Hello! I’m Anthony. Welcome.

I’ve always loved to exaggerate. That’s why I enjoy being a children’s author. You’re allowed to let your imagination run wild and make stuff up!

I’ve travelled around a lot and lived in places like California, Portsmouth, Devon, Scotland and Wales but – for now – I live with my mischievous, adventurous black cat, Watson, in Frome.

At the moment, I’m writing a series of middle-grade pirate adventure books for Guppy Books as well as doing some picture books for other publishers. One of these is called The Wish Fish and there’s more details about that on another page.

I’ve written books, scripts and articles for Nickelodeon, Disney, Harpercollins, Macmillan, Dreamworks, BBC, Guardian, The Wrap, Haymarket Publishing (Children & Young People Now), Parragon, Paramount, CiTV and have trained professional scriptwriters in Los Angeles on how to write for children. I’ve also written scripts for Doctor Who comics and been a professional writing competition judge for the prestigious Bath Novel Award.

As an experienced youth worker too, I’ve run fun Science workshops – making tons of yucky, slurpy slime with children aged 3 to 14 – and done other exciting things such as run the Edinburgh Book Festival Imagination Lab (entertaining 8000 kids in 20 days!), live in a forest, climb mountains, and work with children who have special needs.

I love eating chocolate mini-rolls, dunking Digestive biscuits in tea (otherwise I can’t write…they must have hidden magical powers), walking in the countryside, and using telepathy to ask my cat, Watson, to bring me breakfast in bed every morning (ha, I wish!).

I’ve written and edited a lot of different books (some are in the above image), most of them for children. Many have been commissioned for big companies like Disney, which means I wrote them without my name going on them.

For instance, I bet you didn’t know that I wrote and edited the children’s book version of The Pirates of the Caribbean film? Or the children’s book version of Cars 2? Well, yes I did. I also had a hand in a free Doctor Who book that came with the comic Doctor Who Adventures I used to write for.

Right now, I’m working on a middle-grade adventure book series for Guppy Books and several picture books, including The Wish Fish for a special Heritage Lottery project.

I also read “professionally” and review children’s books for brilliant book website, My Book Corner. This site is for parents to use to help them choose the best books for their kids, do check it out.

I love making slime! Then again, who doesn’t? It’s slippery, slurpy and very satisfying when you get it into your hands and squeeze it until it dribbles everywhere.

Yes, I know I’m a grown man, but as I teach fun and interactive science classes for young children – with the renowned Devon-based Sciencedipity – I get to show children how to chemically activate PVA glue into a semi-solid: make slime in another words!

It is, of course, all in the name of learning about chemistry, how to use science equipment safely, and getting children intrigued about what science is, and how fun it can be.

As Sciencedipity is led by Biomedical Scientist and qualified teache, Ruth Maclaren, we run professional learning experiences under the government’s important Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) scheme. We travel around and promote the benefit of discovering these four education areas for later in life.

Previously, I ran an exciting community art and heritage project in Bideford, North Devon. Called Way of the Wharves, it was about creating renewed knowledge and pride in the maritime history of the old East-the-Water wharves that were used by Napoleon during the 1800s.

Myself and a dedicated group of volunteers organised events, art workshops, education programmes, recordings of oral histories, designed tourist information panels, did guided walks, and researched stories of how people lived and worked around the quayside and port of Bideford.

Once an important, strategic port for worldwide trade and ship building, Bideford’s rich heritage and tidal estuary lends itself to be regenerated for generations who know nothing about this.

I love to doing work that helps motivate people to come together to build a better and more positive community environment.

I’m now a Trustee of the scheme, and you can follow what the Way of the Wharves team are up to on our Facebook page.

 

 

I have two wonderful, mischievous and cuddly black cats called Sherlock and Watson. Adopted from a farm in North Devon when they were eight weeks old, they are a pair of cheeky chaps.

They were born on Friday the 13th, which makes them two very lucky cat-brothers.

Sherlock shows his heart on his sleeve, gives everyone big kisses when he meets them, but he’s a little more shy about staying outside for too long. He much prefers cosying-up by the fire, or strolling across my keyboard to get some attention.

Watson is a bit more adventurous. He roams about a lot more and is quite naughty. He often gets into scrapes with other cats and has been known to pop into people’s houses and have a good wander around. But, when he’s in a chilled mood, he’s a happy kitty.

Together, they are two amazing little beings. Full of character, life and energy. They’ve made our house a fun-filled, homely place. Without a doubt, since we got them, I’ve laughed more from their amusing antics than I ever have in my whole life!

You can see lots more of their adventures in this photo album.

If you’d like to get in contact then you can email me on anthonyburt@hotmail.com.

Or follow me on Twitter.

Or send a message through this form…