Oliver and the Lantern Path
A walk home through soft light.
Lantern Path Books
Warm picture books for small everyday moments.
A small independent picture-book imprint by Andrew Roache. We publish slowly, by series, for ages 2 to 5. Quiet bedtimes, gentle adventures, the small moments in between.
Our first series
Oliver the Owl
A small owl in a warm library. A scarf on the bedpost. A lantern in the dusk. Four books so far, with a recurring friend named Hazel.
Oliver the Owl series
Quiet picture books for bedtime and small adventures.
A bedtime book, a winter walk, a snow path, an old map. Each book is a small honest story, hand-curated, for warm bedtimes and quiet afternoons.
See the Oliver series
Browse our books
The four books on the shelf right now.
Oliver Gets Ready for Bed
A calming bedtime routine.
Oliver and the Quiet Snow
A snowy morning, small footprints.
Oliver and the Old Map
A map in a drawer, curiosity in a child.
Free for parents, carers, teachers
Printables for warm afternoons.
A small shelf of printable routines, charts, and calm-down cards. No email required to download. Some are still in development.
Bedtime Routine Chart
An eight-step routine, gentle tone, inspired by Oliver's evening.
Coming soon
Calm-Down Cards
A small set of cards an adult hands a child during a big feeling.
Coming soon
Colouring Pages
Printable scenes from the Oliver series for quiet table time.
Coming soon
Calm, screen-free things to try
Gentle activities.
Calm things to do together with your child between the ages of 2 and 5. No accounts, no sign-ups, no data from your child.
Spot the Lantern
At dusk, on a quiet walk, point out the first warm porch light you see together. A small, slow noticing game.
For an adult and a child.
Find the Scarf
Borrow Oliver's idea: hang a small everyday object on a "tomorrow spot" so it's ready in the morning. A scarf, a hat, a soft toy.
For an adult and a child.
Bedtime in Order
After reading Oliver Gets Ready for Bed, ask your child which scene came first, second, third. A gentle sequencing game tied to the book.
For an adult and a child.
What is coming
More little worlds are coming.
Oliver the Owl is our first series. Other Lantern Path series are in development. We do not give them names or dates until they are nearly ready. The shelf above is what we have today.
For schools and libraries
Bundle pricing and educator notes.
Lantern Path Books offers bundle pricing and free educator notes for primary schools, daycare centres, public libraries, and homeschool networks. Bundle inquiries are answered personally by the author.
About the imprint
Hi, I am Andrew.
I write picture books for kids who like to look at the same page twice before turning. Lantern Path Books is the imprint where those books live. The first series is called Oliver. Small stories about quiet things: a lantern in the dusk, a scarf on the bedpost, snow outside the kitchen window, a map in a drawer.
Our illustrations are produced with AI image-generation tools, then human-curated and human-approved before they ship. We disclose this here, in the books, and on the platforms where the books are sold.
If your child likes the slow ones, you will be at home here.