Dawn Cooper creates a stunning cover for Hilary McKay's novel, The Skylarks War

Dawn Cooper is well known for her book cover illustrations and has created this beautiful and thoughtful design for the new novel by Hilary McKay, The Skylarks War. We asked Dawn a little about the project.

“It was a lovely project to work on.  I tried to capture the book’s themes of friendship and war in the image, whilst trying to keep it feeling hopeful and warm. It’s set in Cornwall, so there was an opportunity to illustrate some beautiful scenery, and a lovely old steam train roaming through the landscape. I was also briefed to add an autumnal feel, so it was a joy to colour with reds, rusts and browns. The book’s author, Hilary McKay has been very positive about the cover, which always makes a project feel very rewarding.  I hope the cover will entice people to read the story!”

The Skylarks War is published by Macmillan Children’s Books.