The Booksellers Association has announced I’m Sticking With You by Smriti Halls and Steve Small as its Children’s Book of the Month for August. 

From the award-winning author of The Ways of The Wolf, I’m Sticking With You is the story of best friends Bear and Squirrel who find that although it’s good to have someone to see you through good times and bad, friends can sometimes be overbearing. When Bear breaks Squirrel’s favourite teacup, Squirrel decides he needs some time alone. I’m Sticking With You is published by Simon & Schuster and is available in bookshops now. 

On the book’s selection author Smriti Halls said, “I am absolutely overjoyed that I’m Sticking With You has been selected for Indie Book of the Month. Indie booksellers seriously know their stuff. They are passionate, discerning and abundantly wise… so to have a Book of the Month as selected by them means a huge amount. Indie bookshops are doorways to wonder and joy and belong in the very heart of our communities. We have never needed them more than we do now. Delicious children’s books and independent bookshops go together like… well… like jam in a doughnut… like arms in a hug! THANK YOU indies… we’re sticking with you!”
 
Illustrator Steve Small added, "There are few things that are as comforting and as intriguing as discovering an independent bookstore. Experiencing how the owners have used the space and the careful consideration they’ve shown in showcasing the books, contemporary or classic, brings a signature hypnotic quality all its own. When visiting a new city or village, rather than explore the streets, museums and cafés, I have often found myself wiling away the time perusing its independent bookstore, lost in its spellbindingly curated shelves.
I am absolutely thrilled that I’m Sticking With You, my first outing as a book illustrator, has been selected by The Booksellers Association as indie book of the month."

Independent bookshops around the UK and Ireland will be promoting I’m Sticking With You throughout August, both instore and on social media. The Booksellers Association will be supporting the promotion of the Children’s Book of the Month through social media and promotional material. 

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