A WILTSHIRE author who writes illustrated picture books for children is to sell one of her titles through National Trust shops nationwide.

Anna Wilson, 48, has just published a month-by-month journey through the seasons with the 2019 National Trust Children’s Almanac.

Beautifully illustrated in full colour throughout by Cornwall illustrator Elly Jahnz, the almanac offers a guide to next year.

Anna said: “It includes nature spotter and animal behaviour guides, indoor and outdoor craft and activity ideas, seasonal recipes and celebrations of multi-faith religious festivals and special days happening through the year.”

Mrs Wilson lives in Bradford on Avon with her husband David and two children, Lucy and Tom, two cats, some chickens and ducks, a tortoise called Hercules and a dog called Nala.

She has written numerous picture books and fiction titles for Pan Macmillan, where she used to be an editor, HarperCollins and Stripes.

Mrs Wilson, a nature lover and wild swimmer, began writing full-time 20 years ago and has since authored 38 books for children, fitting her writing around her family.

Her books include The Puppy Plan, Pup Idol, Puppy Power, Puppy Party, The Kitten Hunt, Kitten Wars, Kitten Catastrophe, Monkey Business, Monkey Madness, I’m a Chicken, Get Me Out of Here!, the Pooch Parlour series, The Great Kitten Cake Off and The Mortifying Life of Skye Green series - all for Macmillan Children’s Books. She has also written Summer’s Shadow for older readers.

She has published the Children’s Almanac through Nosy Crow as part of its ongoing partnership with the National Trust and is already working on the 2020 almanac.

She said: “It combines hands-on learning and entertainment and is packed with information and ideas on what to do in the different seasons.

“Children and adults will be able to learn about star-gazing and cloud spotting, discover plenty of seasonal recipes for indoor and outdoor cooking, find out how to build a nest box and how to make their own bird food.

“There are also instructions for outdoor games and fascinating facts and anecdotes to dip into throughout the year.”

The almanac even contains notes and diary sections so that curious young nature explorers can personalise the book with their own observations and memories.

The Children’s Almanac is being published on October 4 and is available at £9.99 through the National Trust shops, Waterstones and on Amazon, as well as Mr B’s and Toppings book shops in Bath.