BOOKS THAT HELP MENTORSHIP
BOOKS THAT HELP MENTORSHIP
Each year, Books That Help run a free mentoring opportunity for aspiring writers writing books with important and powerful messages.
The mentorship is run in conjunction with Little Tiger Press.
MEET THE TEAM
Perry Emerson
(Senior Editor at Little Tiger Press)
Clare Helen Welsh
(Founder of Books That Help)
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.
Books That Help are delighted to announce that the 2024 mentorship has been awarded to Abigail Kikuchi and her text ‘William Won’t Eat!’
At the start of 2025, Commissioning Editor at Little Tiger Press, Perry Emerson, joined Books That Help founder, Clare Helen Welsh, to whittle down almost 100 mentorship submissions to one winner and three highly commended. The Books That Help mentorship is awarded to one writer each year with a picture book that aims to support readers through life’s up and downs. The selected writer benefits from editorial feedback from Emerson and a series of virtual mentorship sessions with Welsh.
The winning manuscript is ‘William Won’t Eat’ by Abigail Kikuchi.
Kikuchi works in the museums and galleries sector and is an unpublished writer who knows how incredibly powerful picture books can be. Her text William Won’t Eat explores food anxiety through relatable characters and a strong voice.
Emerson said, “Abigail’s story stood out on the strength of its idea. It feels like a common problem that’s not overly written about. The first-person voice really captured the child main character speaking.”
Clare added, “Abigail writes sensitively and from a place of personal experience. We saw the potential for a book that might help families gain confidence around food. I can see Abigail’s concept has a place in the market, and I can’t wait for the mentorship to begin!”
This is what Abigail had to say about winning the mentorship; “I am thrilled to be the Books That Help winner. Clare is an incredible writer and I am extremely passionate about the power of books to help children (and adults) deal with the many challenges life throws at us. My story ‘William Won’t Eat’ explores the sometimes difficult feelings food can evoke for young children, with a particular focus on allergies. I feel very lucky to be given this opportunity by Clare and Little Tiger Press and can’t wait to get to work under Clare’s mentorship.
THE ‘BOOKS THAT HELP’ MENTEE 2024 IS ABIGAIL KIKUCHI
Abigail Kikuchi writes stories inspired by the big feelings that both childhood and motherhood bring. She is based in Hertfordshire and works as an art gallery project manager.
The three highly commended texts were Penguin’s Perfect Pebble by Victoria Gatehouse, The Loudest Squeak by Fiona Bannatyne and The Little Fairy Tailor by Laura Howard.
The Books That Help team would like to thank everyone who applied. We hope to run the mentorship again in the future!
Victoria Gatehouse
Fiona Bannatyne
Laura Howard
‘BOOKS THAT HELP’ MENTEE 2023 - Flora Cruft
“Writing is often a solitary journey, full of twists and turns that only those on the same path can understand. I had no idea, when I entered the Books That Help Little Tiger Mentorship competition, how beneficial working with Clare in a mentorship would be, not just for my writing but for my sense of self, and my resilience as a writer.
It can feel vulnerable and exposing to express ourselves through any act of creation. Entering writing competitions means taking a leap of faith into the unknown. I was incredibly lucky that Little Tiger Press editor and judge of Books that Help, Perry Emerson, saw the potential in my submission and I won the competition.”
‘BOOKS THAT HELP’ MENTEE 2022 - Lucy Falkner
“What an opportunity the Books That Help mentorship has been! I have learnt a huge amount about the craft of picture book writing over the last six months and my stories have benefited enormously from Clare's tailored teaching and detailed critiques. To be guided by someone with such brilliant knowledge of the picture book market has been very helpful and I am now in a position to send my first submission package, something that felt a long way off at the beginning of this mentorship!
I am also hugely grateful to have had such helpful feedback on my writing from Perry Emerson at Little Tiger, who has been very generous with his time. I am sad that the mentorship has come to an end but am delighted with the progress I have made under Clare's expert guidance and feel prepared for my next steps.
Thank you to Clare and Little Tiger for a wonderful experience!”