A wonderful book about storytelling and the art of creativity with an inspiring rhyming text from James Harris (The Unbelievable Biscuit Factory) and beautiful, characterful illustrations from Mariajo Ilustrajo (Flooded). It's a dull day in the jungle and Artie the macaque's friends are bored, bored, BORED! But with paper, pens and ink, a splash of inspiration, and a pinch of imagination, Artie creates something magical . . . a book! Filled with hordes of zombie hens, a fire-breathing dragon and robot sharks (yikes!), Artie's newly-created book busts the friends' boredom, and the next day they can't wait to do it all over again. With a clever book-inside-a-book concept, Help! We Need a Story illustrates the power of imagination and will help to nurture kids' creative sides. Just like The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, Beautiful Oops! by Barney Salzberg and What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada and Mae Besom, this is the perfect tale for book lovers and any child who enjoys creating their own stories.

This story is a fantastic springboard for children to create their own story, whether that be using words (spoken or written), pictures or a combination of the two. -- Books Up North * Kid’s Book Review: Help! We Need a Story *
With effervescent rhyming text and vibrant illustrations, this is a playful call to arms against boredom, illustrating how the creative arts can inspire and delight. * Books for Keeps *
This book is a fantastic way to get reluctant children into writing and drawing, or to introduce a story-making project. -- Becky West * The School Librarian *

James Harris is one of Middlesbrough's tallest authors. He writes children's books, shopping lists and sentences that end with unexpected rabbits. In his spare time he enjoys making stuff with his friends: homemade comics, music, comedy shows, zines, daft little films and some truly awesome sandwiches. Mariajo Ilustrajo is a Spanish illustrator and designer based in the UK. After 15 years working as an illustrator, she earned her master's degree in Children's Book Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University and chose to focus her career as a children's book illustrator/author. She loves cooking, travelling and drawing (of course!).