It was fantastic to see that Tatler’s January 2025 edition has covered the party we threw to celebrate the launch of our new children’s book, Whispers in the Park!
The nostalgic and very British children’s book along the lines of Wind in the Willows, written by my father Emmanuel Olympitis and illustrated by myself, has been on the shelves since the day of the party in late November. Dad went all out with wine & canapés in the top room of the Turf Club, overlooking the leafy St James’s Park where the book is set.
We had enormous fun surrounded by all our friends and family, who kindly purchased our books and watercolour prints (though at half price!) profiling the key characters in the park; squirrels, badger, fox and cat. Many limited edition prints were snapped up, ready to frame and pass onto their children and grandchildren. Although, I do hope that any adult Brit or anglophile might appreciate the story’s traditional humour and satirical cast.
As mentioned in Tatler’s article, we had based two characters at St James’s School for Squirrels on the headmaster and headmistress of my childhood prep school: Pinewood School. Mr and Mrs Hoyland attended the launch party, seemingly thrilled to have a starring role in the children’s story as jolly and enthusiastic teacher squirrels!
Thank you to everyone who came, and I do hope you’ve enjoyed reading the book with your children or including it in your haul of Christmas presents. We are also excited to announce that another mystery is afoot, with a sequel to Whispers in the Park and the return of our cat detective! Whispers in the Park: The Prophecy is expected to launch around the same time next year, so stay tuned for more fun and hopefully another party!
Order Whispers in the Park by Emmanuel Olympitis from Amazon