Nosy Crow's Blog, page 158

Where I Work: Paula Harrison

This is the latest instalment in an occasional series of blogposts, in which some of our authors and illustrators share their favourite working spots. Today, Paula Harrison, author of the Rescue Princesses series, the newly-published Red Moon Rising series, and the soon to be launched Secret Rescuers series, shows us where she writes…

I was born in Bletchley (of code-breaking fame) and live not far from there still. I usually work at this computer in the corner of my dining room. Sometimes, if my family are around, I have to be a bit more mobile and “hot desk” round the house with my little laptop. I prefer it here though because I sit right next to the patio doors so I can gaze out at the garden all the time.

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram you’ll find I talk about the seasons a lot and put up pictures of various plants and animals (the squirrels that visit are really naughty). Nature is pretty important to me, which hopefully comes across in my books. Here are some fritillaries that came out in my garden this week.

The desk in front of me is usually piled up with notebooks, sketches and maps. I also keep one or two things nearby that help to ground me in the story. The little dragon model pictured below was made for me by my daughter after I told her I was writing a story with a dragon. So this became my inspiration for Windrunner in Secret Rescuers: The Storm Dragon. The little geode sitting next to him also plays an important role in the story. The rough stone on the right of the picture relates to a different book entirely. I picked this up during a visit to the Peak District when I was doing some research for the third book in the Red Moon Rising series. When I work on the next draft of Pale Peak Burning it will help to remind me how it felt to be walking those hills.

Red Moon Rising is out now – you can take a look inside below, or order the book online here. The first book in Paula’s brand new Secret Rescuers series, The Storm Dragon, will be out next month – you can pre-order it online now.

Previously in the series: Helen Peters, Caryl Hart, Elys Dolan, G. R. Gemin, Olivia Tuffin, Benji Davies, Simon Puttock, Steven Lenton

Take a look inside the Fairiest Fairy, the brand new picture book from Rosalind Beardshaw and Anne Booth

Finished copies of a wonderful new picture book have just arrived in the office: The Fairiest Fairy, written by Anne Booth and illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw – and today you can take an early look inside the book for the first time.

This is an absolutely LOVELY book from a brand new author-illustrator pairing: a charming, uplifting story, beautiful illustrations, and a gentle rhyme. It’s publishing in June and is just PERFECT for the start of Summer.

Betty is a fairy… and being a fairy isn’t easy! Betty is ALWAYS getting into messy muddles. She can’t paint a rainbow, or scatter dewdrops, and her pirouettes are, well, pretty precarious. You see, with so many animals to rescue and friends to help, there’s just no time for Betty to practise all the things a fairy should. But when it comes to the Fairy Ball, Betty’s friends return her gifts of kindness and it becomes clear who is actually the fairiest fairy of them all.

Here’s a very first look inside the book:



You can pre-order The Fairiest Fairy online here – and if you’d like to be kept up to date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter here.

Win a copy of our Snow White app!

Snow White by Nosy Crow, our latest fairytale app, has been out for just under a month, and we’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by everyone’s responses.

Here’s an excerpt from a recent 5 star review from The iPhone Mom:

“Snow White by Nosy Crow is an amazing re-telling of Snow White complete with beautiful artwork, ingenious and fun interactive activities on every page and an engaging story. Children of all ages are sure to enjoy this wonderful app.”

Here’s part of Digital Storytime’s review (which also awards the app 5 stars) – Rahat Mahmood writes:

“This book app leads the pack, turning a classic tale into a vibrant, immersive experience where readers are actively involved in the narrative … This app is an excellent addition to your app library. It gives children a whole new reason to love and read a classic story.”

Last but not least, here’s another great review from School Library Journal. Allison Tran, from Mission Viejo Library, CA, writes:

“Nosy Crow adds another outstanding offering to its series of fairy tale adaptations with this cheerful telling of Snow White. Young readers will enjoy the delightful British English voice-overs supplied by children, gentle soundtrack, and charming illustrations … The app strikes an appealing balance between storytelling and interactivity.”

And to celebrate, we’re giving away some copies of the app on Twitter – so if you’ve not already experienced Snow White, here’s your chance!

To be in with a chance of winning the app, all you need to do is follow @NosyCrowApps and re-tweet this message. You can enter from anywhere around the world, and we’ll pick three winners tomorrow.

If you’ve already bought the app, do please spread word of this competition to anyone you know who might be interested. And we’d also be INCREDIBLY grateful if you’d consider leaving a review on the App Store – it makes a huge difference.

If you can’t wait to find out if you’ve won, you can buy the app from the App Store here – here’s a very quick preview:

Good luck!

Get Out Of My Bath

Next month we’re incredibly proud to be publishing a fantastic new picture book: Get Out Of My Bath by Britta Teckentrup, illustrator of the brilliant and innovative Playbook series.

And lovely finished copies have just arrived in the office!

This is a BEAUTIFULLY-designed, interactive picture book for 2+ year olds, in which readers are encouraged to get involved in the story by tilting and shaking the book.

And it has a very special tactile quality, too – spot UV on every spread creates a wonderful, glistening-water effect that you won’t be able to stop yourself touching. It is SUCH a lovely book.

Ellie the elephant loves to have fun in the bath, but she’s not the only one… Her fun is interrupted when a crocodile decides to join in, followed by a flamingo, then a mouse and even a tiger! Poor Ellie’s bath is ruined. What can she do? Suck all the water into her trunk, of course! Ellie then waits until the uninvited animals have left before squirting all the water back. Finally Ellie can enjoy her bath in peace!

Here’s a look inside the book:



You can pre-order Get Out Of My Bath here – and if you’d like to stay up-to-date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter here.

My first week on Twitter

My blogs are fast becoming a series: Ellie discovers for the first time things that everyone else has been doing for years. Last week Bologna, this week Twitter. A digital assistant joining Twitter, I hear you gasp, whatever next? But yes, Tom has given me a challenge – 200 followers by the end of April (or at the very least enough followers to beat Ola’s follower count, which frankly seems a rather unfair way to promote in-nest rivalry…).

Now, 200 followers might be a little unrealistic (but every little helps, my username is @ellie_corbett, follow me if you like silence with an occasional nervous retweet), but I am now teetering on the edge of 70, and I have to say, I’m enjoying Twitter much more than I expected to! It helps that I am now following more and more of the Nosy Crow authors and am very much enjoying seeing their lovely tweets, especially when it involves getting a glimpse of what they’re working on at the moment. I also loved being able to follow the Bounce conference in real time, and all of the great new titles they were tweeting about. And I’m even discovering other non-publishing-related accounts, such as Museum Week, which is filling my feed with posts from museums and galleries from around the world, and prompting some interesting discussions, such as which artwork you would take if you were cast away on an island (#desertislandart). Primarily, though, I’ve been struck by how friendly and welcoming everybody has been, and watching all the retweets and replies to some of the Nosy Crow official accounts has made me very excited to be part of a company that people actually seem to be interested in interacting with. I’ve come very late to this particular social media party, but I’m glad I finally did log on and join in.

A Lullaby for Little One in the New York Times

Just in time for Easter, we were so happy to see A Lullaby for Little One, written by Dawn Casey and illustrated by Charles Fuge, reviewed in the New York Times today!

In a round-up of picture books with bunnies, Maria Russo says of the book, “With its simple rhyming story of a bunny’s day and realistic watercolors that tilt toward big-eyed cuteness, “A Lullaby for Little One” is lovely”.

And Russo pays particular attention to the relationship between Little Bunny and Big Daddy Rabbit: “This father is not just showing up; he’s emotionally keyed in, too. After they frolic around a field with some other animals, the little bunny inexplicably starts crying. “Are you all worn out from that hullaballoo?” the father asks. “Maybe it’s time for a lullabaloo.” Adventure Dad transforms on the spot into Snuggly Dad, and they go off to sleep curled up together.”

This really is a WONDERFUL picture book – a beautifully, lyrical lullaby, with stunning artwork by Charles Fuge. Here’s a look inside:

You can buy the book online here in the UK, and here if you’re in the US.

Happy Easter from all of us at Nosy Crow!

It's publication day! Our April books are out now

While half of Nosy Crow are busy at the Bologna Book Fair (it’s Kate’s 25th fair!), the rest of us have to find ways of making do in London without all of the sunshine, grappa and gelato. Happily, it’s our April publication day today, and there’s nothing better for easing the pain of not being in Italy than lots of GLORIOUS new books. And here’s what you can find in shops now!

It’s publication day for the two newest volumes in Sebastien Braun’s fantastic Can You Say It Too? lift-the-flap novelty series – Can You Say It Too? Arf! Arf! and Can You Say It Too? Quack! Quack! Sturdy flaps and simple texts combine with friendly artwork to make these ideal first books that are great for sharing with children who are just starting to talk.

Buy the book online.

Buy the book online.

We’re over the moon to publish Cinderella’s Sister and the Big Bad Wolf today, written by Lorraine Carey and illustrated by Migy Blanco – a side-splitting spin on a favourite fairy tale, and the first book from an exciting new author-illustrator team.

Think you know the story of Cinderella? Think again… This laugh-out-loud picture book turns the traditional tale TOTALLY upside down! For example, did you know there were THREE ugly sisters? And how about this – Cinderella wasn’t actually very nice? And, far from being a mean-mouthed little mad, the youngest sister, Gertie, was the kindest person you could ever hope to meet? Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book online.

And we’re also incredibly proud to be publishing our first picture book illustrated by Stephan Lomp, Follow that Car, written by Lucy Feather. Packed with animal antics, this brilliantly bold book follows Mouse’s madcap race after Gorilla through a variety of exciting settings, from navigating a busy building site, to avoiding an Alpine avalanche.

With scores of captivating cars to count and spot on every page, and a mapped-out route to trace your finger along, this zany book will keep little ones entertained for hours. Think Wacky Races meets Richard Scarry! Here’s a look inside:

Buy the book online.

The Palomino Pony Runs Free, the fourth volume in the brilliant Palomino Pony series by Olivia Tuffin is out today – shot through with action and adventure, this is perfect for pony-mad girls.

Georgia and Lily are going to the Horse of the Year Show. Lily is more than ready, but Georgia suffers a crisis of confidence, especially when a new rider joins the stables and seems determined to spoil everything… Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book online.

And finally it’s publication day for Red Moon Rising by Paula Harrison. A world of dark powers and magic awaits in this dazzlingly-imagined, quest-driven epic for 9+ year olds, from the author of The Rescue Princesses.

From the moment Laney sees a blood-red moon, her life is changed forever. For Laney learns that she’s a faerie, a member of the Mist Tribe, and she discovers this truth at a time of extreme danger. The faerie tribes are under threat from a dark power that wants to reign supreme. Laney will need all her new-found skills to hold the faerie world together… Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book online.

Congratulations to all of today’s authors and illustrators!

Nosy Crow at the 2015 Hay Festival

The programme for this year’s Hay Festival has been announced, and we’re very pleased to say that there are some FANTASTIC events lined up featuring Nosy Crow authors!

On Thursday 28 May at 10am, you can hear Lyn Gardner talk all about her best-selling Olivia series – an event that’s bound to appeal to any aspiring performer. Tickets are £5 and you can book online here – and if you’re new to the Olivia books, here’s a look inside Olivia’s First Term, the first volume in the series:

Buy the book online.

Later on in the day, Helen Peters, author of The Secret Hen House Theatre and The Farm Beneath the Water will be speaking on Thursday 28 May at 2.30pm. Helen will share how her real-life experiences growing up on a family farm inspire her stories and how she turns the farm itself into a ‘character’ in her novels – with lots of authentic mud-squelching, pig-oinking, and chicken-clucking happening in the background. Tickets are £5 and you can book online here – and here’s a look inside The Farm Beneath the Water:

Buy the book online.

And on Sunday 31 May at 11.30am, Blue Peter Book Award-winner Pamela Butchart will share the brilliantly bonkers world of Izzy in a lively session based on her book The Spy Who Loved School Dinners. Tickets are £4 and you can book online here – here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book online.

Here’s a look at the entire Hay Fever catalogue – we hope to see you there!

We're looking for beta testers for our apps

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

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.

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, you can stop being a tester whenever you’d like, and you’ll receive copies of all of the apps that you try for free.

If you’re interested in joining the beta testing programme, sign up to our apps newsletter here – 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!

Only four days left to apply for a Senior Designer role at Nosy Crow

Earlier this month we announced that we’re hiring a senior designer – and there are just four more days left to apply, if you’re interested!

We are increasing the number of books we publish and branching out into new areas. We are keen to find a senior designer to join our design team. We need someone highly-organised, creative and technically skilled with experience of designing children’s full-colour picture books, and of working closely with illustrators.

This is a full-time role and the successful applicant will be based in the London office of Nosy Crow in Borough (near London Bridge, Borough and Southwark tube stations, and 15 minutes’ walk from Waterloo). We would consider an exceptional candidate who was not able to work full-time in the office, but we’re looking for an absolute minimum of 3 days per week in the Nosy Crow nest.

(If you’re a freelancer with substantial children’s illustrated book design experience who reading this, we’re always interested to have a sense of who’s out there, so by all means get in touch, but this is, as we say, a staff role.)

Candidates will have the right to live and work in the UK and will have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in graphic design, mostly if not exclusively in children’s publishing, and will have worked on picture books, and, ideally, on novelty books too. Proficiency in Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator programmes, excellent proven book design and typographic skills, and an understanding and love of children’s books and children’s book illustration are essential. We’re also looking for good written and spoken communication skills, and the ability to work efficiently to a deadline.

The successful candidates will manage illustrated book projects (mainly picture books)) from initial layouts all the way through to production, supporting the illustrator or the author/illustrator throughout the creative process. The senior designer will report to the Head of Design and will work closely with more junior members of the team, supporting them as they refine their skills. The senior designer will also work with other members of the Nosy Crow team, particularly the editorial staff, to produce child-focused, parent-friendly, high-quality books.

We are still a small, close team here at The Crow’s Nest working in a friendly, highly creative and professional environment and we need team players who are willing to muck in, particularly during busy times.

If you would like to apply for a role, please send a CV and application letter, along with digital samples of your design work (using a link rather than sending a huge file), to Managing Director Kate Wilson via email (kate@nosycrow.com).

The closing date for applications is 2 April 2015 at midnight (UK time).