Advocate takes on Pride of Britain title Mar 23 2022

We are so excited to announce that one of our super-talented and popular children's illustrators, Erica Salcedo has been confirmed to illustrate a new picture book published by Scholastic Books. The book is written by Pride of Britain winners - and best friends! - Hughie Higginson and Freddie Xavi.

Friends Are Amazing! Be the Best Friend You Can Be will be a celebration of togetherness and friendship. The book is inspired by the pair’s real life story: Freddie helped his best friend Hughie to fundraise in a bid to thank the doctors and nurses who helped care for Hughie when he was diagnosed with Leukaemia. Erica's wonderfully whimsical characters and fun illustrative style are the perfect match for bringing warmth, love and adventure alive in this title. 

This is an incredibly special book, and here is what Freddie and Hughie had to say:
“We are so excited to have written a book together about friendship. We know how important it is to have a friend who is there for you when things are tough. We hope our book will inspire children to be there for their friends too. We are really thankful to everyone at scholastic for giving us the opportunity to raise more money for the children at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. We hope you love it!”

We are beyond proud to be working with Scholastic on this fantastic title. And in a bid to help Freddie and Hughie in their fundraising efforts, 25p per copy sold of Friends Are Amazing! Be the Best Friend You Can Be will go to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity, where Hughie is still receiving treatment.

Friends Are Amazing! Be the Best Friend You Can Be will be published in October 2022, so be sure to grab your copy! If you'd like to see more of Erica's work, check our her portfolio here!