Nosy Crow's Blog, page 42

Italian language school reviews of Ella on the Outside

A few months ago, Scuola Media School in Sardinia contacted us about an English reading project inspired by Cath Howe‘s book, Ella on the Outside. Today we’re sharing some of their reviews, which you can read below.

Cristina Vargiu, the English teacher and organiser of the project, said: “I’m really glad to have chosen this amazing book for my project, whose aim was to keep them enthusiastic and passionate about both the English language and the message of the book itself.”

The project was going to include a trip to London and author meeting with Cath Howe. However, unfortunately, that has not been possible due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Cristina said: “Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, our school trip to London was cancelled, but the availability and the kindness of the author Cath Howe have gone beyond all expectations.”

“We kept in touch and supported the students’ curiosity without reserve. She answered their questions and greeted them with her pleasant email exchanges, her postcard and book as a present. Finally, her video with her personal presentation was a wonderful conclusion to the project, encouraging my students to complete their reviews of the book.”

And here are just some of the class reviews:

“Full of suspense, mystery, and it’s a really intriguing story. I would strongly recommend it because of this.” – Irene

“The characters remind us that it’s important to be ourselves, without letting others influence us.” – Alessio

“Cath Howe is able to write something so complex in a simple and profound way, which goes straight to the heart, perhaps due to her being a teacher and being very familiar with the dynamics among her own students.” – Chiara

“I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an engaging story full of surprises.” – Simone

“I would strongly recommend reading this book, especially to people who want to understand the true meaning of friendship,” – Tommaso

“It’s a book that teaches us not to judge people by their appearance, but instead learn to recognise the value of respect and of everybody’s personality.” – Matteo

Well done to everyone involved in the project at Scuola Media School in Sardinia – and thank you for these fantastic reviews!

Read the first chapter of Ella on the Outside:



Buy the book.

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Take a look inside We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt

Autumn is just around the corner – and we’ve got lots of great new books on the way! In September we’re thrilled to be publishing a spooky new picture book – We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt, written by Goldie Hawk and illustrated by Angie Rozelaar. And today we’re delighted to share the first look inside the book!

This reimagining of the American folk song, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, features zingy neon artwork, diverse characters, and spooky surprises throughout – which makes it a great picture book to share this Halloween.

Three children are hunting for the perfect pumpkin to take trick or treating. But first, they’ve got to get through the sticky spiders’ webs, the flapping bats, and then – worst of all – enter a spooky HAUNTED HOUSE! Will they find a great big pumpkin there . . . or the biggest surprise of the night?

Take a look inside:

You can pre-order We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt from Waterstones here, The Hive here, or 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, or with the form below, and you’ll never miss a thing.

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Octopus Shocktopus shortlisted for the 2020 Teach Early Years Awards

The shortlist for the 2020 Teach Early Years Awards were announced today – and we’re delighted that Octopus Shocktopus, written by Peter Bently and illustrated by Steven Lenton has been shortlisted in the Picture Book category!

The Teach Company Awards celebrate the very best in educational resources from early years through to KS4 (0-16), across their three brands: Teach Early Years, Teach Primary, and Teach Secondary. The Teach Early Years Awards feature six categories, covering key areas of learning and development from ages 0-5, as well as picture books, and CPD. The winners will be chosen by an expert panel of early years leaders, consultants, and educators.

When a giant octopus arrives, the children LOVE their new friend; he makes the perfect slide and is fantastic at football! But some of the grown-ups aren’t so pleased. Will they drive him away . . . or will they realise just how helpful an octopus can be?

Take a look inside:



Buy the book.

You can find out more about the Teach Early Years Awards, and view the shortlist, here. The winners will be announced this October.

Congratulations Peter and Steven!

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Nosy Crow Releases Brand New Print Edition Of Coronavirus: A Book For Children About Covid-19

Due to demand from bookshops, libraries and schools, Nosy Crow is pleased to publish a brand new PRINT edition of Coronavirus: A Book for Children About Covid-19 to be sold in bookshops and online from Thursday 23rd July.

£1 from every book sold will go to NHS Charities Together.

The print edition is available for sale from Waterstones here, from Hive here, and from Amazon here.

Since launching on Monday 6th April Nosy Crow’s free digital book has had an extraordinary response: it has been read over 1.3 million times on the Nosy Crow website alone and translated into over 60 languages around the world. In response to this demand and to ensure the book is available to as many children as possible, including those who may not have access to screens or computers, Nosy Crow are releasing a print version of Coronavirus: A Book for Children About Covid-19 with 24 pages and wire staple binding, which will be available in bookshops and online from this Thursday.

Nosy Crow wanted to keep the price of this book as low as possible, so that as many people as possible can buy it. From every £1.99 that is paid for a copy of this book, NHS Charities Together, which supports NHS staff and volunteers caring for coronavirus patients, will receive £1.00. Nosy Crow hopes that the remaining £0.99 will cover the costs of printing and distributing this book and getting it into bookshops.

Now newly updated for July 2020, the revised edition has been brought fully up to date with all the developments in the Covid-19 pandemic over the last three months, including new information about the virus and vaccines. In accessible and reassuring terms, the book now explains the different types of social distancing measures and rules that have been introduced as we exit lockdown, exploring topics such as when we might have to wear face masks and how going back to school may feel a little different. As with the original edition, the new July 2020 edition of the book has received expert input from Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, two head teachers, and a child psychologist, with artwork by Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo.

The digital book remains free for download for anyone who would like to read it – you can download the new, revised edition of Coronavirus: A Book for Children About Covid-19 here.

Kate Wilson, Managing Director of Nosy Crow, said: “We have just been overwhelmed with the response to our book.  As a relatively small, independent publisher we have just never seen this level of activity on our website or through our social media channels.  But we have also been inundated by bookshops, libraries and schools asking for a print edition. We listened and we are delighted to be publishing the £1.99 book with a commitment of £1 to NHS Charities Together for every copy sold.”

You can read the new, revised edition of Coronavirus: A Book for Children About Covid-19 below, and download it as a PDF here.

The print edition is available for sale from Waterstones here, from Hive here, and from Amazon here.

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Take a look inside Wanda’s Words Got Stuck

This September we’re very proud to be publishing Wanda’s Words Got Stuck – a magic-filled picture book, perfect for any child who feels anxious about talking, written by children’s speech and language therapist Lucy Rowland and illustrated by Paula Bowles. Filled with potions, spells, and magical creatures, this heart-warming adventure is about finding confidence through friendship.

And today you can take a look inside this brand new picture book!

Wanda the witch is so shy she can’t talk! No matter how hard she tries, the words won’t come out. But when another nervous little witch called Flo joins her class, it seems that Wanda’s not the only one who worries about speaking. Then disaster strikes at the magic contest . . . will Wanda have the courage to shout out the magic words and save her new friend Flo from a dangerous dragon?

Take a look inside:

You can pre-order Wanda’s Words Got Stuck from Waterstones here, The Hive here, or 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, or with the form below, and you’ll never miss a thing.

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TrooFriend Competition Winners!

Today we’re excited to announce the winner of our TrooFriend competition to design a futuristic invention! To celebrate the publication of TrooFriend by Kirsty Applebaum – a captivating story about friendship, identity and artificial intelligence – we invited readers of The Week Junior to think big and come up with an idea for an invention for the future that could help people in their everyday lives.

We received hundreds of great entries, from robotic wardrobes to rubbish eaters and medical robots to keep children company in hospital. Kirsty Applebaum faced a tough decision, but we are thrilled to announce that she has selected 9-year-old Alessia as the winner, for her invention of a Solar Powered Micro Fibre Caterpillar!

Kirsty said: “This ocean-cleaning robot caterpillar is brilliant. It addresses a huge real-life problem – the presence of plastic microfibres in our seas – so it’s an invention that would potentially benefit everyone on the planet. It’s also a stylish, appealing and memorable design so people would enjoy using it. Well done Alessia!”

You can see her entry below:

 

We are also delighted to announce two runners up. First of all, 11-year-old Ezra, for his invention of the E-Chef!

Kirsty said: “The E-Chef looks great, performs lots of useful kitchen tasks and would add so much fun to making dinner. I particularly like the way Ezra has used reviews and advertising phrases, such as ‘so useful in the kitchen’, ‘made life so much easier’ and ‘as seen on Master Chef’. Fantastic, Ezra!”

You can see his entry here:

And our second runner up, 10-year-old Archie, for his invention of the Good Rubbish Collector!

Kirsty said: “The Good Rubbish Collector solves a real-life problem with a clear, simple solution. Years ago, empty bottles could be returned to shops for a small amount of money. Archie has updated this idea with an invention more suitable for today’s world in which many people use bank cards instead of cash. This could be really useful in cleaning up our streets. Thank you, Archie!”

You can see his entry here:

Alessia will receive a signed copy of TrooFriend, along with a Wonder Workshop Dash Robot. Ezra and Archie will both be receiving a signed copy of TrooFriend.

Thank you to all of the children who sent in their inventions. We were delighted to receive so many entries and it was great to see everyone’s creativity!

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Read an exclusive preview of My Life as a Cat by Carlie Sorosiak

This September we’re delighted to be publishing My Life as a Cat – the brand new novel by Carlie Sorosiak, author of the highly-acclaimed, Waterstones Book of the Month, I, Cosmo.

And today we’re incredibly pleased to share a very first look inside the new book – you can read the first three chapters of My Life as a Cat below.

With beautiful writing and a truly unique voice, My Life as a Cat is a heart-warming adventure, reminiscent of E.T and perfect for fans of Flora and Ulysses – a wise, funny, and moving story of what it means to find a family. Here’s a little bit about the book:

Leonard has never had a name. Or a body. Or a best friend. But he is excited to try being a human.

On their three-hundredth-birthday, every alien from Leonard’s home galaxy gets to spend a month in the body of an Earth Creature. Leonard was supposed to become a forest ranger in Yellowstone National Park – but there was a mix-up.

And now he’s stuck as a stray cat.

Luckily for Leonard, he meets a young human called Olive – and together they set out on a journey to find home.

And here’s a look inside the book – read the opening chapters of My Life as a Cat:

My Life as a Cat will be in shops in September – you can pre-order it from Waterstones here, from Hive here, and from Amazon here.

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Watch the latest in our Sing Along With Me nursery rhyme series – A Sailor Went to Sea!

Earlier this month we published a new book in the Sing Along With Me! nursery rhyme series, illustrated by Yu-hsuan Huang – A Sailor Went to Sea. And today we’re sharing a brand new sing-along video to accompany it!

Each board book in this series for babies and toddlers come with a free nursery rhyme, sung to original music. Simply scan the QR code with a smartphone or tablet to access the free audio. For more information on how to access the audio, click here.

You can also enjoy the songs with our free nursery rhyme video series, which we’re adding to today with A Sailor Went to Sea! Watch the video below:



Buy the book.

And here are some other videos in the series for you to enjoy…

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes:



Buy the book.

Old Macdonald Had a Farm:



Buy the book.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat:



Buy the book.

You can find out more about the series, here – and you can find our full collection of nursery rhyme videos, here. If you want to stay up to date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our newsletter at this page, or with the form below.

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Take a look inside Jeremy Worried About the Wind

Today we’re very excited to introduce Jeremy Worried About the Wind – a brand new picture book from Pamela Butchart, bestselling author of the Baby Aliens series and Blue Peter Book Award winner, and illustrated by Kate Hindley. Jeremy Worried About the Wind is a quirky, humorously illustrated story that will open up important conversations about worries and anxiety.

And today, for the first time, you can take a look inside the book!

Jeremy is a worrier. He worries about odd socks, spotty bananas, evil squirrels, burnt toast, dinosaurs and, most of all . . . the wind! His friend Maggie isn’t worried about anything – after all, what’s the worst that could happen? But when Maggie decides to go outside and play in the wind, Jeremy must act fast to keep her out of danger, and he is soon to discover that a bit of courage leads to the most exciting adventures.

Here’s a look inside the book:

Jeremy Worried About the Wind will be published this September – you can pre-order the book from Waterstones here and from Hive here. If you’d like to stay up-to-date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter here, or with the form below.

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Take a look inside a new Felt Flaps book – Where’s Mrs Queen

Last week we published a brand new book in our best-selling, award-winning Felt Flaps series, illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius – Where’s Mrs Queen? And today we’re sharing a video of the book – you can watch this above!

Designed for little hands, with vibrant, cheerful artwork, soft felt flaps and a mirror at the end, these board books are perfect for sharing with babies and toddlers. From Mr Unicorn to Mrs Ladybird, Mrs Witch to Mr Owl, there are now seventeen books in the series to collect.

We’re delighted that the series was shortlisted for the 2019 British Book Design & Production Awards last year – you can read more about it here.

You can buy a copy of Where’s Mrs Queen from Waterstones, The Hive, or our website. If you’d like to stay up-to-date with all our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter with the form at the bottom of this page.

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