Nosy Crow's Blog, page 18

What Selvi and Lokka taught me – a guest post by Nizrana Farook

This month we’re absolutely delighted to have published The Girl Who Lost a Leopard – the third thrilling adventure set in a fictional Sri Lanka from author Nizrana Farook. And today we’re very excited to be sharing a guest post from Nizrana on the setting for her books, her reasons for choosing a leopard as her third animal adventurer, and what the central characters of Selvi and Lokka taught her. Nizrana was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the beautiful landscapes of her home country find their way into the stories she writes. 

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The Girl Who Lost a Leopard is my third adventure set in the fictional island of Serendib. Serendib is based on Sri Lanka, the country of my birth and where I was raised. I moved to the UK as an adult, so when I think of my childhood I think only of Sri Lanka. And so when I started writing for children, and when I looked into my own childhood, I went with my own part-real, part-imagined version of Sri Lanka as the setting.

That first book was about a girl who stole an elephant. I was swept away by the adventure and wanted to write more. Though a relatively small country, Sri Lanka has quite a lot of variation; from the rainforests to the misty green mountains to dry zone forests and golden beaches. So I set the second book by the sea and this third one in the mountains. Once upon a time these mountains were largely uninhabited and full of leopards, and this was the time I went to.

After I’d finished writing about an adventure each featuring an elephant and a whale, I began to think about what my next animal adventurer could be. I was pulled by the idea of a leopard quite early on. Leopards have a sense of mystery that the other animals I’ve written about before haven’t. They seem more aloof, elusive and enigmatic. I wondered what sort of companion one would make on an adventure!

I also wanted to explore what a bond with a leopard might be like for a child, while allowing the animal to still remain wild. Even the thought felt exciting and laced with danger. Wild leopards and humans don’t mix! Or do they? Selvi the main character and Lokka the leopard share a bond so strong she’d do anything to protect him, and vice versa. They’ve built up their relationship slowly, in little steps of trust. One of my favourite things that happens in the story is how the girl’s and the leopard’s lives mirror each other throughout. They’re both harassed by evil men who want to cut off their freedom. They’re both captured and imprisoned at the same time, and each must help the other in breaking free and living the life they want.

With each book that I’ve written so far I learn a little more; about the writing process, about a new animal, about conservation and the environment. I was fascinated, and sometimes horrified, by my leopard research. I was looking at so many pictures to describe their behaviour that when I closed my eyes I’d see leopard print! Lokka grew to be more central to the plot than the animals in my previous books. He taught me to notice the little details; the quick blink of leopard eyes, the flick of a tail, a silhouette in the sunset.  But most importantly, what Selvi and Lokka taught me was that animals like him needed us to care, so that they could thrive and be free.

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Thank you, Nizrana! You can order a copy of The Girl Who Lost a Leopard from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, or Amazon here.

Read the first few chapters below:

 

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Not Your Typical Kids’ Book: a guest post by Jason Rohan

This month we’re absolutely delighted to have published S.T.E.A.L.T.H.: Access Denied – the first in an explosive new action-adventure middle grade series. And today we’re very excited to be sharing a piece from author Jason Rohan on his inspiration behind the book.

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Hi! Well, what can I say, other than S.T.E.A.L.T.H.: Access Denied isn’t your typical kids’ book. With car chases, explosions, gadgets, secret organisations and breathless action, it’s more of a white-knuckle movie rollercoaster than a novel and that’s entirely deliberate.

I come from a comic book background so I tend to think in pictures and dialogue, which is also how cinema works. A screenplay is written with one page equalling one minute on screen and in S.T.E.A.L.T.H.: Access Denied, chapters are time-stamped and intended to read roughly in real-time, so it works the same way, like the TV show 24. In fact, I seem to get a lot of comparisons to things like James Bond, Jason Bourne, Alex Rider, CHERUB, Mission: Impossible and Transformers, but no-one has identified the key inspiration yet, and that is… Thunderbirds.

For, ahem, people of a certain age, Thunderbirds holds a special place in our hearts, back when there were only three channels on TV and Saturday morning at 11:00 was time to gather round the box for Jeff Tracy’s famous countdown. Sure, even as a child, the puppets were hokey, but the action set pieces were state-of-the-art and fired young imaginations like mine, and even inspired a real-life International Rescue Corps.

A live-action film version came out in 2004 and, for me, it was a crushing disappointment. (Rotten Tomatoes has it with a 19% approval rating, so I’m not alone in my view.) That, and rewatching some of the episodes with my own children, started me thinking about how the concept could be brought up to date but with middle graders as the main characters. I couldn’t see five kids each operating separate vehicles as a viable idea but if it were one vehicle capable of performing multiple roles, then that could work… And, if we had a pilot, navigator and engineer, the staple roles for robot anime… That’s how I came up with the main characters of Arun, Donna and Sam, three ordinary kids who find themselves in an extraordinary adventure.

I’ve noticed that adult thriller writers, like Frederick Forsyth and Tom Clancy, use a lot of real-life detail to ground their stories in the real world and this is important before introducing a fantasy element. It’s almost like the more rooted you are in reality to begin with, the bigger the chance you can take later with upending that, as per The Matrix movies, and a major part of that grounding was making the main characters be normal kids, recognisable and relatable. Arun is the quiet, thoughtful one, naturally reserved but with a sharp intellect and ability to think on his feet. Sam, his best friend, is more of a geek who takes refuge in gaming and computing. Donna, I belatedly realised, is the true protagonist of the story in that she drives the story forward. It is her curiosity which initiates the kids investigating a kidnapping, and she steps up time and again to bail the trio out of trouble. One of the joys in creating S.T.E.A.L.T.H. was seeing the three characters come together as a team.

I don’t set out to write ‘message’ books, but certainly there are themes of not underestimating people or making ill-conceived presumptions and that goes across the board. Just as the adults constantly dismiss the kids, so too Sam puts his foot in it with Donna, and Arun grows to respect and admire her.

I’ve worked as a teacher so I’m always keen that a reader will learn something, however unwittingly, when they read one of my books. As well as lots of STEM-related snippets, I hope that readers will take with them the power of friendship, independence and resilience. Now, more than ever, we need to co-operate to overcome the huge challenges ahead. If nothing else, S.T.E.A.L.T.H.: Access Denied shows what you can do if you’re determined enough and refuse to give up, however great the odds. Sometimes, just doing the right thing is heroic in itself.

Now fasten your seat belt, hold on tight and enjoy the ride!

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Thank you, Jason! You can order a copy of S.T.E.A.L.T.H.: Access Denied from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, or Amazon here.

Read the first few chapters below:

 

 

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Read an exclusive extract from Writes of Passage – an inspiring collection of writing selected by Nicolette Jones

We’re very excited to be publishing Writes of Passage: Words To Read Before You Turn 13 next month – an inspiring, accessible and powerful collection of words that matter selected by Nicolette Jones and with illustrations by Mary Kate McDevitt. Nicolette Jones, writer, literary critic and broadcaster, has been the children’s books reviewer of The Sunday Times for more than two decades.

And today we’re delighted to be sharing a preview of the book – you can read the first few chapters below!

An inspiring collection of over 100 pieces of writing – poems, prose, letters, speeches, song lyrics, quotations, and more – from Shakespeare to Stephen Hawking; Greta Thunberg to Galileo; Malala to Martin Luther King; and Lin-Manuel Miranda to Lord Tennyson – which are in turn powerful, funny, moving, wise, and thought-provoking, and expertly selected and with accessible, thoughtful commentary by Nicolette Jones.

Published in a gorgeous hardback edition, with a stunning neon and foil-stamped cover, ribbon marker, and beautifully designed insides, Writes of Passage is the perfect gift for every occasion – birthdays, Christmas, school leaving celebrations, confirmations, bar and bat mitzvahs, and more.

Read an extract:

Writes of Passage: Words To Read Before You Turn 13 will be published on May 5th – you can pre-order a copy from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, or from Amazon here.

Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter here to stay up-to-date with all of our latest books and news, including early previews, discounts and giveaways.

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Nosy Crow has been shortlisted for six IPG 2022 Independent Publishing Awards!

The 2022 IPG Independent Publishing Award shortlists have been announced – and we are absolutely delighted that Nosy Crow has been shortlisted in six categories!

We’ve been shortlisted for the Clays Children’s Publisher of the Year, against Oneworld, Sweet Cherry Publishing and Usborne Publishing. In their commendation, the IPG said: “Nosy Crow has won this Award a remarkable six times. Like all these publishers it faced tough trading conditions in key markets, supply challenges and rising costs but overcame them by finding new channels. Judges also admired its marketing, innovation and commitment to sustainability and diversity. ‘Nosy Crow is such a tenacious and agile company… they rolled up their sleeves and delivered more amazing results,’ they said.”

We’ve been shortlisted for the The Alison Morrison Diversity and Inclusivity Award, against Bloomsbury Publishing, Emerald Publishing, Jacaranda Books and Joffe Books. In their commendations, the IPG said: “Nosy Crow stepped up its publishing of authors and illustrators of colour last year, including through an open submissions programme. It set out more plans to diversity its workforce and showed excellent support of its team in a disrupted year, especially on mental health. ‘Nosy Crow’s commitment to diversity has always been strong, and you can see the results—it’s following through on all its promises.’”

We’ve been shortlisted for the HP Sustainability Award, against Cambridge University Press & Assessment and Quarto. In their commendations, the IPG said: “Nosy Crow is shortlisted for its work to cut the environmental impacts of its book production and travel, and for playing a leading role in cross-industry sustainability initiatives. Judges particularly liked how the company is urging partners in manufacturing, distribution and elsewhere to reach its same high standards. ‘This is really good strategic and tactical work on sustainability. It’s well informed and well thought through, and is at the core of their messaging.’”

We’ve been shortlisted for the Zebralution Audio Award, against Boldwood Books and Faber. In their commendations, the IPG said: “Nosy Crow is shortlisted for its Stories Aloud initiative, which bundles free digital audio with print books via a QR code on the inside cover. Judges liked the way it makes picture books even more accessible to children and parents, especially for English language learning and those with literacy difficulties or disabilities. ‘This is a brilliant example of how audio can enhance printed content… it’s also a great marketing tool that builds the Nosy Crow brand.’”

We’ve been shortlisted for the Virtusales Metadata Award, against Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Hardie Grant, Kogan Page, and Phoenix Publishing House. In their commendations, the IPG said: “Nosy Crow recognised that with retail channels disrupted in early 2021, discoverability would be a big factor in sales. It responded with a thorough review of its processes, including via knowledge-building across the business, identifying areas for improvements and additions, and new checklists and schedules. Its work resulted in extra sales and a BIC Excellence Award. ‘This was timely work that perfectly illustrates the value of metadata,’ judges said.”

And Frances Sleigh, Nosy Crow’s Senior Sales Manager, has also been shortlisted for The Ola Gotkowska Young Independent Publisher Award. In their commendation, the IPG said: “Frances Sleigh of Nosy Crow was instrumental in more stellar growth for her publisher in 2021. As senior sales manager she is responsible for supermarket, online and special sales, from which a large proportion of Nosy Crow’s UK turnover is drawn. Judges admired her expert market knowledge and eye for promotional opportunities. ‘Frances is clearly a great partner for retailers… she’s also at the heart of Nosy Crow’s publishing strategies.’”

You can find out more about all of the award shortlists here. The winners of all the awards will be revealed at a special gala lunch at the OXO Tower in London at 12pm on Wednesday 27 April.

Wish us luck!

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Peekaboo Series shortlisted for the British Book Awards Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year Award

Today, the Bookseller published the shortlists for the British Book Awards Book of the Year prizes, and we are hugely proud that our Peekaboo series, with a focus on Peekaboo Cow, was shortlisted for the Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year Award. This is a new prize created “to reflect the importance of illustrated books to the industry”. The judges said of the shortlist, “Seasonal books are to the fore, with two Christmas titles and one Halloween offering joining board books for the very young and a YA graphic novel. The shortlist is rounded off by a ground-breaking picture book collaboration between Dapo Adeola and 18 illustrators.”

The Peekaboo series was conceived by Camilla Reid, who wrote the rhyming texts and mapped out how every page would work, supported by Zoe Gregory, Nosy Crow’s deputy head of art. It was illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius, who had already worked with us, and with Camilla, on Felt Flaps. Ingela says about working with us, “I just LOVE working with Nosy Crow. I have a very good collaboration with them. I feel very well taken care of. They listen to your ideas, they improve them, they don’t let anything leave the house until it’s top-notch. They all seem very dedicated and with a genuine desire to make beautiful books!”

The judges said about the Peekaboo series, “It is notoriously hard to break into the board book market, yet Nosy Crow managed to top £1m in sales with just five titles in its Peekaboo series, authored by Camilla Reid. Bold, colourful images from illustrator Ingela P Arrhenius, coupled with lyrical text, 10 sliders and a mirror ending has made these books a hit with parents and children aged six to 18 months.”

The response to the series has been great. Laura, from Darling Reads in Wakefield, said, “The Peekaboo series is incredibly popular with our customers and they delight both adults and babies/young children. The simple text, gorgeous colours and pop-up pages really do make it one of our most well-sold series of books. The mirror on the last page is a fantastic feature and we really like the variety of titles we can choose from”. Mattias Hendrikson, from Ordalaget, the Swedish publisher of the series says, “We have never before published more perfect books for the youngest. Steady, colourful, tasteful, funny and imaginative. As a matter of fact: great for both kids and their parents”. And parents and children love the series too: “Such a beautiful book! Toddler loved it at the library and so decided to get our own copy. Great quality board book designed to be tough for little readers! Really lovely illustrations,” says Frankie White in an Amazon review.

Peekaboo Sun has already won the Silver award at the Junior Design Awards.

The latest addition to the series, Peekaboo Chick, has just published in the UK in time for Easter, and immediately entered the pre-school top 20 bestseller chart. We are happy to say that we have many more titles in the series to come over the next few years.

Congratulations to Camilla and to Ingela!

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Read an exclusive extract from S.T.E.A.L.T.H.: Access Denied – the first in an explosive new series from Jason Rohan

We’re very excited to be publishing S.T.E.A.L.T.H.: Access Denied next month, the first in an explosive new action-adventure middle grade series from Jason Rohan. Full of thrilling high-octane car chases and more, this new series is perfect for readers aged 9+.

And today we’re delighted to be sharing a preview of the book – you can read the first few chapters below!

When his dad disappears, Arun Lal is amazed to discover that he was secretly working on a classified project and has been kidnapped by people intent on stealing it.

Along with his geeky best friend Sam and tough-talking Donna, Arun is plunged into a race to rescue his father and find his creation before the thieves can turn it into a destructive global weapon…

Read an extract:

S.T.E.A.L.T.H.: Access Denied will be published on April 7th – you can pre-order a copy from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, or from Amazon here.

Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter here to stay up-to-date with all of our latest books and news, including early previews, discounts and giveaways.

The post Read an exclusive extract from S.T.E.A.L.T.H.: Access Denied – the first in an explosive new series from Jason Rohan appeared first on Nosy Crow.

Pip and Posy TV series wins top animation industry award!

Pip and Posy are reaching for new heights in 2022, following their recent win at the British Animation Awards last week. The playful pair were up against stiff competition from Hey Duggee, The Adventures of Paddington, Circle Squad and Milo, but on the night the production team behind the TV series, Magic Light Productions, took home the award for Best Preschool Series for their charming episode ‘Night, Pip’.

The judges of the award called Pip and Posy “an excellent show that tells a simple but very relatable story well. This charming episode perfectly captures the spirit of friendship and play in a well-crafted world that feels safe, but not twee. Good combination of humour worked through the episode and realistic age-appropriate issues and emotions handled beautifully. High production value, great character design and relatable story for children made for a winning combination.”

Before Pip and Posy found success on the small screen, they started life as a series of picture books, devised and created by Nosy Crow’s co-founder and author, Camilla Reid, and illustrated by the award-winning illustrator Axel Scheffler. Each story followed a mouse and a rabbit as they experienced the very real ups and downs of a child’s life: friendships, disappointments, potty training, emotions and bedtime challenges, to name a few. Over the last eleven years, the picture book series has sold 5 million copies and been translated into 26 languages.

The launch of the animated TV series in March 2021 coincided with the tenth birthday of the publication of the first Pip and Posy titles.

So, it seems rather fitting that the launch of our TV tie-in publishing programme begins in the same year that Pip and Posy reach another milestone, with this award and the recognition of Magic Light Picture’s work by the animation industry.

 

In June 2022, Nosy Crow will publish two TV tie-in sticker activity books. Best of Friends introduces this playful pair and invites everyone to join in their wonderful world of play with puzzles, games and stickers galore! Come On, Let’s Play! is full of fun-filled activities that will delight fans of the Pip and Posy TV animation, featuring artwork from the episodes, alongside dot-to-dot, colouring, search and find sticker scenes and much more to keep little hands and minds busy. Our trio of sticker books this year is completed by a festive Christmas activity title that publishes in October, and celebrates the joy of the season with Pip, Posy and their friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In August 2022, Nosy Crow will publish two new tabbed board books that feature artwork from the TV series. Children’s emotions and how to navigate them are gently explored in Pip and Posy: How Are You? The second tabbed board book, Favourite Things, is perfect for all children wanting to learn about the world of Pip and Posy and their friends, as it celebrates the characters’ differences and how those differences bring the friends together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our final TV tie-in title this year is a lift-the-flap board book full of Christmas fun, from opening presents and singing carols, to playing in the snow and putting on a winter show! Each page has flaps to open and Christmas objects to search and find.

As the editor of our Pip and Posy TV tie-in programme, I have enjoyed bringing this cherished picture book series into a new strand of publishing. The TV series is full of warmth, humour, friendship and imaginative play, and this delightful combination means Pip and Posy’s world really is a dream come true for creators of stories in all mediums.

 

Congratulations to the team at Magic Light Pictures, and three cheers for Pip and Posy!

 

– Katie Woolley

 

 

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Guest Post by You’re Not the Boss of Me author Catherine Wilkins

This month we’re absolutely delighted to have published You’re Not The Boss of Me – a laugh-out-loud story about fighting for your right to steal the show. And today we’re very excited to be sharing a piece from author Catherine Wilkins on her reasons for writing the book.

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I’m very excited to see You’re Not The Boss of Me being published and to share my latest character, Amy Miller with the world. This book is about trying to be the master of your own destiny, even when facing adversity.

Amy Miller is an enthusiastic, ambitious, clever and funny Year Nine girl who loves comedy and wants to write and perform comedy sketches for her school comedy show. But unfortunately for Amy, some of the boys decide they are in charge of comedy, and they make it impossible for her to be a part of the fun. Eventually Amy realises that some of what is happening is sexism, and she has to take a stand.

I felt very strongly that I wanted to write about a teenage girl character who was confident. Actually properly, audaciously confident. Someone who really didn’t care what other people thought, or about being ‘cool’ at school. And not because she was too cool to care, but because she had nerdily done the maths and decided it was better to be a bit naff and have fun being her authentic self. It can be hard to accept that not everyone will like you and be at peace with that. I wanted to see what that would look like in a story. There are already so many books about feeling insecure (which is great, because lots of people feel insecure and under peer pressure). But I wanted this to be a story about a girl who knows she has a right to exist, and a right to join in and speak up.

I wanted to make it funny as well because for me (as a reader) I think it’s important for books to be entertaining and surprising. I have always tried to write the kinds of books that I would have liked to read when I was younger. And (like Amy) comedy is a huge passion of mine.

I have quite a lot of things in common with Amy. I was an avid comedy fan growing up, and often trying to be funny and write funny things. There is a fine line between being funny and being quite annoying which Amy and I both had to learn to tread with care. And I have worked in the comedy and creative industries now, and encountered bizarre proclamations and gatekeeping around anything considered artistic, which doesn’t make sense under investigation. Amy is more confident than I was at her age. There is probably some wish-fulfilment in her moxie.

Amy has to encounter some difficult things in the story, and she finds help in unexpected places. At one point she gets some advice from her older sister about identifying and dealing with sexism, and it felt important to show the wider background of that struggle, so that each new person doesn’t think they’re the first person to encounter sexism and they’ve somehow done something wrong.

Sexism is a serious problem in the real world, but it is also ridiculous. Anything ridiculous can be joked about, it just has to be done carefully. There is a thin end of the wedge as well as the much worse thick end. This book is age appropriate for its readers, so mainly focused on the ‘lighter’ side of sexism, which of course still has far reaching effects and needs to be addressed. Sexism needs to be examined, scrutinised, exposed, logged, talked about, mocked, educated and legislated against, and to have that legislature followed on through on. But I can’t do all those things, so I have settled mainly on scrutinising and mocking in this book.

I think that comedy can be a good way to approach difficult subjects. That’s one of the reasons I really like writing funny books. I think lots of things in life are quite silly, and finding the joke can often make the scary things less upsetting.

I hope I have created a very funny and entertaining book. I hope that the adventures of Amy will make readers laugh, as well as roll their eyes, feel cross, and feel empowered to make choices that work for them. But mainly I hope they laugh.

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Thank you, Catherine! You can order a copy of You’re Not the Boss of Me from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, or Amazon here.

Read the first few chapters below:

 

 

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Read an exclusive extract from The Girl Who Lost a Leopard – another brilliant escapade by Nizrana Farook

We’re very excited to be publishing The Girl Who Lost a Leopard next month, the third thrilling adventure set in a fictional Sri Lanka by Nizrana Farook. This brilliant escapade, from the author of The Boy Who Met a Whale and The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, is jam-packed with peril, poachers and an endangered leopard!

And today we’re delighted to be sharing a preview of the book – you can read the first few chapters below!

Selvi is a wild child who loves climbing in the beautiful mountains behind her home. She is often joined by Lokka, a leopard with a beautiful coat and huge golden eyes. When hunters come for Lokka, Selvi is determined to fight.

But what can she do against such powerful enemies? Turn to her friends, of course! Now they just need the perfect plan…

Read an extract:

The Girl Who Lost a Leopard will be published on April 7th – you can pre-order a copy from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, or from Amazon here.

Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter here to stay up-to-date with all of our latest books and news, including early previews, discounts and giveaways.

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Nosy Crow World Book Day Costumes

We’ve seen some absolutely amazing costumes on social media today as part of World Book Day. We are delighted and humbled that so many of you chose to dress as characters from Nosy Crow books. One little girl even chose to go as a ‘Nosy Crow’, since she couldn’t choose just one of our titles! Doesn’t she look wonderful?

 

Here are some of the highlights of the costumes we’ve seen today, and do let us know if we’ve missed any out. We think you’ll agree they all look fabulous!

Look, There’s A Rocket

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: The Cat Burglar

Stardust

Octopus Shocktopus!

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: Up, Up and Away!

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright

Octopus Shocktopus!

Have You Seen My Blankie?

Zoe’s Rescue Zoo: The Silky Seal Pup

Thank you and well done to all of the kids, and of course their parents!

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