Projects & Collaborations

View all of Lisa Bentley’s latest projects, collaborations, upcoming book releases and other collaborations here.

Latest book releases:

I Am Not Your Hat!

I Am Not Your Hat! is a heartwarming and funny picture book about friendship, identity, and staying true to yourself. When Bert, a chatty big bird, lets others mistake his best friend Dot for a hat, he enjoys the attention—until Dot has had enough! Now, Bert must make things right and learn what truly matters. A perfect read for fans of Jon Klassen and Kaz Windness, this beautifully illustrated story by Lisa Bentley is a must-have for young readers.

USA – out now!

UK – coming 13th March 2025!

Pre-order available in Shop

“A charming lesson on the power of accountability, apology, and friendship”. Read full review on Kirkus Reviews here.

The Dreams We Made

The Dreams We Made is a heartfelt picture book about love, loss, and carrying cherished memories forward. A little girl and her daddy build dreams together every night—until one day, he doesn’t come home. As she navigates grief with the support of her mother, she discovers that the love they shared will always be with her. Written and illustrated by Lisa Bentley, this beautifully moving story offers comfort and hope for young readers experiencing loss.

Out Now

Find where to purchase in my shop.

Watch my read and learn on the @simonkids YouTube channel below as well as my interview on Kidlit LIVE with Arden Jones.

Collaborations with Publishers and Artists

Out Now

Book – The Rainy Day Zoo

Click on the picture to buy

The Rainy Day Zoo is a colourful and vibrant story about a young Ghanaian-British child who uses the magic of his imagination to turn a sad and grey rainy day inside into a wonderful adventure of the Zoo trip he didn’t get to go on.”

I was so excited to be asked to collaborate on this project and we had such a great time bringing these characters to life.

The project aims of increasing access to quality children’s literature and supporting schools in Ghana whilst, also, tackling the wider issue around a lack of ethnic representation in books were really inspiring and I know my kids can’t wait to see the rest of the animals!