Nosy Crow's Blog, page 53

I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree: A Nature Poem For Every Day Of The Year has won a 2019 British Book Design & Production Award!

The winners of the 2019 British Book Design & Production Awards (BBD&PA) were announced last night, and we were absolutely delighted that I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree: A Nature Poem For Every Day Of The Year WON the Children’s Trade 0 to 8 Years award!

The BBD&PA promote and acknowledge the innovation of both book design and production by celebrating the best books of the year – and the competition is fierce! We were shortlisted for two awards – the Felt Flaps series, illustrated by Ingela P. Arrhenius, had been shortlisted in the Brand / Series Identity category, and I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree in the Children’s Trade 0 to 8 Years category.

The judges said: “The beautiful images in this book were an absolute delight to the eye, and would make any reader want to return to this book time and time again.”

Published in partnership with the National Trust, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon and with poetry collected by Fiona Waters, I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree is a lavishly illustrated collection of 366 nature poems – one for every day of the year. Filled with familiar favourites and new discoveries, this is a perfect book for children (and grown-ups!) to share together. And it’s also the most ambitious book that we’ve ever published at Nosy Crow: over three hundred fully-illustrated pages (the equivalent of ten picture books!) of poetry, in a beautiful and lavishly-produced hardback edition, and a stunning collection of material, spanning hundreds of years – from sonnets to haikus.

You can take a look inside this beautiful collection below:

And you can watch our trailer for the book here:

And here’s Nosy Crow’s managing director, Kate Wilson, introducing I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree:

You can find out more about the awards here – and you can buy I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree online from Nosy Crow here, from Waterstones here, or from Hive here.

Congratulations, Fiona and Frann!

Children’s books that make great gifts – there’s a book for everyone this Christmas!

‘Tis the season to curl up with a new book – whether it’s for the animal-lover, the child who loves to laugh, or the whole family to share, there’s a book for everyone this Christmas! Read on to discover our festive recommendations.

Something for the animal-lover… WildLives: 50 Extraordinary Animals that Made History, written by Ben Lerwill and illustrated by Sarah Walsh.

Stunningly illustrated beautifully written, this amazing collection contains the stories of fifty extraordinary animals that made history. With quotes about each of the animals, fascinating facts, beautiful photographs, and gorgeous artwork throughout, this brilliant book will engage, entertain and inspire animal-lovers everywhere.

Written by Ben Lerwill and illustrated by Sarah Walsh – the artist behind HerStory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook the World – this is a wonderful gift for children to enjoy, parents to pour over, and for the whole family to treasure.

Take a peek inside the book:

Buy the book.

Something for the child who likes mix-up mayhem… Flip Flap Frozen, by Axel Sheffler.

What do you get if you cross a narwhal with a reindeer? It’s a nardeer, of course! And how about a penguin with a beluga? Why, that’s a penuga! With over 121 possible creations, silly names and strange noises to make you giggle, this new Flip Flap book is perfect for preschoolers and ideal for animal fans. With a hilarious rhyming text and brilliant illustrations from Axel Scheffler, simply flip the pages to create some seriously silly mixed-up creatures from frozen lands.

Fun and educational, this wintery animal book is the perfect gift for little ones to learn about animals in a light-hearted way!

Buy the book.

Something for the child who loves to laugh… Icarus Was Ridiculous, written by Pamela Butchart and illustrated by Thomas Flintham.

Izzy LOVES all the stories the Ancient Greeks told! She can’t wait to tell her friends all about Icarus, who was a TOTAL NUMPTY, and flew so close to the sun his wings MELTED! And then there’s King Midas and all his GOLD, and Narcissus, who fell in love with HIS OWN FACE!

Pull up a plinth and enjoy all the DRAMA of the original Greek myths in these four retellings. This ninth instalment in the hilarious, award-winning Baby Aliens series features laugh-out-loud stories – and is a brilliant way for young readers to learn about Ancient Greece while still having a lot of fun!

Read an excerpt from the book below:

Buy the book.

Something for the adventurer… National Trust: 2020 Nature Month-By-Month: A Children’s Almanac, written by Anna Wilson and illustrated by Elly Jahnz.

For the little adventurer who loves nature and exploring, the 2020 Children’s Almanac is the perfect gift this Christmas. Packed with all the brilliant things you can see, make, and do with this amazing month-by-month guide to the year – featuring spotter guides, activities, celebrations, festivities, tips for budding gardeners, and tasty recipes!

A wonderful gift to treasure over the coming year, this gorgeous almanac, which has been updated with one third new material and revised design throughout, will encourage young readers to connect with nature and the world around them.

And here’s a preview of the book:

Buy the book.

Something for the curious baby… Where’s Santa Claus, by Ingela P Arrhenius.

If you’ve been looking for a Christmas book for your baby or toddler, then look no further! With five beautifully illustrated spreads, a series of friendly Christmassy creatures, and soft felt flaps to peek behind, this is a wonderful book to share with very little ones. And if they fall in love with this one, there is a whole series of award-winning Felt Flap books to enjoy – take a look at the full series here.

You can take a look at two of the latest Felt Flap books in the video below:

Buy the book.

Something for the child who likes to curl up with a classic… Heidi, retold by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Briony May Smith.

Introduce a classic to a new generation this Christmas with this stunning edition of Heidi. Just like the first two Nosy Crow Classics, The Velveteen Rabbit and Peter Pan, this book is a stunning physical object as well as a wonderful story – published in a beautiful cloth hardback format, complete with specially-foiled jacket, luxurious paper, and a ribbon marker. If you’re looking for a truly special gift, a book to treasure and share this Christmas, then this book is for you.

When five-year-old orphan Heidi is sent to live in the Swiss Alps with grumpy Grandpa, the rest of the village take pity on her. But Heidi soon discovers that her grandpa is gentle and kind behind his scowl, and she loves her new life running wild in the mountains with the goats, the flowers and her best friend Peter. That is, until Heidi is forced to move far away to the soot and smoke of Frankfurt to be the companion to an unwell girl. Will she ever return to her true home in the mountains?

A digital preview does not begin to do this book justice, but here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book.

Something for the young eco-warrior… Earth Heroes, by Lily Dyu.

For the young eco-warrior or aspiring climate activist, this inspiring collection about how individual people are saving the planet is the ultimate gift. From Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough to Isatou Ceesay and Yin Yuzhen, each story is a beacon of hope in the fight for the future of our planet!

When faced with climate change, the biggest threat that our planet has ever confronted, it’s easy to feel as if nothing you do can really make a difference… but this book proves that individual people can change the world. With twenty inspirational stories celebrating the pioneering work of a selection of Earth Heroes from all around the globe, this book proves that one person, no matter how small, can make a difference. And that above all, working together is how we solve the climate crisis.

Take a look inside this fascinating and timely new book:

Buy the book.

And something for the whole family to share… I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree, selected by Fiona Waters and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon.

For those keen to introduce children to poetry, this is a beautiful gift for the whole family to enjoy at Christmas. This lavishly illustrated collection of 366 nature poems – one for every day of the year – features familiar favourites and new discoveries, written by poets including John Agard, William Blake, Emily Dickinson, Carol Ann Duffy, Robert Frost, Christina Rossetti, William Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, and many more.

A breathtaking compendium of words and pictures that beg to be read and cherished, I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree will soon become a family favourite that is poured over at the beginning, or end, of every day.

Here’s a look inside this sumptuous collection:

Buy the book.

We hope this list has given you some book inspiration! What books are on your Christmas wishlist this year?

A Meeting with Mystery – a guest post by Christopher Edge

We’re thrilled to have just published new editions of Twelve Minutes to Midnight, Shadows of the Silver Screen and The Black Crow Conspiracy from award-winning author Christopher Edge, with stunning new covers by Olga Baumert. To mark the occasion we asked Christopher to share some insight into the inspirations behind this series.

____

I think I was ten years old when I first met Sherlock Holmes.

It was a rainy day and I’d sneaked into my brother’s bedroom in search of something to read. As my brother was four years older than me his bookcase often turned up trumps in providing me with a secret supply of books that I was maybe a little too young to read. In fact, I can probably trace the source of most of my nightmares to the ghoulish tales of horror and strange stories of the supernatural that I found there. So it was with an eager sense of anticipation that I spotted a new leather-bound book on the bookcase, its title picked out in letters of gold against a blood-red background: The Celebrated Cases of Sherlock Holmes.

Lifting the book down from the shelf, I began to read the first story and found myself transported through space and time to a fog-bound London at the tail-end of the nineteenth century. And beneath the dim glow of a gas lamp as a hansom cab clattered by, I caught my first glimpse of the great detective, Sherlock Holmes. With his razor-sharp intelligence, martial arts skills and mastery of disguise, Holmes was Batman without the costume and I was immediately hooked on his adventures.

I must have read this book from cover to cover countless times, puzzling over the mysteries of ‘The Speckled Band’, ‘The Red-headed League’ and ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ to name but a few. I especially enjoyed the strange and curious cases in which Holmes would say when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

When I wrote the Twelve Minutes to Midnight trilogy, I wanted to create mysteries that would have tested the wits of Sherlock Holmes himself. Sinister tales concerning the mesmeric schemes of the Spider Lady of South Kensington, ghostly apparitions returning from the grave and a criminal mastermind whose deadly plot could bring the world to the verge of war. In short, I wanted to write stories that my ten-year-old self would have sneaked into his brother’s bedroom to read.

However, instead of a detective like Sherlock Holmes, I wanted a different kind of hero or should I say heroine. As authors from this time such as H.G. Wells, H. Rider Haggard and Arthur Conan Doyle himself all seemed to sport bristling moustaches, I wanted to give them some female competition. Penelope Tredwell is the orphan heiress of The Penny Dreadful magazine whose macabre tales grip Victorian Britain, even though nobody knows that she’s the real author. As Penelope is only a teenager, she hides her real identity behind the pen name Montgomery Flinch and hires an out-of-work actor, Monty Maples, to play the part of Flinch in public appearances. It’s difficult for Penny at times to keep her secret as Monty swans around soaking up the fame that should rightfully be hers, but through the course of her adventures, Penny proves herself to be just as courageous, quick-witted and resourceful as the famous resident of 221B Baker Street himself.

The style of the Twelve Minutes to Midnight trilogy also pays homage to magazines of the late-Victorian era, such as The Strand Magazine where Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance. It was a revelation to go back to the original magazines and see the stories as they first appeared, with illustrations woven into the text and each instalment of the tale coming to a cliff-hanger ending. This definitely inspired the way I approached the writing of the series as I strove to create that same page-turning sense of excitement for the reader.

The Victorian era was also a time when science and the supernatural seem to weave together more readily. During my research, I stumbled upon a book entitled Beyond the Gaslight: Science in Popular Fiction 1895–1905 which explored how writers were inspired by the scientific discoveries of this era, but also how these rapid scientific advances blurred the lines between the natural and the supernatural. In the popular imagination, science seemed to offer boundless possibilities, with breakthroughs in physics and chemistry reported alongside newspaper stories of ghost sightings, spiritualist meetings and astrological predictions. This is the stage upon which Penelope Tredwell’s mysteries are set and I hope readers of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright, The Jamie Drake Equation, The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day and The Longest Night of Charlie Noon will find plenty to enjoy in the pages of these stories.

—

Thanks, Christopher!

You can take a look inside the first book in the series, Twelve Minutes to Midnight, below:

Nosy Crow publishes Excitable Edgar to accompany the John Lewis and Waitrose Christmas advert 2019

We’re feeling very excited today! ‘Tis the season of Christmas adverts – and this year, Nosy Crow has teamed up with John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners to create a children’s picture book based on this year’s Christmas advert – Excitable Edgar! The Excitable Edgar book will be published today, 14th November 2019, to coincide with the release of the first-ever joint Christmas advert by these two retailers.

This is the sixth time that Nosy Crow has worked with John Lewis to produce the companion picture book for the Christmas advert. The book, Excitable Edgar, will be sold exclusively through John Lewis and Waitrose stores and via the John Lewis and Waitrose websites.

Excitable Edgar is written by Lucy Feather, and illustrated by Jo Lindley, and is a heart-warming tale of true friendship and the joy of giving.

Edgar, an adorable young dragon, is so excited about Christmas that he cannot control the flames from his mouth. He even burns the village Christmas tree, dampening everyone’s Christmas spirit. But when his best friend Ava gives him a thoughtful gift just right for an excitable dragon, he realises how much she cares for him.

Beautifully told with plenty of Christmas illustrations, this is the perfect book for sharing on a frosty winter evening.

You can watch the John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners Christmas 2019 Advert below:

You can buy the book from John Lewis & Partners here, or from Waitrose & Partners here.

No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton has won the Children’s Fiction Books Are My Bag Readers Award

Last night I went along to Foyles, to the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards, with Catherine Bruton, who was shortlisted in the Children’s Fiction category for her beautiful middle-grade novel, No Ballet Shoes in Syria.

The competition in Catherine’s category was unbelievably fierce – also shortlisted were Rumblestar by Abi Elphinstone, Pages and Co: Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James, Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love, The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell, and Malamander by Thomas Taylor – and just to have a book shortlisted in such a strong field felt like a real accolade.

And so we were unbelievably happy when No Ballet Shoes in Syria WON the Children’s Fiction Award!

I could not be more pleased for Catherine – I feel incredibly lucky to have acquired and edited the book, and to see Catherine’s beautiful storytelling recognised in this way is such a wonderful moment. There are some books that we all feel particularly proud to have worked on or published, and this is one of those for me: I hope and believe that it is a story that will be read and loved for many years to come. And it feels especially gratifying to see the book win this particular award: The Books Are My Bag Readers Award shortlists are curated by bookshops, and the final outcome is decided by public vote – and so to see the book celebrated by both book sellers and members of the public is hugely rewarding. No Ballet Shoes in Syria is one of those special, rare books that readers have truly taken to their hearts – a book that is hand-sold by booksellers and shared and championed by readers – and if you pick it up and start reading you will fall in love with it.

Here’s what some people have said about it:

“Wise and kind and unputdownable.” – Hilary McKay, Costa Book Prize-winning author of The Skylarks’ War

“A perfect balance of tragedy and triumph.” – Natasha Farrant, author of The Children of Castle Rock

“A moving story about one of the big issues of our time, told with wonderful clarity, and incredibly touching.” – Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo

“A moving, textured story; a Ballet Shoes for the 21st century, if you like.” – Alex O’Connell, The Times

“A gem of a book.” – Natasha Harding, The Sun, Children’s Book of the Week

No Ballet Shoes in Syria tells the story of Aya – eleven years old and newly arrived in Britain with her mum and baby brother, seeking asylum from war in Syria. When Aya stumbles across a local ballet class, the formidable dance teacher spots her exceptional talent and believes that Aya has the potential to earn a prestigious ballet scholarship. But at the same time, Aya and her family must fight to be allowed to remain in the country, to make a home for themselves and to find Aya’s father – separated from the rest of the family during the journey from Syria. Perfect for fans of Noel Streatfeild’s Ballet Shoes, Lorna Hill’s Sadlers Wells series, and Pamela Brown’s The Swish of the Curtain, this is beautiful, classic storytelling.

If you haven’t yet discovered the book yourself, you can read the opening chapters of No Ballet Shoes in Syria below:

You can also listen to the first chapter of the audiobook edition below:

And here’s Catherine discussing the inspirations behind the book:

You can find out more about the awards here – and you can buy No Ballet Shoes in Syria online from Nosy Crow here, from Waterstones here, or from Hive here.

Thank you to everyone who voted in the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards – and congratulations, Catherine!

Watch Caryl Hart reading The Princess and the Shoe

Today we’re excited to share a brand new video of Caryl Hart reading The Princess and the Shoe, illustrated by Sarah Warburton – a brilliantly funny, sporty reimagining of Cinderella for any princess (or prince) who prefers muddy trainers to glass slippers.

Princess Jasmine is not like her stepsisters. She hates long dresses and sitting still and would much rather take part in the big cross-country race. So, when a fairy godmother appears with a new pair of speedy magic trainers, well, it looks like her dream has come true! That is, until she loses one of her trainers . . . how will she even finish the race? But when she goes on to WIN, was it the magic trainers or was it Jasmine’s determination and belief in herself?

You can watch Caryl Hart reading The Princess and the Shoe at the top of this post!

‘Fifth in the wonderfully funny Princess series, with a sporty twist and a gentle message of following your dreams.’ – Fiona Noble, The Bookseller

‘With a perfect rhyming text and gorgeous pictures, Caryl and Sarah remind us that all children should follow their dreams – they just need to believe in themselves. A sporty twist combined with the familiarity of a favourite tale make this a real winner.’ – Editor

You can take a look inside The Princess and the Shoe below:

And if you’d like to stay up-to-date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter with the form below, and you’ll never miss a thing.

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Early Praise for The Girl Who Stole an Elephant!

In just a few months time, we’re excited to be publishing The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, written by Nizrana Farook and with cover art by David Dean – a thrilling and enchanting jungle adventure, featuring a courageous hero and an intrepid gang of animals, set in the lush jungle!

Chaya, a no-nonsense, outspoken hero, leads her friends and a gorgeous elephant on a noisy, fraught, joyous adventure through the jungle where revolution is stirring and leeches lurk. Will stealing the queen’s jewels be the beginning or the end of everything for the gang?

Today we’re sharing some glittering early reviews of the book…

‘The Girl Who Stole an Elephant is as rich, dazzling and alluring as a pouchful of royal jewels, and as triumphant as a trumpeting elephant! I loved it!’ – Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs

‘A glorious, fast-paced adventure through the jungle. The Girl Who Stole an Elephant is adventuring at its best; a mystery, a jewel thief, and escape into the jungle with an elephant at your side.’ – Gill Lewis, author of Sky Hawk

‘Chaya, schoolgirl by day, thief by night, will steal your heart in this incredibly assured debut that’s packed with adventure, friendship and loyalty.’ – Aisha Bushby, author of A Pocketful of Stars

‘I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure from start to finish! The settings are richly drawn and hooked me right into their bright colours, exotic smells and vibrant sounds. A thrilling, page-turning adventure.’ – Julie Pike, author of The Last Spell Breather

Read the first few chapters on this wonderful new adventure below:

The Girl Who Stole an Elephant will be trumpeting into bookshops on January 9th. You can pre-order your copy from Waterstones here or from The Hive here!

How to be an Astronaut and Other Space Jobs shortlisted for a 2020 Blue Peter Book Award!

We’re incredibly proud to announce that How to be an Astronaut and Other Space Jobs, by Dr Sheila Kanani and illustrated by Sol Linero, has been shortlisted for a 2020 Blue Peter Book Award in the Best Book with Facts category!

Now in its nineteenth year, the enormously popular and influential Blue Peter Awards recognise and celebrate the best authors, most creative illustrators, and greatest reads for children. Our very own Pamela Butchart and Thomas Flintham – the creative duo behind the hugely popular Baby Aliens series – are previous winners of the award, so we’re thrilled to have another Nosy Crow book recognised.

Do you have what it takes to become an astronaut, a spaceship engineer or to work at Mission Control? Find out all about space and all the incredible space jobs you could do, from training to be a space chef or designing spacesuits to searching for new planets we could live on, or even blasting into space and living in the International Space Station. This book will inspire anyone with an interest in science and space exploration.

Filled with fantastic facts about space, unusual jobs, and bold illustrations throughout, this is a great non-fiction book for any child fascinated with space. Here are a few words from the Editor, Tegen:

‘I’ve always been fascinated by space, so working with Dr Sheila Kanani and Sol Linero on this book was an absolute dream. Readers can discover exactly what it takes to become an astronaut, and if living in zero gravity doesn’t sound like your thing, there are so many space jobs to explore here on Earth. This book is proof that any child, no matter what their background, can work in the space industry when they grow up!’

And here’s a video of the author, Dr Shelia Kanani, introducing her book:

Take a look inside the book below:

You can pick up a copy of the book at Waterstones here, the Hive here, our website here. The winners will be announced in March next year. For more information about the award, and to view the shortlist, click here.

Congratulations Sheila and Sol!

New editions of Twelve Minutes to Midnight out today!

Today we’re proud to be publishing new editions of the Twelve Minutes to Midnight trilogy by Christopher Edge, with these stunning new covers as seen above! This spine-tingling historical fiction series follows Penelope Tredwell, the feisty thirteen-year-old orphan and owner of The Penny Dreadful, who is always looking for mysteries to fill the pages of her magazine. Her masterly tales of the macabre are gripping Victorian Britain, even if no one knows she’s the author. But one day a letter she receives from the governor of the notorious Bedlam madhouse plunges her into an adventure more terrifying than anything she has ever imagined…

If you haven’t picked up this chilling and atmospheric mystery yet, now is the perfect time! Here’s what readers have been saying about the book so far:

‘Pacy and tightly-plotted, this is an exuberant and entertaining adventure story set in an appealingly foggy and sinister Victorian London. The feisty and courageous Penelope makes the perfect heroine for an adventure packed with exciting twists and turns.’ – BookTrust

‘Original, chilling, atmospheric mystery with a heroine of remarkable mettle.’ – Kirkus Reviews

‘A thriller with fast-paced cinematic style.’ – LoveReading4Kids.com

Take a look at the wonderful new covers below and read an excerpt of each book too:

Buy the book.

Buy the book.

Buy the book.

You can pick up a copy of Twelve Minutes to Midnight here, Shadows of the Silver Screen here, and The Black Crow Conspiracy here. And don’t forget, if you’d like to stay up-to-date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter with the form below.

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Watch our video preview of Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Frozen

In September we published Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Frozen – the seventh book in Axel Scheffler‘s fun and quirky Flip Flap series. Today we’re sharing a video preview of the book, so you can take a look at some of the wonderful animal combinations inside!

What do you get if you cross a narwhal with a reindeer? It’s a nardeer, of course! And how about a penguin with a beluga? Why, that’s a penuga! With over 121 possible creations, silly names and strange noises to make you giggle, this new Flip Flap book is perfect for preschoolers and ideal for animal fans. With a hilarious rhyming text and brilliant illustrations from Axel Scheffler, simply flip the pages to create some seriously silly mixed-up creatures from frozen lands.

You can watch our video preview of Flip Flap Frozen at the top of this post – and you can order a copy of the book from Waterstones here, The Hive here, and directly from Nosy Crow here.

If you’d like to stay up-to-date with all our latest book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter with the form below, and you’ll never miss a thing.

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