Shropshire Star

Miniature versions of classic front covers are being painted on to rocks

And they are super adorable.

Published
Painted Rock of David Walliams' Mr Stink

Tiny versions of classic front covers are being painted on to rocks which are then hidden in a novel twist on a hobby which is growing in popularity.

Books including Harry Potter, Matilda, and Swallows And Amazons, have all been recreated on rocks – and their pictures shared on social media.

The painter, maths teacher and mother of two Ella Dickson, has then hidden them near to her library to encourage more people to head inside and discover the real books and get into reading.

Painting rocks, hiding them, and offering social media clues to their whereabouts – is not new, but the addition of the books, as opposed to pretty patterns, quotes or animals has drawn a heap of attention.

Ella, who is mum to Seth 10, and Jonah, seven, said she likes the hobby because it makes for an interesting walk with her children – looking for other people’s rocks and hiding their own.

She was inspired to try something a bit “more complicated” after a fellow hobbyist painted wonderful pictures of Peter Rabbit.

“I just thought about doing the Harry Potter book cover. It was really popular. I did a few more and one of Philip Pullman’s.

“All the ones I’ve hidden have been found really quickly.”

While the rocks can be hidden anywhere within St Albans, Ella decided to hide them near the library.

“Libraries are wonderful. The more people they get in the better.”

A rock showing the front cover of Roald Dahl’s Matilda has been hidden inside the library.

Future rocks to be hidden include Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses and David Walliams’ Mr Stink.

“I’ve never been so popular,” said Ella. “One person even copied the idea. That’s really sweet, she’s going to hide it by her library too.”

That picture showed Dr Seuss’s The Cat In The Hat and was created by Twitter user @Twisted_Rose_.

She said: “Ella’s photos came up on my Twitter feed. Someone I follow must have liked them.

“I see a lot of arts and crafts on Twitter but the children’s book covers just looked so beautiful. The bookworm in me adored them.

“I’ve seen painted stones around my village recently, my children love finding them, and I just wanted to join in.

“We have a tiny library in the village and when I saw that Ella was hiding the ones she’d created near her local library I thought it was a lovely way of supporting them and encouraging children to read.”

Expect to see way more miniature books painted on rocks in the future.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.