Nosy Crow's Blog, page 144

Signed and numbered limited edition There’s a Bear on my Chair giclee prints are now available!

Today we are INCREDIBLY pleased to be expanding our range of beautiful, limited edition, signed and numbered giclee art prints – you can now buy prints featuring artwork from the fantastic, Greenaway-nominated picture book There’s a Bear on My Chair, by Ross Collins.

We’ve produced limited runs of four pieces of artwork from the book – each print has been signed and numbered by Ross. Here’s a look at the four fantastic prints on offer:

“There’s a Bear on My Chair”:

Buy the print.

“Fine taste in leisurewear”:

Buy the print.

“Bear”:

 

Buy the print.

“There’s a mouse in my house”:

Buy the print.

Each print is produced at a local Southwark press on A3 (29.7 x 42.0cm) heavyweight (308gsm) Hahnemuhle German Etching paper with a hand-deckled edge finish, and comes unframed and unmounted.

These prints are absolutely stunning – they would make a unique, beautiful gift for any picture book fan. You can find them all (and our full range of prints) here.

Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book.

Become a Nosy Crow app beta tester and try out our new apps – for free!

Would you like to try out our new and upcoming apps before anyone else – for free?

Our next brilliant fairy tale app is almost ready, and we’re looking for parents and their children to become beta users to test all our new apps, as well as occasional major updates for our existing apps, before they’re released on the App Store.

In order to be eligible for the beta testing programme, you’ll need an iOS device running some version of iOS 8 or later.

You don’t need to be a tech expert, but ideally you’ll be a keen app user, of children’s apps in particular.

If you’re successfully recruited, all that we ask is that you give us certain feedback on the apps that we send you (whether the app crashed or had bugs, if there were parts that you found difficult to use or unresponsive – that sort of thing). We won’t share any of your personal information with anyone, and you can stop being a tester whenever you’d like.

As well as getting the chance to try new Nosy Crow apps before they’re released, testers will also receive Nosy Crow app goodies as a thank you – like these packs of beautiful Jack and the Beanstalk postcards:

If you’re interested in joining the beta testing programme, sign up to our apps newsletter below – we’ll be inviting all of our subscribers to participate later this week.

We hope you’ll join us in making our apps even better!

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There’s a Bear on my Chair has been nominated for the Greenaway medal!

The nomination lists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway awards have been announced today, and we’re incredibly proud that There’s a Bear on my Chair by Ross Collins has been nominated for the Greenaway Medal!

The Greenaway Medal is, along with the Carnegie prize, the UK’s oldest and most prestigious children’s book award. Established in 1955, for distinguished illustration in a book for children, and named after the popular nineteenth century artist known for her beautiful children’s illustrations and designs, the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded annually for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people.

It’s an incredible honour to be nominated – we are so thrilled for Ross’s incredible book.

There’s a Bear on my Chair is a joyously illustrated picture book – with a clever single rhyme echoing Dr Seuss, it’s perfect for sharing.

Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book.

The Greenaway longlist will be announced in February next year, followed by a shortlist in March – and the eventual winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in June. Congratulations, Ross – and good luck!

Nosy Crow are shortlisted for three FutureBook Awards!

Last night The Bookseller unveiled the shortlists for this year’s FutureBook Awards at the Frankfurt Book Fair, and we were thrilled to learn that Nosy Crow has been recognised three times!

Both our Snow White and Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Jungle apps are shortlisted in the Best Children’s Digital Book category, making up two-fifths of the total shortlist.

Here’s a quick look at Snow White:

And here’s a look at Flip Flap Jungle:

And we’ve been shortlisted in the Best use of Digital in a Marketing/Publicity Campaign for our campaign for My Brother is a Superhero. Here’s a look at the free game app that we made as part of the campaign for the book:

And here’s a preview of the opening chapters of the HILARIOUS book:

Buy the book.

You can read all of the shortlists here – the winners of the awards will be announced at the FutureBook conference in London on December 4th. Wish us luck!

Pamela Butchart will be judging the 2016 Blue Peter Book Awards

Earlier this year, the brilliant, hilarious Pamela Butchart won the Blue Peter Book Award, for (the equally brilliant, equally hilarious) The Spy Who Loved School Dinners. And we are absolutely thrilled that Pamela will be judging the 2016 Awards!

Joining Pamela on the judging panel will be television and radio presenter Angellica Bell, National Literacy Trust’s programme manager Jim Sells and Blue Peter editor Ewan Vinnicombe.

The Blue Peter Book Awards, which are managed by Book Trust, celebrate the best authors, the most creative illustrators and the greatest reads for children.

Pamela said: ‘I’m thrilled to have been asked to judge this year’s Blue Peter Book Awards. It really is an awesome honour – thank you. It was a dream come true to win the award in 2015 (I rarely take my badge off!) I can’t wait to help find this year’s winning books.

‘As a teacher, author and lover of children’s books I’ll be on the lookout for fantastic books that encourage reading for pleasure.’

The Blue Peter Awards 2016 will celebrate children’s books published in the last year in two categories: Best Story and Best Book with Facts. There will be three shortlisted books for each award chosen by the panel of judges and announced on Blue Peter on 3 December 2015. At least 200 children from ten schools across the UK will then read the shortlisted books and vote for their favourites in each category. The two winning books will be announced on the Blue Peter programme scheduled for World Book Day on 3 March 2016.

The Spy Who Loved School Dinners is the second brilliantly bonkers book from Pamela – the incredible follow-up to Baby Aliens Got My Teacher! It’s PERFECT for 6-9 year olds who love funny books. Izzy is really pleased to have been put in charge of the new girl at school. Matilde is French, and Izzy and her friends can’t wait to show her their den and its moth, and to help her avoid school dinners (also known as poison). But Matilde LOVES school dinners and even has seconds! And that’s when they know. Matilde is a spy and she has come to find out their secrets. They must stop her before it’s TOO LATE!!!

Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy The Spy Who Loved School Dinners.

Congratulations on this fantastic honour, Pamela – and good luck judging!

 

Come to next week’s Nosy Crow Reading Group – we’re discussing George by Alex Gino

Our next Nosy Crow Reading Group is coming up – and there are still a few places remaining if you’d like to join us!

We’ll be meeting to discuss George, by Alex Gino: a candid, genuine, and heartwarming middle grade debut novel about a transgender girl, and the recipient of starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly (“Profound, moving, and—as Charlotte would say—radiant, this book will stay with anyone lucky enough to find it”), Kirkus (“warm, funny, and inspiring”), and School Library Journal (“a required purchase for any collection”).

We haven’t prepared any questions for this month’s reading group – but if you’d like something to think about in advance of the event, here’s an interesting piece by the author, with some background information and suggestions on how to talk about the book.

The reading group will be taking place on Tuesday, October 20th at 6.30pm, here at the Nosy Crow offices – 10a Lant Street, London, SE1 1QR. You can register for a place with the form below, or at this page.

You can order the book online from Waterstones here. We hope you can join us!

Five Of Our Favourite Apps For Five Year Olds – a guest post by Jo and Anjali Owens

Today’s blogpost is written by Jo and Anjali Owens. Jo’s daughter is at Kindergarten in Toowoomba, Australia, and her Kindergarten teacher asked Jo to write an article on her favourite apps for five year olds for their monthly newsletter. Jo got in touch with us after including one of our apps in her list, writing, “We’re huge fans of your apps and books and have most of your story book apps. It is such a pleasure as a parent and avid reader to see my daughter explore and discover the joys of reading through various media, including your interactive storybook apps.” Here, re-printed with their kind permission, is Jo and Anjali’s list of their five favourite apps.

It was hard picking only 5 of our favourite apps. We decided to go with high quality apps that were well designed and constructed and were just as much fun as they were educational. We also chose apps that were from well trusted developers and were free of in-app purchases and third-party ads.

1. Toca Nature by Toca Boca 

Toca Nature is a standout app that captures the magic of nature. It’s a simulation game where children can shape nature and watch it develop, plant trees and grow a forest, raise a mountain, collect berries or nuts and feed the different animals. Our favourite part about this app was seeing cause and effect, such as what happens when we clear trees or what types of animals appear on a very high mountain. It’s a beautiful interactive app to experience the wonders of science and nature. It’s easy to see why it was named in the App Store’s Best of 2014.

2. Thinkrolls by Avokiddo 

We just love this game. Thinkrolls has about 20 hilarious characters in this cleverly designed app that teaches young kids about physics. As the name suggests, kids think while they roll cute ball-shaped characters through a variety of mazes and face challenges as they go. We had so much fun navigating our Thinkrolls characters through a series of obstacles where each new chapter introduces a new object with unique physical properties such as ice, rock, crates or fire. Little players encounter and use force, acceleration, buoyancy, heat, elasticity and gravity to get their Thinkrolls where they need to go. Our favourite thing about this app was whenever we got stuck, the cute little character said “think”. We had to learn through trial and error what works and the need to plan our moves in advance. Thinkrolls is a brilliant game to encourage thinking and problem solving.

3. Snow White by Nosy Crow 

This is a stunningly beautiful fairytale app made by British books and apps publisher Nosy Crow. It is an interactive storybook that blends storytelling and gaming and encourages reading for pleasure. Children play a role in the story as they read along and play the various games .There are some fantastic interactive features such as tilting the device to rock the baby Snow White to sleep, or using the front camera to show children their own faces in the magic mirror, help Snow White clean the dwarfs’ house and mine for jewels. It is an atheistically beautiful app with rich and detailed illustrations and set to original music. It’s almost like a short animation movie. Our favourite feature of this app compared to other story book apps is that the voice narration is from children, not grown-ups. It’s a delightful app to encourage a love of reading and story-telling.

4. Fishing with Grandpa by Fairlady Media 

Fishing with Grandpa is a high quality app in the Grandma and Grandpa series of educational apps for young children by Fairlady Media. The great graphics, music and Grandpas voice makes this app appealing to young children. The app has several learning opportunities through educational mini games and short videos where children learn about different types of fish and about the art of fishing. Children get to play underwater games, choose a lure, cast a line, hook and reel in a fish, and add new fish to their collection. My favourite feature of this app is Grandpa himself! I love his positive praise and encouragement and especially love it when children get to give Grandpa a big high five after they catch a fish.

5. We Discover Wildlife: Forest Quest by Kindermatica Ltd. 

This is a beautifully designed, 3-D board game that teaches us all about forest animals! It is perfect for family game time for players of different levels (set easy level for young children and harder level for parents). We get to know the inhabitants of the forest and have an amazing adventure as we play, such as hiding from rain showers, repairing a bridge and photographing animals along the way. It’s a great way for young children to learn how to play board games, to wait to take turns, listen and evaluate answers provided by other players, and work towards a goal. I also found they don’t get as distracted or bored when compared to physical board games at this age (4 – 5 years old). The game has over 350 questions and answers about the African savanna and the animals that live there. So it’s just as challenging and fun for parents as it is for children. What I love about this game is that children get to see that parents don’t really know all the answers. And that learning is a life-long process. And that board games are fun!

 

Grow with the Crow: we are hiring!

Nosy Crow is growing – and we currently have four positions to fill!

We’re looking for a Head of Non-Fiction and Activity.

Nosy Crow has won exclusive children’s publishing partnerships with National Trust and the British Museum and we have non-fiction plans beyond those exciting partnerships too.

You’ll be combining shaping Nosy Crow’s nascent non-fiction list with hands-on editing of your own projects. You’ll already have a strong background, and convincing track record, in editing full-colour non-fiction for children and you may have experience of activity, novelty and picture book publishing too. 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 know what authors and illustrators to go to for different projects, and may well have worked with them in the past. You’ll be a diplomat and capable ambassador, as you’ll be a key contact for our high-profile partners as well as with the authors and illustrators (and their agents) who will work on the books.

The books you work on will be distinctive, beautiful and informative and will, above all, engage the child reader.

This is a full-time role based in our offices in Borough. If you can’t work full-time, but 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 30 October 2015.

We’re looking for an Assistant Editor (fiction).

Working on Nosy Crow’s growing fiction list, you’ll be working with the Head of Fiction and the Fiction Commissioning Editor, desk editing titles from final manuscript to finished book; writing copy from blogposts to blurbs; liaising with freelancers; and providing administrative support. You’ll have a passion for fiction for children aged between 5 and 12, will be widely read in this area and have a good sense of the current market. You’ll need excellent copy-editing, proofreading and organisational skills, a great eye for detail and superlative communication skills both in writing and face-to-face. InDesign skills would be an advantage. You’ll probably have at least a years’ experience of working in a children’s fiction editorial department. This is a full-time role based in our offices in Borough.

To apply, please send your CV with a covering letter to kirsty@nosycrow.com by 30 October 2015.

We’re looking for an Editorial Assistant (illustrated books).

Working across the whole of Nosy Crow’s illustrated publishing programme (board books, picture books, activity books and non-fiction), you’ll be providing admin support for the editorial team, writing copy, liaising with authors, illustrators and their agents and generally doing whatever needs doing. You’ll be organised and creative, with a passion for illustrated children’s books. You’ll be able to spell and punctuate perfectly, and do basic arithmetic (we’ll be checking!). You’ll be a good team player, quick on the uptake and able to prioritise multiple and sometimes conflicting demands. Basic InDesign skills would be an advantage. Ideally, you’ll already have some experience of children’s full-colour illustrated editorial work. This is a full-time role based in our offices in Borough.

To apply, please send your CV with a covering letter to kate@nosycrow.com by 30 October 2015.

We’re looking for a Production Executive.

Working across the whole of Nosy Crow’s illustrated publishing programme (board books, picture books, activity books and non-fiction), you’ll be working closely with the Head of Operations, liaising with printers and print-brokers to ensure that Nosy Crow’s illustrated books are delivered looking great, on budget and on time. You’ll be organised, numerate (we’ll be checking) with a great eye for detail and an ability to communicate effectively in writing and face-to-face. You’ll enjoy working collaboratively, and solving the problems that the conflicting demands of editors, designers, sales people and printers create! You’re likely to have at least two years’ experience of working in a full-colour production department working on children’s books. This is a full-time role based in our offices in Borough.

To apply, please send your CV with a covering letter to imogen@nosycrow.com by 30 October 2015.

You can find out more about all of our current vacancies here.

Nosy Crow becomes a founding member of KAPC: the Kids App Collective

We are very proud this week to be one of the eight launch members of the Kids App Collective (KAPC). This project, the brainchild of Neal Hoskins of WingedChariot, brings together app developers from around the world to lead the charge on creating and distributing great digital content for use in schools and education internationally. Our fellow members in the collective are Ahoii Entertainment, ApppMedia, Edoki, Fox and Sheep, StoryToys, Tinybop and Urbn Pockets.

Kate has written blog posts in the past about how Nosy Crow’s apps can be (and are) used by teachers and in schools and we have also had several great guest blogposts by educators who have used our apps with the children they work with, to great effect.

Needless to say, we are very excited to see where Neal takes this KAPC initiative, and we’re looking forward to working alongside the other brilliant developers in the collective. You can find out more about KAPC here. And if you do work in education, sign up on the website to receive the free November resource pack!

My Brother is a Superhero shortlisted for the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Award

The winners of the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards were announced on Monday – and My Brother is a Superhero, the incredible debut children’s novel by David Solomons, was shortlisted in the 9+ fiction category!

And even though My Brother is a Superhero did not, on the night, win (beaten by the very worthy Hamish and the Worldstoppers), we could not be prouder of the book: it is an absolutely amazing story: super-exciting, laugh-out-loud funny, and with enough heart to fill an entire galaxy.

Luke is a comic-mad eleven-year-old who shares a treehouse with his geeky older brother, Zach. Luke’s only mistake is to need a wee right at the wrong moment. While he’s gone, an alien gives his undeserving, never-read-a-comic-in-his-life brother superpowers, then tells him to save the universe. Luke is massively annoyed about this, but when Zach is kidnapped by his arch-nemesis, Luke and his friends only have five days to find him and save the world…

Here’s a look inside the book:

You can read more about the awards here – and you can find My Brother is a Superhero in Sainsbury’s stores now. Congratulations, David!