Nosy Crow's Blog, page 3
July 30, 2024
Happy International Day of Friendship!
Friendship is one of the most important things in life. Our friends are the people who make us laugh, who support us when we’re down, and who celebrate our successes with us. They’re the ones who know us inside and out, and who love us anyway!
Here are a few ideas for how to celebrate International Day of Friendship:
Arrange a Play Date. Make some plans to spend time together, whether it’s going for a walk, catching a movie, or just hanging out at home. Try this sticker activity book of Pip and Posy: Best of Friends and spend the day doing fun crafts alongside your friends!
No matter how you celebrate, make sure to take some time to appreciate your friends today. They’re the best!
One of our editors, Kate Woolley, says this about Pip and Posy and friendship:
“I love the way Pip and Posy listen to each other – they listen when someone feels sad and try to help, they listen when they someone has an idea during a game and they listen when they learn something new.
So I would say a good friend listens.”
Happy International Day of Friendship!
Banner image credits: Frank and Bert by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
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July 29, 2024
Happy World Nature Conservation Day!
Here at Nosy Crow, we love learning about all things nature. We think it’s important for children to grow up with a love for the outdoors and a respect for all living things. That’s why we publish so many amazing books about animals, plants and the environment.
This World Nature Conservation Day, why not get outside and explore the world around you? You could visit a park, go for a hike in the woods, or even just spend some time in your own backyard. There’s so much to see and discover, right on our doorstep!
Here are a few more ideas for how you can celebrate World Nature Conservation Day:
Find out how you can protect endangered animals. There are so many amazing animals that are at risk of disappearing forever. Take some time to learn about one of them, and find out how you can help. In How to Help a Hedgehog and Protect a Polar Bear, discover 70 everyday ways you can help save our planet!
By taking small steps each day, we can all make a difference for our planet. So get outside, have some fun, and let’s celebrate World Nature Conservation Day together!
Don’t forget to share pictures with us on our socials of what you are doing for World Nature Conservation day this year @nosycrow.
Graphics: From Earth Heroes by Lily Diyu
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The Olympics are Here, Let the Games Begin!
The Olympics are a super-special event that happens every four years . Athletes compete in a multitude of events such as running, jumping, gymnastics, skating and so much more!
But the Olympics aren’t just about winning medals. They’re also about teamwork, sportsmanship and celebrating how amazing humans can be. Find out more about the history of these incredible events, where they came from and some books to get you excited about the upcoming games!
What is the Olympics?
Born in ancient Greece as a celebration of the god Zeus, the Olympic games were a time for rival city-states to put aside their differences and compete peacefully.
In the late 19th century, the modern Olympic Games were revived, bringing together athletes from across the globe to test their limits and celebrate human achievement. From the iconic stadiums to the inspiring stories of triumph, the Olympics continue to captivate hearts and minds worldwide.
Taking place in both the Summer and Winter, the Olympics showcase a wide range of disciplines, inspiring millions of people all over the world.
Where do the Olympics take place?
Every four years, a different city around the world hosts the Olympic Games. The honour of hosting the Olympics is a respected one, requiring lots of preparation and only the best facilities. From the bustling cities of the world to stunning natural landscapes, the Olympic stage has been set in a variety of locations, offering unique cultural experiences for athletes and viewers alike.
What sports are played at the Olympics?
Athletes compete in everything from traditional events like track and field, swimming, and gymnastics to newer additions like skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing. Team sports like basketball, football, and hockey are also featured, alongside individual sports like archery, fencing, and judo. This wide variety of sports ensures that there’s something to excite every viewer, showcasing the incredible athleticism and diversity of human ability.
How to get into the Olympic spirit
Discover the home of the Olympics: The British Museum’s Around the World Colouring Book: Ancient Greece brings ancient Greece to life with 20 brilliantly busy black-and-white scenes and patterns to colour
Learn about games played all over the world: From sports you’ve heard of to sports you never thought existed, learn what children are playing all over the world in Welcome to Our Playground, a celebration of games children play everywhere
Adventure to the original Olympic Games! Learn how to read and write ancient Greek in this gripping puzzle mystery story about the ancient Olympics in Going for Gold from the British Museum
Find out which sports are played in the Olympics: Find out just what it takes to become an Olympic and Paralympic star, along with the skills and equipment you’ll need to start practising and even how to sound like a pro in On Your Marks, Get Set, Gold!
Celebrate the upcoming games with friends: Celebrate friendship, teamwork, sporting games and play in Pip and Posy: Summer Games to enjoy playing and viewing the games with loved one
So, get ready to cheer, to gasp, and to be inspired! The Olympics are a time for dreams to come true, for records to be broken, and for nations to unite. Whether you’re a seasoned sports fan or just looking for a bit of excitement, there’s something for everyone at the Games. Browse our Olympic Games curated list to see even more books about these special events! So grab your books, your friends, and your favourite snacks, and let the Olympic adventure begin!
Do you have other ways of preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games? We would love to hear them! Send your ideas to digital@nosycrow.com or tag us on our socials @nosycrow.
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July 27, 2024
Kids Club July
Welcome to our Nosy Crow Kids’ Club! Each month, we have fun activities for young readers. Join us for engaging content! Every month we will share a creative prompt inspired by our recent publications. We may also provide printable activity sheets for children to enjoy.
What Would Your Playground Game Be?This month, the kid’s club activity takes inspiration from the new picture non-fiction book Welcome to Our Playgroundl! A beautifully illustrated follow-up to the bestselling Welcome to Our World by Moira Butterfield & Harriet Lynas.
What kind of playground game can you come up with?
How many players would it have? What would the game be called? What props or objects would it require? Draw a picture of how your game would be played!
There are so many possibilities! Would the game have anything to do with your culture? Your country?
Be sure to let us know if your young readers and illustrators partake in our activities. Please do share drawings, book reviews, or stories with us via email digital@nosycrow.com or @nosycrow on social media.
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July 25, 2024
Saying Goodbye to Alice Éclair – a blog by Sarah Todd Taylor
Goodbye to Alice
There are two words that authors always love writing – The End. When we get to those two little words, all the months of dreaming up our worlds and characters, working out structures and plot and laying clues for our readers come to an end. We finally have a complete story, and though we then have to do lots more work to polish it till it is good enough to go into a book, it feels very satisfying to have a complete story in front of us.
But I confess that when I typed those two words at the end of A Dash of Daring I had to wipe away a tear, because it has been so wonderful sharing Alice’s world for the last few years and I am going to miss her, and Casper, so much.
Alice began back in 2018 when I decided I wanted to create a spy series with a girl with creative talents at its heart. I set it in the 1930s because they were a time when espionage was really coming into its own, and there was so much going on across Europe, where nations were still recovering from one war but poised for another. It was a time of upheaval against a backdrop of nations trying to feel hopeful. Art and music were decadent and joyful, but politics was fraught and tense. It felt like the perfect setting for a spy series.
I wanted Alice to be talented and creative and clever, but also vulnerable and to see her confidence build through the series. I also wanted to surround her with a cast of friends who would help her solve her mysteries, using their own particular talents. It’s been important to me that Alice’s stories involve teamwork, with loyalty and friendship at the core because although every story needs a hero, none of us can do everything and it’s by working together that we solve life’s great challenges. Alice learns this though the help she gets from the friends she makes along the way.
I’ve loved all the research I get to do for Alice. I studied History at University and have a PhD in Seventeenth Century history, and reading up on 1930s Europe, with the breakthroughs being made in art and industry, has been fascinating. The research for Alice’s second adventure, A Spoonful of Spying, was my favourite. I learned about the great exposition that happened in Paris In 1937 and realised it would be a great setting for a spy book. Half the city was turned into a huge exhibition site, with grand pavilions for every type of industry and floating theatrical shows down the Seine every evening. I used video footage of the event and detailed maps and pictures from the exposition to create Alice’s version and I loved creating the different pavilions that she and Sophie explore, from the opulent fashion pavilion to the gleaming chrome and glass of aviation. Another reason A Spoonful of Spying is very special to me is that I was so happy to introduce Sophie, a character inspired by some of Europe’s great young female aviators and engineers. Clever young engineer Sophie is the character that readers asked me to bring back, so I was delighted to oblige and she makes a reappearance in A Dash of Daring.
Of course codes and ciphers are at the heart of Alice’s adventures and they have been another joy. I’ve always loved ciphers because I love how they play with language. I’ve enjoyed finding ways to weave Alice’s spywork and cipher breaking into her baking (sometimes this was quite a challenge, but if Alice has taught me anything, it’s that challenges always push you to be more creative). I try to make the ciphers ones that readers can solve along with Alice, so that all my readers are super-spies along with her.
I’m so grateful to all the librarians, teachers, booksellers and readers who have supported and championed Alice’s adventures. I’ll miss her lots, but I’m sure that after A Dash of Daring finishes she will still be out solving mysteries and fighting for good. I like to imagine her at Bletchley Park as one of the many young women who helped break codes and shortened the war by up to two years.
A Dash of Daring is the end of my adventures with Alice, but I’m sure that she lives on after I type The End.
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July 23, 2024
Read an Exclusive Extract of The Great Farm Rescue by Helen Peters
We’re very excited to be publishing The Great Farm Rescue in August – a thrilling, funny, heartwarming story and the third in the Hannah’s Farm series by author Helen Peters.
And today we’re delighted to be sharing a preview of the book – you can read the first few pages below!
Hannah’s family farm is in trouble again as their landlord threatens to evict them all. As homelessness looms, Hannah resolves to raise the money to buy the farm and secure the family’s future once and for all. But how are a bunch of schoolkids going to raise two million pounds in six months…?
Read an extract of The Great Farm Rescue here:
The Great Farm Rescue will be published on August 1st – you can order a copy from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, or from Amazon here. Do let us know on socials what you thought of the first few chapters when you’ve finished reading!
If you’d like to stay up-to-date with all of our latest book news, including exclusive previews, giveaways, award news and more, you can sign up for our newsletter here.
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July 18, 2024
The Inspiration for the “Hannah’s Farm” Series – a blog by Helen Peters
Introduction to the Hannah’s Farm Series
The “Hannah’s Farm” series is inspired by my free-range childhood on a ramshackle Sussex farm. Like Hannah, I had three younger siblings with very different personalities and attitudes, and a father who was totally committed to his farm and completely clueless about domestic life. We really did have a theatre in a shed, and my sister really did have a sheep called Jasper who patrolled the farmyard with his duck friend sitting on his back. Many of the dramas in the book are based on real events. The fire in the barn; selling the cows to pay the rent; fighting the local water company’s plans to flood the farm for a reservoir – all these things really happened. But despite having such rich material, it took many years of writing, rewriting, and taking all the advice I could get my hands on, before the first book was good enough to be published.
An Author’s Writing Habits
Over the years, I’ve accidentally created a system of different-sized notebooks for each stage of my writing process. At the research and planning stage, I use an A4 exercise book, as I feel the need for large blank pages to brainstorm ideas and create mind-maps. I always carry a small pocket-sized notebook with me, to jot down ideas on the go, and for close observations of the weather, the animals and the landscape when I’m at the farm. I’m lucky enough to be able to visit regularly, and I go back to these notebooks when I’m trying to evoke a sense of the farm in different weathers and seasons.
When I start the actual writing, I work on a laptop, but I always have an A5 notebook by my side. I use this one for more detailed planning of whichever chapter I’m working on, and also for research notes for that chapter, ideas that occur to me for future chapters, and reminders of things I need to weave in to previous chapters. I also log my daily word count at the back of this notebook. It’s such a simple thing but knowing that I’ll have to write my word count down at the end of each day really helps to keep me focused.
Adapting the Writing Process
For The Great Farm Rescue, I tried a slightly different process from my previous books. I wrote a fast, sketchy first draft, a kind of cross between a plan and a first draft. The point of this was to get over my fear of writing badly, and not to get stuck in difficult places, or bogged down writing endless description and backstory, but just to get the essential story told, chapter by chapter. It was very freeing, as I was able to write down snatches of dialogue when it came into my head (dialogue is my favourite part of writing), but just gloss over the difficult bits, like working out how characters get from one place to another. This method enabled me to test the essential story without wasting days or weeks writing chapters that might end up being deleted. The downside was that the second draft, where I had to turn all those sketchy scenes into fully formed chapters, took FOREVER (well, a few months, but it felt like forever). It was also the longest draft I’d ever written. Then my marvellous editor read it and advised me on how to improve it, and I spent another couple of months cutting the dull bits and amplifying the fun bits, in order to create a pacy, readable book.
Tips for Young Writers
I don’t ever want to preach or tell anyone what to think, but I hope that readers of The Great Farm Rescue might feel inspired to have fun being creative. One of my favourite things when The Secret Hen House Theatre was published was receiving letters from children telling me they had been inspired to set up their own theatres in sheds, garages or bedrooms. It would be wonderful, too, if the “Hannah’s Farm” books helped children feel empowered to campaign for causes they believe in, knowing that their actions really can make a difference.
When children ask me for writing tips, I always advise them to read what they enjoy reading and write what they enjoy writing. ‘Write a story you’d like to read’ is always good advice, I think. In The Great Farm Rescue, I wrote what I wanted to read: a story about the power of imagination, creativity, family and friendship.
The Great Farm Rescue is the story of a community coming together to create something magical. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Helen x
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July 16, 2024
Celebrate the Colours and Culture: All About South Asian Heritage Month!
What exactly is “South Asia,” you ask? It’s a bustling region in the southern part of Asia, encompassing countries like India,Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Each country boasts its own unique languages, religions, and customs, but they’re all connected by a shared history and cultural thread.
South Asian Heritage Month is a chance to learn more about this vibrant part of the world. Here are some fun ways to get involved and some amazing Nosy Crow books to pick up to fully get in the spirit!
Explore the sights and sounds: Dive into books, movies, and documentaries that showcase the beauty and traditions of South Asia. For example, Lands of Belonging: A History of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Britain is the perfect book to understand these amazing cultures and traditions in a beautifully illustrated book!
Discover these titles and more in our South Asian Heritage Month curated list!
Can you think of other ways to celebrate South Asian Heritage Month? If so, feel free to share it with us at digital@nosycrow.com or on our socials! We can’t wait to see how you celebrate this amazing month!
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July 13, 2024
The inspiration behind the Destiny Ink series – a blog by Adeola Sokunbi
Destiny Ink: Sleepover Surprise is not just the first book of my new series – it’s my first published book ever! I had a lot of fun writing and illustrating the book and I hope that the readers come to love Destiny as much as I do.
The Destiny Ink series is inspired by the idea of what if… What if what you drew came to life? In Sleepover Surprise, Destiny is invited to her best friend Olivia’s house for a sleepover but gets nervous. With the help of her vivid imagination and her loyal pet hamster, Fuzzy, she ends up facing her fears and having a great time. She also gets to meet a certain little monster along the way.
I’ve always been a huge lover of anything fantastical and I’m an avid reader of fantasy and sci-fi books, so it’s exciting that I’m able to share a magical story of my own with the world. I may not be able to make my drawings come to life like Destiny does, but I hope my stories can come to life in the readers’ minds.
Although Destiny isn’t based on anyone specific, I’ve added bits and pieces of myself to her personality – the most prevalent being creativity. Like Destiny, when I’m bored or anxious, sad or happy, I love to draw. Whether I’m sitting at my desk or sitting on a plane, it won’t be a surprise to see me doodling away.
In fact, it was my obsessive doodling that landed me with a book deal! Over the lockdown period I was bored out of my mind. So, with the permission of my mum, I drew a giant doodle on our kitchen wall with permanent markers. I posted the results on Instagram and Jasmine Richards, the founder of Storymix, happened to stumble across my artwork.
Jasmine sent me a message, saying that she loved my work and asked if I’d like to team up to create a chapter book series about a girl who’s creativity comes to life. I loved the idea and said yes! And that was how Destiny Ink was born.
In the series, Destiny faces many childhood challenges that I faced growing up so I’m able to draw on my own memories and experiences. In Sleepover Surprise Destiny is worried about the sleepover. In the second book of the series, Talent Show Magic, Destiny will be performing on stage for the first time and dealing with emotions such as stage fright.
I had SO much fun writing and illustrating Talent Show Magic because I was able to lean more into the fantasy side of the series. The book will be out later this year and I can’t wait for you all to read it!
In case you’re interested in seeing the kitchen wall doodle that I mention earlier, you can check it out on my Instagram page: @adeolasokunbi
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June 28, 2024
Kid’s Club June 2024
Welcome to our Nosy Crow Kids’ Club! Each month, we have fun activities for young readers. Join us for engaging content! Every month we will share a creative prompt inspired by our recent publications. We may also provide printable activity sheets for children to enjoy.
What Would Your Team Look Like?This month, the kid’s club activity takes inspiration from the new fiction book Dungeon Runners: Hero Trial! An action-packed new adventure series from award-winning author Kieran Larwood and Waterstones Children’s Book Prize winner Joe Todd Stanton.
If you were in the Cog Empire, what would your Dungeon Runners team look like?
Who would be a part of your team? What would your team name be called? Would the members of your team have any particular strengths or abilities? Draw a picture of what your team would look like too!
Come up with your own team and draw a picture of what it would look like! Would it be a team of giants? A team of ogres? Possibly even a team of werewolves! There are so many possibilities! Would the members of your team have any special abilities?
Be sure to let us know if your young readers and illustrators partake in our activities. Please do share drawings, book reviews, or stories with us via email digital@nosycrow.com or @nosycrow on social media.
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