Nosy Crow's Blog, page 31

Take a look inside Otherland

This May we’re very excited to be publishing Otherland – a darkly funny, action-packed fantasy adventure for 9-12 year old readers, from the author of the highly-acclaimed The Dragon in the Library series, Louie Stowell.

Filled with magical creatures, vampires, fairies and monsters, this is perfect for fans of The Land of Roar, Malamander, Coraline and Pan’s Labyrinth.

And today we’re sharing an early preview of the book – you can read the first few chapters below!

Otherland is a dangerous magical underworld – a place where appearances can be deceiving and anything can happen. A world of demi-gods, vampires, and fairies. It’s also… horrible.

When best friends Myra and Rohan discover that Rohan’s baby sister Shilpa has been stolen and taken to Otherland, the only way to rescue her is by taking part in a deadly game – three impossible challenges set by the Fairy Queen, the ruler of Otherland. Win the game, and Rohan and Myra can go home with Shilpa – but lose, and they’ll be trapped in Otherland forever…

Take a look inside:

Otherland will be published on May 6th – you can pre-order a copy from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, and Amazon here.

Don’t forget to sign up to our books newsletter here to be the first to know about our new books, award news, trailers, exclusive early previews, giveaways and more.

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Wigglesbottom Primary: Dino Chick out now!

Earlier this month we published Wigglesbottom Primary: Dino Chick – a brand new book of three funny school-based stories for young readers, written by bestselling Pamela Butchart and with brilliant colour illustrations by Becka Moor. In this latest instalment, Year Two are chosen to look after some eggs that are about to hatch, but these are no regular eggs…

The strangest things happen at Wigglesbottom Primary! When Year Two is chosen to look after some eggs that are about to hatch, they KNOW something is strange about one of them. What if it’s not a chick egg, but a DINOSAUR EGG???

From dino chicks and magic hamsters to toilet ghosts, this series of hilarious short stories, filled with strange goings-on and lots of fun is perfect for readers aged 5+.

Take a look inside the book:

You can buy a copy of Wigglesbottom Primary: Dino Chick from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here or from Amazon here. If you’re looking for the rest of the series, you can find all the books here.

If you’d like to stay up-to-date with all of our book news, including early previews, award news, giveaways and more, you can sign up here.

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Pip and Posy are on TV!

Today’s a big day for Nosy Crow: the new Pip and Posy TV series, based on our picture book series illustrated by Axel Scheffler, is on TV. It’s our first property to be filmed/televised/animated, though there are a couple of others at an earlier stage of development.

Pip and Posy books were among Nosy Crow’s first publications. Written by Camilla Reid before Nosy Crow even started, the first two (The Little Puddle and The Super Scooter) were published in March 2011. It has therefore taken almost exactly 10 years for them to reach TV.

Based on Camilla’s experience of the real emotional ups and downs of toddler life – her own children were little at the time – her stories fitted brilliantly with one of Axel’s many strengths: he is brilliant at illustrating anthopomorphised, highly expressive animals. And his daughter is the same age as Camilla’s youngest. I can still vividly remember so much about their creation, including the debates we had about what animals they should be; how to differentiate them from one another visually (how big should a mouse be relative to a rabbit, for example?); and what to call them.

We’ve very happy to be working with Magic Light, who were the creators of The Gruffalo and other Julia Donaldson/Axel Scheffler TV specials. I first met Michael, who runs Magic Light, when I was running Macmillan Children’s Books about 13 years ago to begin conversations about The Gruffalo film, and they were always our first choice for making a Pip and Posy series as they’ve been very respectful of Axel’s work historically.

Translating something to a completely different medium means changes. Pip and Posy don’t cry on TV. They always pee in loos, never in a potty. They’re older. They have a group of named friends. They don’t go on trips to the seaside, but instead all of their fun happens in the child-centric world – some houses and a park – in which they and their friends live.  There are more episodes than there are books, so some of the TV stories don’t have book counterparts. This means that Pip and Posy’s TV adventures sometimes echo, but are seldom exactly the same as, the stories in the books. The spirit, though, and the core idea that things don’t always go right in pre-school life, but by being kind and talking things through and saying sorry when we have to we can usually make things better, remains the same. And of course the enhanced visibility that TV gives opens up a whole new audience for the Pip and Posy books. All copies of our books are being stickered with the “Now a TV series” roundel, and we have two new books this year: The Friendly Snail published in hardback on 4 March 2021, and The Birthday Party (a recognition, of course, of Nosy Crow’s tenth birthday) publishes on 2 September 2021.

It’s a really exciting moment, I think, in Nosy Crow’s history, and it’s very timely that it’s happening now: through the pandemic, so many pre-schoolers have been starved of contact with their peers, and therefore starved of the opportunities to negotiate friendship and develop social skills. Negotiating friendships and developing social skills are at the heart of every Pip and Posy narrative, whether in the books or on TV.

This is a link to the full first episode in the series, which aired at 7.45am this morning on Channel 5 Milkshake. The remainder of the series will be broadcast every weekday at the same time, and the series will then move to Sky Kids in May.

Congratulations to Camilla and Axel!

Watch the trailer for Pip and Posy:

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Collecting ideas for the Look What I Found series – a guest post by Moira Butterfield

Last week we published Look What I Found in the Woods – the first book in a wonderful new picture book series about exploring nature, written by Moira Butterfield and illustrated by Jesús Verona.

And today we’re very pleased to share a piece by Moira on where the ideas for the series began, including a preview of the next book, Look What I Found at the Seaside, which you can read below.

—

I guess you could say I collected the idea for the Look What I Found series. It began to grow in my mind when I was lucky enough to attend a wedding in Ireland at a venue next to a wide pebbly beach. The day after the wedding I went down to the shore. There I found the bride and groom walking by the sea (a good way to start a new chapter in life, I thought) plus the little bridesmaid and her family. She was busy collecting, her hands darting down to grab a special pebble or shell that caught her eye. I knew exactly how she felt about them and I set about helping her to collect just the right treasures. Not the stinky crab remains (though yes, they were interesting), and not the shells that still had animals living inside them (I was able to show her how to look). Instead, we found a select few of the most tempting things offered by the beach. Later she would set out a treasure display on her windowsill in the hotel and then take her finds home forever.

The same impulses she had would apply to a walk in the woods. Which child would not love to find a tiny acorn cup and feel around its smooth bowl, or perhaps a glowing red chestnut or a stick that’s just the right length to wave as a secret wand for a little while?

The Look What I Found books celebrate finding, and sometimes collecting, natural treasures without doing harm. (I believe the instinct to collect and treasure will not be quenched, so I’ve included an important lesson that we do no harm and pick up one or two pebbles with mysterious stripes or holes, not a bootful!).

I have tried to make each of the books into a little treasury of things children might find and notice on a typical outing, along with just the right amount of information to answer the questions they might pose – “What’s this I found?” or “What’s that I see?”. I begin each find by describing an experience that children will recognise, such as: “Look what I found! Two leaves that make funny bunny ears.” Then I offer a helping hand to help them understand some more.

The artist Jesús Verona has risen to the challenge with his glowing colours and detailing so that the pages themselves are wonderful to explore.

I still feel the same about the extraordinary things I find outside in the world. In the pockets of my dressing gown I have three smooth cool pebbles and a shining curly shell from places I love. I often click the pebbles together like worry beads and connect myself to where I have been and might go again. I must admit that I still have the rock collection I made as a child on Cornish holidays – rocks that excited me with their glittery patches of fool’s gold or their magical-looking quartz crystals. They’re not precious, except to me, but I’m glad I still have them stored in their small red suitcase, the essence of my salty breezy childhood beach-exploring.

I hope that the Look What I Found books will make good companions for the many children who, like me, spend their day looking out for treasures, whether these are things to hold in the hand or simply to note and remember – such as the song of a bird or the sight of a butterfly.

I’m old enough to be a great-auntie now but I still can’t think of anything more welcome than sharing the experience of discovering the world with a child. Sharing their wonder is such a gift. I hope these books will add to their joy!

—

Thank you, Moira, for that wonderful piece! Look What I Found in the Woods is available now – you can buy a copy from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, and Amazon here.

Look What I Found at the Seaside, the second book in the series, will be published this June.

Take a look inside the first book below:

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Take a look inside The Great Big Egg Hunt – a brand new Easter egg hunt book for toddlers!

This month we’re delighted to have published The Great Big Egg Hunt, illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhanin – a charming interactive egg hunt book, perfect for sharing with toddlers and the very young this springtime!

Follow Rabbit as she sets off on an exciting lift-the-flap egg hunt adventure. But all is not quite as it seems… Will Rabbit ever find any eggs to put in her basket? Or will she find something even better along the way?

With lots of sturdy flaps to lift on every page and a simple story introducing cute animal characters, this delightful springtime board book is full of surprises.

Take a look inside:

Buy the book.

The Great Big Egg Hunt is available now – you can buy a copy from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, or Amazon here. If you’re looking for more interactive books for babies and toddlers, you might also be interested in Where’s Mrs Car? and Peekaboo Cow this month which we this month.

Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter here to be the first to know about our latest books, award news, trailers, early previews, giveaways and much more!

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

Last week we published Peekaboo Cow – the fourth title in this slider board book series, from the creators of the best-selling Felt Flaps series, Ingela P Arrhenius and Camilla Reid.

Designed for little hands – with 10 easy-to-use peekaboo sliders, bright artwork, and a surprise mirror ending – this is the perfect book to share with little ones.

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

Peekaboo Cow is available 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 to our newsletter here for our latest book news, exclusive previews, giveaways and more.

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Take a look inside Ruffles and the Red, Red Coat by David Melling

Next month we’re delighted to be publishing Ruffles and the Red, Red Coat – the first of three picture books about the loveable dog Ruffles, by Hugless Douglas author and illustrator, David Melling.

And today we’re very excited to be sharing an early preview of the book – you can take a look inside the book below!

With bright colours and contemporary artwork reminiscent of Miffy, Ruffles is about first experiences, aimed at helping pre-schoolers navigate all the tricky troubles of toddler life.

There are lots of things Ruffles likes . . . and lots of things he doesn’t! He LOVES scratching, digging and chewing but he does NOT like wearing his coat on rainy days. No, no, no, no, NO! But when Ruffles wants to splash in puddles with his best friend, Ruby, he soon learns that some things are definitely worth wearing your coat for!

Take a look inside:

Ruffles and the Red, Red Coat will be publishing on April 1st  – you can pre-order a copy from Waterstones here, Hive here, and Amazon here. If you’d like to stay up-to-date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter at this page, and you’ll never miss a thing.

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This is a Dog wins the 2021 Bookbug Picture Book Prize

We’re absolutely thrilled that This is a Dog, by Ross Collins, has won the 2021 Bookbug Picture Book Prize!

Run by the Scottish Book Trust, the Bookbug Picture Book Prize celebrates the best new Scottish picture books of the year, with the winner chosen by children across Scotland. Each year, all children in primary 1 receive the books on the shortlisted – carefully selected by educators, librarians, and a broad range of families – and then vote for their favourite in school or at home with their families.

This is a Dog is a delightfully silly story about a mischievous dog who wants all the attention in this First Animals book. Combining brilliant, bright illustrations with a comically simple text, this is a fun family story to share with young children.

Uh-oh! An excitable (but very loveable) dog has found his way into this First Animals book and he will NOT let any of the other animals take their turn. Dogs are far more important, after all! And when the other animals get angry, this dog comes up with a very cunning plan to outwit them…

You can take a look inside the book below:

Buy the book.

And watch Ross Collins reading the book:

You can order a copy of This is a Dog from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, Amazon here, or from our website here.

Congratulations, Ross!

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New books out in March!

It’s our March publication day – and it’s also World Book Day!

From board books for babies and toddlers to a new Pip and Posy story, outdoor adventure guides to spooky new fiction, there’s something for everyone this month.

Here’s a closer look at what you can find in bookshops and online from Nosy Crow this month.

Together, by Emma Dodd:

Buy the book.

Where’s Mrs Car, by Camilla Reid and Ingela P Arrhenius:

Buy the book.

Peekaboo Cow, by Camilla Reid and Ingela P Arrhenius:

Buy the book.

National Trust: The Great Big Egg Hunt, by Ekaterina Trukhan:

Buy the book.

Pip and Posy: The Friendly Snail, by Camilla Reid and Axel Scheffler:

Buy the book.

National Trust: Beatrix and Her Bunnies, by Rebecca Colby and Caroline Bonne Müller:

Buy the book.

Go Wild in the Mountains, by Goldie Hawk and Rachael Saunders:

Buy the book.

National Trust: Look What I Found in the Woods, by Moira Butterfield and Jesús Verona:

Buy the book.

Wigglesbottom Primary: Dino Chick, by Pamela Butchart and Becka Moor:

Buy the book.

Congratulations to all of our authors and illustrators with new books out today! If you’d like to keep up-to-date with all of our book news and future releases, you can sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of this page.

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Take a look inside How to Be Me

This April we’re thrilled to be publishing How to Be Me – a moving story about family, friendship and self-discovery, from Cath Howe, the author of the highly acclaimed Ella On the Outside.

And today we’re sharing an exclusive first look inside the book!

Lucas is all alone.

Since his mum died, Lucas and his dad don’t seem to understand each other at all. And Lucas is dreading the summer drama club that his dad has signed him up for. But the people Lucas meets at the club force him to open up and start talking. Can his new-found friends teach Lucas how to be himself?

Read the first few chapters below:

How to Be Me will be in bookshops and online on April 1st – you can pre-order a copy from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here, or Amazon here.

If you’d like to stay up-to-date with all of our book news, including early previews, award news, giveaways and more, you can sign up here.

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