Nosy Crow's Blog, page 22

Making a Baby has been longlisted for the 2022 UKLA Book Awards

The longlist for the 2022 UKLA Book Awards were announced yesterday – and we’re absolutely thrilled that Making A Baby: An Inclusive Guide to How Every Family Begins, written by Rachel Greener and illustrated by Clare Owen, has been recognised in the Information 3-14+ category! Now in their 14th year, the awards aim to highlight children’s books that reflect all identities and promote diversity, and are the only awards judged entirely by teachers.

In this honest, accessible illustrated guide to how babies are made, young readers can find out exactly what is needed to grow a baby, from introducing the basic building blocks of life such as sperm and eggs, to explaining the different ways that these building blocks can be put together to create a family.

Working closely with a leading national LGBT organisation, this inclusive guide covers sex, sperm and egg donation, IUI, IVF, surrogacy and adoption, as well as explaining how a baby grows in the womb and about different kinds of births.

Written in gentle and accessible language that can be shared with younger children or read alone by confident readers, we hope this book and its charming illustrations will provide the stepping stone for every parent to have an open conversation with their child about how babies are made, and their family began.

You can take a look inside the book below:

Buy the book.

You can find out more about the UKLA Book Awards and view the full longlist, here. The winners will be announced next year.

Congratulations, Rachel and Clare!

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Nosy Crow wins three 2021 Junior Design Awards

The winners of the 2021 Junior Design Awards were announced today – and we are absolutely delighted to have won three awards this year! Run by parenting magazine Junior, the Junior Design Awards celebrate “the very best and most beautiful products on the planet” and are designed to champion brands big and small.

In the Best Designed/Illustrated Book for Children category, What Are Little Girls Made of? won Gold. This beautiful collection of witty nursery rhymes for feminist times, reworked by Jeanne Willis and complemented by Isabelle Follath‘s gorgeous artwork, is the perfect gift for the very young.

The judges said: “Yes! Was the reaction from so many of our judges when they encountered this refreshing book that subverts so many of the nursery rhyme tropes and clichés that have inveigled themselves into our psyche thus far! This collection of witty reworkings of classic nursery rhymes, given a fresh and feminist twist really made us laugh and then think! Wit, humour and seriously gorgeous illustrations with a lovely inclusive feel make this a book that works on so many levels and will give children plenty to laugh about and adults a wry smile. A beautifully presented book that would make a wonderful gift.”

Buy the book.

In the Best Baby Book 0-2 years category, Peekaboo Sun won Silver. From the co-creators of the bestselling, award-winning Felt Flaps series, Camilla Reid and Ingela P Arrhenius, Peekaboo is a fantastic, interactive board book series featuring 10 smooth sliders, signature vibrant artwork and a fun mirror ending that toddlers adore.

The judges said: “Everyone loves a game of peekaboo and this beautiful book gives little ones the chance to surprise and delight themselves with a series of friendly faces – including their own – throughout its cleverly designed interactive pages. Our judges loved the easy to use sliders that were cleverly slotted into both side of the pages and agreed that as well as being really captivating for little ones, this is one of those books that parents would be proud to display on an outward facing bookshelf. With its fun rhyme and gorgeous retro style pictures, the panel felt that this was a book that would be instantly recognised and loved by children for years to come.”

Buy the book.

Also in the Best Baby Book 0-2 years category, Make Tracks: Farm won Bronze. For toddlers who love vehicles, this chunky, interactive board book series with easy-to-move counters, and striking artwork by Swedish illustrator Johnny Dyrandder, is the perfect bookshelf addition.

The judges said: “Our judges loved this chunky interactive board book that would be heaven for any child who loves tractors, combine harvesters and anything with big wheels! The simple, bold illustrations and easy-to–use moving sliders and parts make this a joy for children to engage with and anyone with an early appetite for reading will be able to stretch themselves with some simple vehicle vocab. A great book for keeping kids entertained and stimulated.”

Buy the book.

You can read more about the Junior Design Awards here, which covers books, toys, lifestyle, travel, food and much.

Congratulations to our winners!

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Nosy Crow wins three 2021 IPG Independent Publishing Awards – including overall Independent Publisher of the Year!

Today the Independent Publishers Guild held its fifteenth annual award ceremony, celebrating the creativity, innovation and inventiveness of publishers across the UK industry. We were shortlisted for three awards this year – Children’s Publisher of the Year, the Deanta International Achievement Award, and the IPG Marketing Award – and we are absolutely delighted to have won in two categories, as well being awarded the overall Independent Publisher of the Year Award!

For the sixth time in our ten years, we won the Children’s Publisher of the Year Award, though we were up against a strong shortlist of Usborne Publishing and Sweet Cherry Publishing. The judges “particularly admired the way had sustained international sales, set up its own field sales force in the UK and published a free digital book about coronavirus for children. ‘There’s so much to like about Nosy Crow. It made some brave decisions in a difficult year, and the Covid book was an important piece of publishing.'”

We are also thrilled to have won the Deanta International Achievement Award for, astonishingly, the second year running and the fifth time in our ten years of publishing, owing to yet more international growth in 2020. The judges “particularly liked the way responded to the cancellation of book fairs and travel with animated catalogues and virtual meetings. ‘Nosy Crow have amazing people who go the extra mile. They listen to their customers, understand their markets and respond brilliantly… it’s a textbook international operation.'”

And finally, the winners of the five publishing category awards – Children’s, Trade, Education, Academic/Professional, Specialist Consumer and Newcomer – go forward to be judged against one another for an overall award, the IPG Independent Publisher of the Year award.

We are incredibly proud to have won this flagship award in our tenth year, and to have been named Independent Publisher of the Year for the second time, following our success in 2016 – the only publisher to have won this prestigious award twice.

The judges said: “Nosy Crow receives the title of IPG Independent Publisher of the Year for the second time. The judges of this Award applauded its remarkable growth, stellar sales in the UK and overseas and superb response to all the challenges of the pandemic. ‘Even by its own high standards Nosy Crow had an exceptional year,’ they said. ‘They know exactly what they want to achieve and how to go about it… everything they do is professional and passionate.'”

You can find out more about the IPG Awards here.

 

 

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Nosy Crow announces exciting new titles from Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-shortlisted author Alastair Chisholm

Nosy Crow is delighted to announce the acquisition and publication of two unputdownable middle-grade adventures from Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-shortlisted author, Alastair Chisholm, as well as six titles in a new illustrated fiction series for 7+ readers.

The Consequence Girl, the first middle-grade title, will publish in September 2022, followed by the second in September 2023. Alastair’s illustrated fiction series, Dragon Storm, will launch with Tomás and Ironskin (book one) and Cara and Silverthief (book two) in January 2022, with three further books to publish in 2022 and a sixth in the series to come in January 2023. The Dragon Storm series will be illustrated by Eric Deschamps, with cover illustrations by Ben Mantle.

Tom Bonnick, Senior Commissioning Editor at Nosy Crow, bought world rights to two middle-grade titles and six younger fiction titles from Caroline Montgomery at Rupert Crew. Nosy Crow has already sold rights in the Dragon Storm series to the US, France, the Netherlands and Germany.

Dragon Storm is an exciting, imaginative new fantasy series for 7-9 year olds, brilliantly illustrated throughout by Eric Deschamps, and perfect for fans of How to Train Your Dragon and Dragon Mountain. The Consequence Girl is a thrilling, ambitious and unputdownable science fiction adventure for 9-12 year olds.

Author Alastair Chisholm comments: “I’m so excited to be working with Tom Bonnick, and everyone at Nosy Crow, on both the new sci-fi novels and the upcoming Dragon Storm series – I can’t wait to share these stories with everyone!”

Tom Bonnick, Senior Commissioning Editor at Nosy Crow, comments: “I’m so thrilled to be working with Alastair not just on more incredible middle-grade novels, but also on a brilliant new series for younger readers. With his first two books, Orion Lost and ADAM-2, Alastair has established himself as one of the most exciting new authors of middle-grade science fiction, and The Consequence Girl is an extraordinary achievement – it’s even more gripping, intelligent and fast-paced. And I’m delighted that Nosy Crow will also be publishing younger illustrated fiction by Alastair – Dragon Storm is a fantastic new series, with a hugely appealing fantasy premise and an amazing new world.”

Caroline Montgomery, Alastair’s agent, comments: “It’s always a joy working with Tom Bonnick and Nosy Crow, so I’m thrilled that our journey together continues with Alastair’s latest standalone novels and especially excited by the new Dragon Storm adventure series.  I cannot wait to see all these books in children’s hands.”

Alastair Chisholm is the author of two previous middle-grade novels published by Nosy Crow, Orion Lost (2020), shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and ADAM-2 (2021). He lives in Edinburgh with his family.

Synopsis of Dragon Storm: Tomás and Ironskin

In the land of Draconis, there are no dragons. Once, there were. Once, humans and dragons were friends, and created the great city of Rivven together. But then came the Dragon Storm, and the dragons retreated from the world of humans. To the men and women of Draconis, they became legends and myth.

  Tomás has always been told that now, dragons are extinct, and so he can’t believe it when a mysterious stranger invites him to join a secret society, the Dragonseer Guild – and tells him that not only do dragons still exist, but also that Tomás has a very special power … he can summon his very own dragon! But Tomás faces a difficult choice, and he and his dragon, Ironskin, must learn to trust each other – in time to save their home from a deadly threat.

  Synopsis of The Consequence Girl

The world of Colony is in ruins. It has been this way for so long that no one knows what caused society to begin tearing itself apart – but the secret may lie with Cora, a girl living on the mountainside far away from others, kept by a woman who will not tell her about her past. Cora possesses an extraordinary gift: the power to see back in time, from an event back to its causes. Not far – a few hours, perhaps a day – but some. Even more incredibly, sometimes she can change events. She can’t simply make things happen, but she can give tiny nudges, and see how they would unfold, and then she can lock them into a new reality. But the present is looking for Cora and her guardian, and together they are forced on the run. Hunted by a corrupt government who want to use her powers, recruited by resistance forces who want the same, Cora has to decide who she is, what she can do … and how to fix the future.

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A Beach-Cleaning Legacy

This week is The Great British Beach Clean and we at Nosy Crow, along with our publishing partners at the National Trust, wanted to take a moment to reflect on the inspiring lives of National Trust members and benefactors, Gary and Pam, who together have harboured a longstanding determination to keep our beaches clean. Sadly, Pam has now passed away, but her passion for protecting our seas and coastlines lives on in the work of Gary and her friends and family.

In Gary’s own words, this is Pam’s story:

When my wonderful wife, Pam Billington, was told in 2016 that she had maybe only a few months to live, she decided she didn’t want to define the rest of her life as a battle with cancer. Rather she chose to see her remaining time as a celebration of the people, things and places that she loved.

High on the list of things Pam wanted to do was to spend as much time as possible on the Northumberland coast. We had planned to retire there, but sadly that was not to be, however it was the place she loved the most in the world.

As it turned out, thanks to wonderful help from the NHS, Pam lived for another two and a half years and we managed many more trips to the Northumberland coast to enjoy seeing the wildlife, especially puffins, terns, gannets and Pam’s favourite, eider ducks.

As the end approached, she made a plea for family and friends to honour her life by visiting a beach and spending some time picking up litter, especially plastic. It is a source of comfort to me that many people have taken up this challenge and sent me photographs of the mounds of ‘stuff’ that an hour’s effort can remove from our lovely beaches.

Shortly before she died, Pam wrote a poem called ‘I am Sunshine’. In the poem she envisaged herself paddling on Bamburgh beach (with me staying dry and carrying her towel), and the cancer as a storm that would pass while her love carried on.

I am Sunshine
By Pam Billington

I am sunshine
I am not rain
I am sunshine
I will shine again

I will shine when I choose be it day or night
I did not lose, there was no fight
For I am paddling now and the water’s warm
You were nothing but a passing storm.

A tiny part of a life lived full
A perfect love, you did not rule
You could never take all the love I’ve known
For it comes with me, you’re on your own.

I am sunshine
I am not rain
I am sunshine
I will shine again.

Pam and Gary at Bamburgh Beach

Join a Beach Clean!
To get involved in a beach clean, all you need are two bags, one for rubbish and one for recyclables, access to a beach, and a little bit of time. By working together to care for our coastlines, we can protect wildlife and make sure our beaches stay safe and beautiful for everyone. You can find a beach clean event in your area on the Marine Conservation Society’s website, here.

If you’ve been inspired by Gary and Pam’s words, please do share photos of your beach-cleaning efforts with Nosy Crow and the National Trust via social media (you can find us on Twitter here and Instagram here) with the hashtag #BeachCleanForPam.

 

For anyone who would like to introduce a young child to ideas around the importance of caring for our coastlines, and how by working together we can make a difference, The Wide, Wide Sea by Anna Wilson and Jenny Løvlie, published in collaboration with the National Trust, is a very gentle picture book introduction to the topic of plastic pollution.

You can take a look inside the book below:

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Sometimes Babies is Sainsbury’s Baby and Toddler Book of the Year 2021

We’re thrilled to announce that following its shortlisting, Sometimes Babies  has won a Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Award 2021! Judged by a panel of experts, the awards in partnership with BookTrust aim to encourage parents and carers to spend more time reading with their children. The board book emerged as the judges favourite in the category ‘Baby & Toddler’. Congratulations to illustrator Charlotte Trounce and everyone involved!

Jill Coleman, Director of Children’s Books, BookTrust said: “This year’s shortlist was incredibly strong, and it was not an easy job for the judges to choose the winners. I want to congratulate all the winning authors and illustrators on their fantastic achievement. I know that these books will go on to capture the attention and imagination of children of all ages and inspire them to read.”

Senior Commissioning Editor Victoria England said “Sometimes Babies . . . is a special book for new babies everywhere (whether they’re big, small, short, tall or even squeaky or cheeky!) and now it feels extra special. Thank you to Sainsburys for the amazing award. We’re all over the moon!”

The idea for Sometimes Babies first came into being in the summer of 2019 when Victoria bought a card illustrated by Charlotte Trounce for her colleague Zoë who had just welcomed a new baby herself. When the card went missing in our busy offices, Victoria’s round robin email featuring a picture of the card caught the attention of our Managing Director Kate Wilson and so the book was born. Read the full origin story of Sometimes Babies here.

Sometimes Babies shows that there are all kinds of babies in the world, each one of them completely unique and worthy of all the love in the world. Whether they are cheeky, squeaky, wild, small or tall there is space for everyone to be included. With beautiful animal illustrations throughout, there is extra delight for babies at the very end with a mirror.

Take a look inside the book:

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Take a look inside Peekaboo Moon – the latest in the Peekaboo series by Camilla Reid and Ingela P Arrhenius

This month we’re delighted to have published Peekaboo Moon – a brand new book in the Peekaboo series, from the bestselling and award-winning creators of the Felt Flaps series, Ingela P Arrhenius and Camilla Reid.

Connecting with faces and playing peekaboo is one of the first games that babies play. That’s why the very youngest of children will love this delightful interactive board book series – and want to read it again and again.

With 10 easy-to-use peekaboo sliders to push, pull and turn, bright artwork, and a surprise mirror ending, this beautiful book is sure to become a bedtime favourite with little ones.

And today we’re sharing a video demonstration of the book – you can see the book in action below!

Peekaboo Moon is out now – you can order a copy from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, and Amazon here. If you’re interested in more Peekaboo books, you can discover the other books in the series here.

Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter here for our latest book news, exclusive previews, giveaways and more.

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Four Nosy Crow books shortlisted for the 2021 British Book Design & Production Awards!

The shortlist for the 2021 British Book Design & Production Awards (BBD&PA) have been announced today – and we’re absolutely thrilled that four Nosy Crow books have been recognised this year!

Established in 1901, the BBD&PA promote and acknowledge the innovation of book design and production by celebrating the very best books of the year. It’s an honour to have the following books shortlisted this year:

The Peekaboo series, written and edited by Camilla Reid, illustrated Ingela P Arrhenius, designed by Zoë Gregory and produced by Leila Mauger.Make Tracks: Farm illustrated by Johnny Dyrander, edited by Victoria England, designed by Robyn Makings and produced by Leila Mauger.Look What I Found in the Woods, written by Moira Butterfield, illustrated Jesús Verona, edited by Victoria England, designed by Manda Scott and produced by Ben Radley.Step Inside Homes Through History, written and edited by Tegen Evans, illustrated by Sarah Gibb, designed by Robyn Makings and freelancer Veneta Hopper, and produced by Leila Mauger.

In the Brand/Series Identity category, the adorable Peekaboo board book series has been recognised. From the co-creators of the bestselling and award-winning Felt Flaps series, this new series features 10 smooth sliders in every book, signature vibrant artwork and a fun mirror ending that toddlers adore. You can take a look at the latest in the series, Peekaboo Sun, below:

Buy the book.

In the Children’s Trade 0-8 Years category, Make Tracks: Farm by Swedish illustrator Johnny Dyrander has been recognised. For toddlers who love vehicles, this chunky, interactive board book with easy-to-move counters, clear diagrams and simple vocabulary to learn is the perfect bookshelf addition. The series also includes Make Tracks: Building Site, with a brand new book, Make Tracks: Trucks out in 2022.

Buy the book.

In the Educational Books category, Look What I Found in the Woods has been recognised. Published in collaboration with our partners at the National Trust, this is the first in a wonderful new nature treasure hunt series – encouraging children to get outside, explore their surroundings and reconnect with nature. Packed full of fascinating facts and incredibly detailed artwork, this is a great addition to any toddler’s bookshelf.

Buy the book.

Also recognised in the Educational Books category is Step Inside Homes Through History, another fantastic collaboration with our partners at the National Trust. This beautifully detailed book explores homes through seven different eras, from the Late Middle Ages to the 1920s and the present day, with ingenious laser-cuts throughout, allowing readers to peek through to the next page.

Buy the book.

The winners of each category will be announced at the award ceremony on Monday 8th November. You can find out more about the awards, and view the full shortlist, here.

Congratulations to the incredible authors, illustrators, editors, designers and production staff involved in creating these books!

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From summer wings to flying south for winter – a guest post by Clare Helen Welsh, author of Time to Move South for Winter

This month we’re thrilled to have published Time to Move South for Winter – a breathtaking narrative non-fiction book about incredible animal migrations, written by Clare Helen Welsh and illustrated by Jenny Løvlie.

And today we’re delighted to share a blog from Clare on the origins of this beautiful new book.

—

Coming up with ideas is the easy bit for me where creating books for children is concerned. Ideas are everywhere – places I go, people I meet, words I hear, things I see. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day or days in the week to write them all.

But I am not, for one minute, suggesting that writing is easy!

One part of the process that can be especially difficult is turning these ideas into stories, with compelling characters, engaging plots and satisfying endings. Occasionally, ideas appear fully formed – with a character and clear arc. Other times, I have to work harder to find the angle.

Time to Move South for Winter had been in my ‘to write’ collection for a while. It started life as a phrase in the note pages on my phone – ‘summer on the wing.’ My nan, who is a huge inspiration to me, gave me a notebook of poems she collected when she was a primary school teacher. I was so touched – it’s full of all the classroom rhymes, poems and ditties she shared with her students, all diligently written out in her handwriting.

As I pored over the pages, one line stood out – ‘summer on the wing.’ I often take inspiration from our wonderful language and the beautiful visuals it conjures. I began researching bird migration and was soon lost in the fascinating world of the Arctic tern, which makes the longest migration of any animal from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again each year. I love the thought of being able to inspire young readers to love nature.

And there was my angle! An educational but entertaining story about an Arctic tern embarking on her annual winter migration, who discovers lots of other animals moving south for winter, too.

At the time I’d been reading and writing a lot of non-fiction narrative texts and I felt this idea lent itself to being a story based in fact. I envisaged that it would be poetic, lyrical, almost whimsical in tone as the tern completed her long journey, but I was determined it would also communicate awe and wonder about the natural world, encouraging and inspiring children to read and learn more. Narrative non-fiction texts fire up the teacher in me. When I worked as a primary school teacher, I would hang learning on a book wherever possible. I love writing stories that can be used as springboards for further learning, and this was very much in the forefront of my mind as I wrote – something beautiful but meaningful, too.

My life experiences have a funny way of filtering into my stories. Alongside the involvement of my nan, my dad was also a big inspiration for this book. My dad, who loves birds, has been to North America and travelled up the Northwest Passage to the mountains and glaciers in Alaska where he saw humpback whales, which feature in the book. (He says they were quite tricky to catch on camera!)

My dad’s photo of a humpback whale in Alaska (above).

I knew from the very start this would be a book he’d love. Time to Move South for Winter is dedicated to him. Here he is receiving his advance copy on Father’s Day.

(I was right, he did love it!)

The text has been stunningly illustrated by Jenny Løvlie who says the Arctic terns are her favourite bird. She grew up by a large colony of terns on Ekkerøy, Norway, and has described the project as a dream come true but honestly, the honour feels all mine. We can’t wait to share it!

In short, Time to Move South for Winter started like many other of my texts – as a foggy idea on the fringes of my creative mind. With thanks to the influences and inspirations from family, teaching and the research that enlightened me to the animal migrations on our planet – plus my agent, Alice, and all the Nosy Crow team – it became a story!

And one we are all very proud of, indeed.

—

Thank you, Clare, for that insightful and heartwarming piece! You can order a copy of Time to Move South for Winter from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, or from Amazon here.

Take a look inside the book:

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Watch a video preview of Listen to the Music by Mozart – the latest in the bestselling sound button book series!

Last week we published Listen to the Music by Mozart, from the bestselling Listen to the sound button book series, illustrated by Marion Billet. This latest book in the series features six exceptional pieces of classical music by the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Aimed at babies and toddlers, this fun interactive sound button series has a button on every spread that plays high-quality sound effects or music. Little ones will love pressing the sound buttons and joining in with the music or real-life sounds!

You can watch a video preview below:

You can order a copy of Listen to the Music by Mozart, here. And don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter here to be the first to know about our new books, as well as exclusive giveaways, early previews, discounts and much more.

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