Picture-This Books has always been about slowing things down, trusting children’s inner worlds, and making space for imagination. This feels like a natural extension of that - living the brand values, not just talking about them. It’s also not going to overwhelm me to the point where I ghost my customers for several months at a time. Soz about that 😆
Please note, even when I/we are not posting, I check DMs daily myself to make sure nothing is missed.

Wishing you all a belated Happy New Year. I hope 2026 meets you gently, wherever possible.

If there’s a topic you’d love me to write about this year, feel free to comment or message me.

H xx

#2026❤️

06/12/2025

No pictures - just words, space, and imagination waiting to burst onto the page! There is a Picture-This Books title for every child. Whether they love reading and drawing, or perhaps need our encouraging spark...

Picture-This Books make beautifully unique Christmas gifts 🎁 something creative, calm and meaningful for children during the most magical (and excitable!) time of year. They're also perfect for the advent countdown - a page-a-day creative activity that channels festive giddiness into drawing, imagining and giggling their way to Christmas morning. A joyful way to keep little hands busy and big imaginations as curious as ever ✨️

For imaginers aged 5+ years 🌈

Available now at www.picture-thisbooks.com
(Don't forget the hyphen!)

PSST: Last UK orders date for guaranteed Christmas delivery: Sunday 21st December 🎅

-thisbooks 🎄