As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Bloomsbury has announced an art auction featuring Patronuses to raise money for BookTrust. BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity; each year they reach 3.4 million children across the UK with books, resources and support to help develop a love of reading, because they know that reading can transform lives.

8th July 2019 marks 20 years since the first publication of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in the UK – the spellbinding third book in the phenomenally successful Harry Potter series that introduced readers to the notion of casting their Patronus – a protective spell that manifests as a silvery animal guardian.
 
Bloomsbury – the home of Harry Potter books in the UK– has joined forces with BookTrust, the UK’s largest reading charity, to mark 20 years of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with a thrilling event that celebrates the Patronus Charm in all of its magical forms. A stellar line-up of over 20 top UK children’s book illustrators, Bloomsbury Harry Potter book artists (Jim Kay, Jonny Duddle, Levi Pinfold, Emily Gravett and Chris Riddell), and the amazing design minds behind MinaLima are creating ORIGINAL postcard-sized illustration of Patronus creatures.
 
Diana Gerald, BookTrust CEO commented, “We are thrilled to be part of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’s 20th anniversary and we know that these exclusive, one-of-a-kind illustrations will be in high demand. It’s lovely to think that a novel which has inspired children around the globe, along with some of the world’s most talented illustrators will help BookTrust to support families and get books into the hands of children across the UK.”
 
Prospective purchasers will be able to bid for the pieces online at BookTrust’s eBay for Charity page which will be live at 6pm BST on Monday 8th July and the postcards will be displayed during that week at Waterstones Piccadilly. With a wealth of talent from the world of children’s books these unique interpretations of the animal form of the Patronus are guaranteed to be a must-have for fans of all ages. Keep an eye out at www.booktrust.org.uk for more information.

Meanwhile, Bloomsbury is working closely with The Week Junior magazine to challenge children in schools throughout the UK to create their own ‘Patronus on a Postcard’ and win some amazing Harry Potter prizes. The competition runs from 7th – 27th June. Judges include Harry Potter illustrator Levi Pinfold and The Week Junior’s editor-in-chief Anna Bassi.

The following artists are participating by creating original artwork for the auction:

  • Dapo Adeola
  • Steve Antony
  • Rob Biddulph
  • Jonny Duddle
  • Jim Field
  • Emily Gravett
  • Mini Grey
  • Sophy Henn
  • Yasmeen Ismail
  • Jim Kay
  • Neal Layton
  • Steven Lenton
  • James Mayhew
  • Sarah McIntyre
  • Miraphora Mina
  • Eduardo Lima
  • Tom Percival
  • Liz Pichon
  • Levi Pinfold
  • Catherine Raynor
  • Chris Riddell
  • Nadia Shireen
  • Alex T Smith
  • Rachel Suzanne
  • Joe Todd-Stanton
  • Ken Wilson-Max
Filed Under: Books