Nosy Crow's Blog, page 104

The Many Worlds of Albie Bright – a guest post from Hillcrest Primary School

Today’s guest post is by Jupiter Class at Hillcrest Primary School, who got in touch with us on Twitter to share the work they’d created inspired by Christopher Edge’s The Many Worlds of Albie Bright.

Year 5 Jupiter Class, and our teacher Mr Martin, at Hillcrest Primary School in Norfolk, have been reading and learning about The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge.

First of all, we created our own ‘Many Worlds’ by making planets out of papier mache, inspired by the many parallel universes. This was the beginning of the display we crafted together. The background to our display was inspired by Matt Saunders’ creative and artistic front cover. Because our topic is Earth and Space, we drew moon phases with chalk to show how the Sun reflects its light off the moon and onto the Earth. It’s so great how we can tie our topic in with this book!

During our English lessons, we found that the dynamic of the story changed very early on, when Albie’s Mum got the devastating news that she had cancer. This inspired us to write our own stories, which had a powerful dynamic change like the one in the book. Following this, we wrote our own news articles about Charlotte Elizabeth Bright, and how she will be missed both as a scientist, and a mother. Furthermore, Jupiter class have been researching CERN and the Large Hadron Collider, because we simply wanted to know more! The information described is so easy to read and understand (well most of it…!), that we wanted to see what else we could find out!

We have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and learning about Albie and his life. Specifically, we have enjoyed learning about the Quantum Banana Theory, and how Dylan the cat was the first to try it out! (We were also intrigued that 5 million bananas could turn us into mutant zombies!) We can’t wait to read the rest of it, to find out whether or not Albie successfully finds his mum.

Finally, we would already recommend this book to anyone who loves a great adventure, and especially to anyone who loves science, space and facts! Already it’s been an emotional rollercoaster, with interesting facts woven in, and it’s really funny! Thank you Christopher Edge for this wonderful book, and we really enjoyed reading your tweets (they’re on our display too!)

Thank you, Jupiter Class, and Hillcrest Primary School!

You can take a look inside The Many Worlds of Albie Bright below:

Buy the book.

Fleur Hitchcock wins the Leeds Book Award!

Today’s guest post is by author Fleur Hitchcock, who this week won the Leeds Book Award in the 9 – 11 category for her latest book, Murder in Midwinter.

I’m writing this on the train on the way home from the 2017 Leeds Book Awards.

Earlier this week I took the train north, quite sure that I was going only to show solidarity with a brilliant event and to celebrate making the amazing short list.  I’d have been more than happy with that and I was quite sure I wouldn’t win, that I didn’t stand a chance, because this was the shortlist:

Cogheart by Peter Bunzl, Invisible Inc  by Steve Cole, A Library of Lemons by Jo Cotterill, Max Helsing, Monster Hunter by Curtis Jobling, Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard (M.G. didn’t come because it was her birthday), and Murder in Midwinter.

But it felt very nice to be up there with the others, and I really enjoyed being there.

So when the winner was read out, I was thinking about lunch, and coffee, and whether I’d have time to get to the Headrow to look at the Leeds craft Gallery.  I was ready to listen to a winning speech.

I was not expecting to have to deliver it.

When Murder in Midwinter was read out, I blushed, panicked and garbled something incoherent in which I failed to acknowledge the others on the shortlist, and failed to thank the incredible Leeds School Library service,  and someone took shockingly unflattering video footage (you can find it on twitter – I’m not going to put it here!) and I generally made a complete idiot of myself.

Seconds later came the flood of eager children – masses of them, boys and girls. So many of them buying the book despite having read it! So many saying congratulations, some having their photos taken with me, some giving me drawings, showing me their books. There were year 5s and year 6s some of whom had read the book three times!  There were children who were completely tongue tied, and others who couldn’t stop talking.  They discussed how they had voted (because the Leeds Book Award is all about children voting. You can find more detail on the awards here ) some of them  discussed the book. They told me about the parts of it that they loved the best.  They also told me about their dogs and cats and sisters and hamsters and friends.

To be honest, it’s a bit of a blur, but I do remember one very serious boy telling me that he’d voted for Murder in Midwinter  “because it was different, real, exciting. ”

Stunned, I signed. Smiled, and gazed at my trophy in disbelief.

Afterwards I gave a garbled interview to a team of filmmakers, ate sandwiches, caught the train, and stared out of the window wondering if it had really happened.

Thank you, Fleur – and congratulations! You can take a look inside Murder in Midwinter below:

Buy the book.

PHOTO DIARY OF A WEREWOLF TOUR (A Dundonian in London)

Today’s guest post is by Pamela Butchart, author of the Pugly, Wigglesbottom Primary, and Baby Aliens… series, on the book tour for her newest book, There’s a Werewolf in my Tent! (illustrated by Thomas Flintham).

‘There’s a Werewolf in My Tent!’ Book Tour:

4 days

4 indie bookshop visits 

6 Waterstones book signings 

Schools visits for 950+ pupils

1 invitation to the glitzy Nibbies

1 BBC Woman’s Hour debut 

1 pair of the hairiest werewolf ears EVER

I’ve just returned home from my mini-tour of London to promote my new book ‘There’s A Werewolf in My Tent! And I had an absolute BALL! 

Thank you to Queen’s Park Books, The Alligator’s Mouth, Pickled Pepper Books and Tales on Moon Lane for inviting me to spend time in your GORGEOUS bookshops!

Highlights include getting to draw on the fabulous Tales On Moon Lane wall and spend time with the lovely Corinne: 

(Those weird lumps turn into a vampire rat. Just in case you were wondering.)

And scare the living daylights out of some Year 4s who are actually about to go off on a camping trip next week (such luck!):

Getting to meet some of my biggest fans at the fantastic bookshop, The Alligator’s Mouth:

And judge the werewolf drawing competition:

Visiting the wonderful Coleridge Primary School with the lovely team at Pickled Pepper Books:

Reading from WEREWOLF for the very first time at Queen’s Park books:

Meeting these wee Pugly fans:

And getting my pic taken with Woody and his awesome Shark scooter. Woody scooted into Queen Park Books with his mum to buy ‘Shark in the Pool’:

I also had a fab time signing books in lots of lovely Waterstones bookshops. I learned that Waterstones Piccadilly is a very romantic place (I got all the goss) and that my accent can be as terrifying to some as an actual werewolf: 

I left a few booksellers baffled (and slightly afraid – the ears didn’t help) by giving them a crash-course in Dundonian (my accent kicks in big style around 5.30pm). Sorry Waterstones Hampstead:

I was so happy to have been able to visit so many bookshops and schools during my time in London. 

And THEN I also got to attend the (very glitzy!) British Book Awards with my wonderful friends at Nosy Crow…who only went and won !!! HOORAY! 

It was such a proud evening. Well done to everyone at Nosy Crow and to Camilla who was shortlisted for Editor or the Year and Ola who was shortlisted for Rights Professional of the Year.  

I had a fabulous evening and although I managed to stop myself from being too much of a fangirl, I went a bit selfie-daft:

And I wouldn’t leave until I dragged Axel Scheffler and the rest of the Nosy Crow gang into the photo booth:

The next morning (bright and early!) I was lucky enough to be invited on to BBC Woman’s Hour to chat with (the very funny!) Jane Garvey about werewolves, homesickness and hairy legs (the episode aired yesterday):

I had a FANTASTIC time! 

Thank you to Nosy Crow for inviting me to London and for taking such great care of me (I’ve returned home as a person who cannot fend for themselves and who expects food to appear in front of me every few hours). 

Thanks also to Catherine, Frances, Louise and Clare for spending time with me and for making sure I got from A to B without getting lost on the tube or distracted by dogs, cats and lovely London pigeons. 

Most of all, thank you to all the parents, teachers, school librarians and booksellers who brought children to the bookshops and organised school and bookshop events. YOU ARE ALL AWESOME! 

Until the next full moon!

Love & pugs 

Pamela x x x 

Listen to Pamela Butchart on Woman’s Hour

Today’s episode of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour featured a very special guest – none other than Pugly, Wigglesbottom Primary, and Baby Aliens… series author Pamela Butchart!

Pamela was interviewed by Jane Garvey as part of a segment on residential school trips – a subject on which Pamela is QUITE the authority: her newest book, There’s a Werewolf in my Tent!, takes place over one such trip.

You can listen to the interview on the Woman’s Hour website, here.

And you can take a look inside There’ a Werewolf in my Tent below:

Izzy and her friends are SO EXCITED about their school trip. They’re going camping and there’ll be marshmallows and no washing and everything. But then WEIRD things start happening! There are howling sounds at night, and some sausages have gone missing, and it’s nearly a full moon…

But it’s when they see their new teacher’s hairy legs that they KNOW! There’s a werewolf on the school trip and they’re all DOOMED!

This is another BRILLIANTLY funny longer read for the newly confident reader from a best-selling, award-winning, author-illustrator team.

 

Come to the next Nosy Crow Reading Group – we’re discussing Dragon’s Green by Scarlett Thomas

Would you like to come along to the next Nosy Crow Reading Group?

In May we’ll be discussing Dragon’s Green – the new children’s book by the highly-acclaimed novelist Scarlett Thomas.

We’ll be meeting on Tuesday, May 23rd at 6.30pm, at the new Nosy Crow offices – Baden Place, Crosby Row, SE1 1YW – for a discussion of the book (along with wine and crisps). If you’d like to come along, just register for a place with the form below, or at this page.

You can order Dragon’s Green online from Waterstones here.

We hope you can join us!

Sweet Pizza by G.R. Gemin wins the 2017 Tir na n-Og Award

We are absolutely delighted that Sweet Pizza has won the English Language category of the 2017 Tir na n-Og Awards – the second time author G.R. Gemin has been awarded the prize!

The awards are presented annually by the Welsh Books Council to honour original work by authors and illustrators of children’s books in Welsh and English, and are sponsored by CILIP Wales (The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) and the Welsh Books Council. Giancarlo’s debut children’s novel, Cowgirl, won the prize in 2015, and it’s an incredible honour to be awarded the prize a second time for Sweet Pizza.

Like Cowgirl, this is another wonderful book for 9+ readers. A great story that has immigration at its core, Sweet Pizza is perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Morpurgo – it’s got fantastic dramatic writing, strong characters, and big-hearted social realism.

Joe’s family run the local cafe in Bryn Mawr. It’s seen better days and Joe’s mam wants to sell it. But it was started before the war by Joe’s Italian great-grandfather, and he can’t bear to see it shut. And Joe loves his Italian heritage: the language, the opera, the lasagne! As Joe looks down the depressing High Street, he’s determined to bring this diverse town together through good food and fine times! He vows to save the family business, and find out more about his past at the same time….

Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book.

Congratulations, Giancarlo!

There are a couple of days left to apply for the role of Head of Non-fiction and Activity at Nosy Crow

A fortnight ago we announced that we’re recruiting a Head of Non-Fiction and Activity – and there are just a couple of days left to apply for the role: the period for applications ends on Sunday.

We’re looking for a Head of Non-Fiction and Activity to replace someone who’s relocating to the USA. You’ll combine shaping Nosy Crow’s recently-launched and very successful non-fiction and activity lists with hands-on editing of your own projects.

You’ll already have a strong background, and convincing track record, in editing full-colour books for children. You are as likely to have experience of children’s novelty and picture book publishing as of children’s non-fiction and activity books. You’ll be creative and dynamic with a strong aesthetic sense – you’ll be working closely with our design team – great organisational skills and a passion for accuracy. You’ll be a diplomat and capable ambassador, as you’ll be a key contact for our high-profile partners, including the National Trust and the British Museum, as well as with authors and illustrators (and their agents).

The books you work on will be truly distinctive: children’s non-fiction is changing and Nosy Crow is a leader of this change. They will be beautiful and innovative as well as informative  and will, above all, engage the child reader.

This is a full-time role based in our offices near London Bridge. If you can’t work full-time in our offices, but can work a minimum of four days and would like to be considered, then it might still be worth applying. And if you’re not quite at Head of Non-Fiction and Activity level, but might be at more of a Senior Commissioning Editor level then, again, it might still be worth applying.

To apply, please send your CV with a covering letter to kate@nosycrow.com by 14 May 2017.

Our new app, Flip Flap Dogs, is out now!

Our newest app, Flip Flap Dogs, is available on the App Store now!

This is the fifth app in the brilliant, award-winning Flip Flap Animal series, with incredible new artwork from Nikki Dyson, new funny poems, 121 new silly animal hybrid names and creatures, and the same wonderfully intuitive interface – swipe any part of the screen to create new animals and hear the poem read aloud, with original sound effects, music, and text highlighting.

It is INCREDIBLY satisfying (and addictive) – you’ll be swiping for hours – and all for just 99¢/ 99p!

What do you get when you cross a whippet with a chihuahua? Why, that’s obvious, it’s a whippihuahua! And how about a beagle with a poodle? That’s a boodle, of course!

Here are just a few of the brilliant combinations you can make:

Download Flip Flap Dogs on the App Store.

And here’s what to look for on the Store:

And if you like the app, you’ll love the book! We’ve published a print edition of Flip Flap Dogs too, in a wonderful split-page, spiral-bound board-book format – you can find out more here.

If you enjoy Flip Flap Dogs, or one of our other apps, we’d be incredibly grateful if you’d consider leaving a review on the App Store – it really makes a huge difference. And if you’d like to stay up to date with our upcoming apps, you can sign up for our apps newsletter here.

We hope you enjoy Flip Flap Dogs!

Nosy Crow named Children’s Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards!

I write this sitting in a Sydney hotel bed. I am not where the action is: at the Grosvenor Hotel in London at the British Book Awards aka the Nibbies. It’s midnight in London. It’s the beginning of my first work day here in Sydney: I am here for the Allen and Unwin sales conference. While others are quaffing fizzy wine in posh clothes (I doubt we’ll have stretched to champagne – we are independent publishers after all), I am having a cup of tea and a Kit Kat in an M&S vest.

And I am, frankly, livid.

Because Nosy Crow has just been named Children’s Publisher of the Year.  AND I AM NOT THERE. This is a hugely prestigious award, and the shortlisted competition was extraordinary: we were up against Penguin Random House, HarperCollins Children’s Books, Macmillan Children’s Books, Scholastic Children’s Books, Bloomsbury Publishing, Dorling Kindersley, and Usborne Publishing. These are brilliant publishers (and I am proud to have worked for two of them), and they’re all much, much bigger than us. But we won!

As well as being livid, though, I am so proud. I am proud of the dedicated, creative team at Nosy Crow – and Camilla Reid, shortlisted for Editor of the Year, and Ola Gotkowska, shortlisted for Rights Professional of the Year at the Nibbies deserve special mention because of their shortlistings, but honestly I could bang on for ages about the qualities of everyone we employ. I am proud of our hugely talented authors and illustrators without whom we wouldn’t have a single thing to publish or anything to do all day. I am proud to have ended 2016 the 13th biggest children’s publisher in the UK based on sales to real people, and the 40th biggest publisher in the UK overall. I am proud that we have won this award as well as, for the third time in five years, the Independent Publishers Guild’s Children’s Publisher of the Year Award.

And I am grateful. I am grateful to the authors and illustrators, again, who took a punt on a start-up and continue to trust us with their babies. I am grateful to the supportive UK retailers large and small (including Tesco who sponsored the award). I am grateful to Bounce, whose wonderful reps reach UK places other rep forces struggle to reach, and to our partners and publishers around the world including our English language friends, Allen and Unwin in Australia and New Zealand and Candlewick Press in the USA, with whom we collaborate particularly closely. I am grateful to the printers in the UK and abroad who make our books look pick-uppable. I am grateful to the librarians and teachers and mums and dads and grandparents and aunts and uncles who buy our books and apps in their millions (I had to stop and think about that for a minute, but, yes, books and apps in their millions), some of whom are even kind enough to tell us how positive they feel about us on social media.  Oh, and I am, of course, seriously grateful to The Bookseller, for running the whole thing, and to the judges, who described Nosy Crow as “one of the most remarkable success stories of recent times”, and who said:

“Nosy Crow’s growth is incredible – but sustainable too. It’s not just cashing in on a mega author but making its publishing work across the board… Digital isn’t just an add-on but embedded… It’s got a very strong identity and sense of purpose, and it’s now firmly established among the big publishing players.”

But in the end – and I know this will sound awfully cheesy; it is, however, the thing we get out of bed for in the morning, I am most proud and grateful that children, the real children we have in our minds’ eye as the potential reader of our books when those books are just a file of unedited words, or some sketches, or the merest idea, love our books and want to read them.

So I raise my cup of tea (I’ve finished the Kit Kat), and toast the children, and their reading of Nosy Crow books in the course of our first six years of publishing, and, I hope, for many years to come.

Nosy Crow has moved: we’re now at Baden Place, Crosby Row, London, SE1 1YW

Nosy Crow have flown the nest!

After six happy years (and a frantic, and slightly chaotic, week of packing several hundred moving crates) in our office at 10a Lant Street, we’ve moved, to a bigger space a few minutes’ walk away – and our new address is Baden Place, Crosby Row, London, SE1 1YW.

Happily, we’ve managed to find somewhere with a similar sort of character – we’re not in a converted Victorian tea warehouse this time, but the new office does still have a lovely period feel to it, and we have resisted the lure of the swanky neighbourhood glass-and-steel skyscrapers. And we’re still several flights of stairs up (although there is also a lift this time…), and so we feel justified in keeping the name “The Crow’s Nest” for our new office.

You can find our new location here.

We hope to see you here soon!