A former education lecturer and classroom teacher, Mary is the author of ‘Developing Children’s Critical Thinking through Picturebooks’ (Routledge 2015). When Halibut's invited to a party at the palace, he's too bashful to go, until he decides to make a palace-patterned suit.

As a child he enjoyed drawing and writing, and he went on to study at St Martin’s School of Art and then the Royal College of Art. This book could therefore support the language development of young children or children who have EAL. I like that good things happen to Halibut because he is brave and creative, that people respond to his art and his risk-taking, and that he becomes connected and successful in his community. For this project we read the wonderful story of Halibut Jackson by David Lucas, a shy little man who made camouflage suits so that he could merge into the background and never be noticed. Halibut Jackson is so shy that he makes special outfits to blend in wherever he goes, but the clothes he wears to a party at the palace only make him stand out.Throughout the book, Halibut comes out of his shell and ends up becoming very popular with his gift.

Since then David has had many of his stories published here, in the US, and in twelve languages around the world. His books often draw on myths and fairytales, like Grendel - with its roots firmly in the legend of King Midas. However, things don’t go to plan when he prepares a silver and gold suit for a party at the palace, only to discover it’s a garden party!See if you can spot the shy and retiring Halibut Jackson in this beautiful picture book from an extraordinary and innovative artist. His stories are a mix of fairytale and autobiography, and his aim in all his work is to communicate his belief that the world is a magical place. The children have been experimenting with camouflage in our outdoor areas and have been hiding Halibut Jackson amongst the leaves and the trees.

But when he is invited to a party at the Palace, he is flummoxed - what does it look like in the palace? After reading a few times I realised Halibut has a framed picture in his house of himself where he's so shy, he's covering his own face.An exhausted, migrating Bluebird shelters where the Robot’s heart used to be; he builds her a nest of wires. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. Each page is packed with people, curlicues, domes, geometric shapes and fantastic details that keep you coming back again and again to find something new tucked in them The feel is vintage and the clothes retro-inspired. I've always liked fancy dress parties - it's fun pretending to be someone you're not - and I enjoy being on my own in nature - I love places where I can escape the modern world and imagine I'm living centuries ago. The text has strong PSHE links, allowing space to discuss issues around social anxiety and being/accepting oneself.

I don't think this is actually a cure for shyness, but it could be used as a lesson in following your passion. My home is full of strange old books - books of magic spells and secret alphabets and half forgotten legends.There are also strong links to art and fashion – Halibut is a tailor after all – as well as celebrations and parties. In this ten-session Writing Root, which we suggest will take 3 weeks to cover, the children open a drapery that sells 'Suits for every Occasion'. I'm a little less happy about the trope of a fat person trying to be invisible, but in the story it's not about Halibut trying to hide his fatness. I spend the mornings writing, looking out onto the park, listening to the birds singing and the canal boats chugging past.