All About Blip!

What's that strange banging sound? Who’s that hiding in the bushes? Will the adorable robot ever find someone who understands him? In this engaging adventure by British rising star Barnaby Richards, young readers will want to trace a path across the enchanted landscape again and again. Learn more about TOON's latest robot friend!

​Who is Blip?

Blip is a very sensitive, inquisitive and friendly robot. His flying skills aren't great.

What do you think you would have enjoyed most about Blip! if you read it as a child?

I would have loved finding little details like the cactus creature and I would have played at re-imagining Blip's journey through the fantastic landscape.

I liked finding things - unsaid things - in books, it felt like discovering secrets and connected me to their world in a way that words alone could not. I liked books that facilitated my own playfulness.

How did you hook up with TOON Books?

I emailed Françoise out of the blue! I had fallen in love with the format of TOON Level 1 books. Frank Viva's A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse and Lille Carré's Tippy and the Night Parade​ are absolute favorite books of mine. I knew that was the best format for me to tell Blip's story. Working with Francoise was amazing. She really helped me develop my initial idea and to fully realize its potential. I owe her lots of thanks.

Have you ever crash landed your own space ship?

Hmm, so I crashed my car 30 seconds into my first driving lesson. My first task was to take a sharp left out of the drive onto an extremely steep hill. I've yet to try again since but flying might be more my thing.

★★★ "The text perfectly captures the wildly creative narrative spirit in the play of imaginative children, who are not bound by logical rules and physical limitations...should win plenty of fans.”
--Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW