Nosy Crow's Blog, page 79

Take a look inside Splash by Charli Howard

This July we’re delighted to be publishing Splash, by Charli Howard – a hugely exciting debut with a classic underdog story, a wonderfully relatable protagonist, and an important message of friendship, body positivity, and celebrating who you are.

And today you can take an early look inside the book – we’re sharing an exclusive preview of the opening three chapters!

Molly is in her final year of primary school, with secret dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer. Having always lived in the shadow of her manipulative friend, Chloe, Molly finally has the chance to compete in a regional swimming contest and define herself on her own terms. But with the pressure of fitting in, and the sudden arrival of her mysterious mum, will she give up on her dreams for a shot at popularity?

Jacqueline Wilson has called Splash “a much-needed book that will help readers dare to be different”, and with a natural, authentic voice, which tackles complex themes of body dysmorphia, absent parents and childhood trauma with sensitivity and a light touch, this is a heart-warming and important story.

Here’s a look inside the book:

Splash will be in shops from the beginning of July – you can pre-order the book here.

And 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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“A heartbreaking, head-melting science fiction mystery”: The Guardian review The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day

Last month we published The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day, the new book by Christopher Edge, award-winning author of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright and The Jamie Drake Equation. We’ve been delighted by the response to the book so far – and The Guardian have recently named The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day as one of their best children’s books of the month!

Imogen Russell Williams writes: “The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day is a heartbreaking, head-melting science fiction mystery from the superlative Christopher Edge. Rather than a galaxy far far away, it’s set in the home of science prodigy Maisie, on her tenth birthday – a place and time in which she seems to be trapped, in a shifting, looping reality with unnerving blackness all around her. Huge ideas – gravity, relativity, time and space – interweave seamlessly with themes of sibling jealousy and familial love; slim yet super-dense, it’s another unforgettable offering from the author of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright.”

You can read the full round-up here.

A mind-bending mystery for 9+ readers, combining cutting-edge science, gripping adventure and real heart, The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day is perfect for fans of Frank Cottrell Boyce, Ross Welford, and Neil Gaiman. You can watch our trailer for the book at the top of this post – and here’s a preview of the opening chapters:

Buy the book.

Take a look at next month’s new books!

We’ve got a fantastic collection of new books coming out next month – with wonderful new novelty, non-fiction, picture books, illustrated fiction and middle grade in shops in June, there’s something for everyone. Here’s what you can find from Nosy Crow next month.

We’ll be publishing two new books in the Lois and Bob lift-the-flap board book series, illustrated by Gerry Turley: Lois looks for Bob at the Seaside and Lois looks for Bob at the Museum. With retro-cool illustrations and funny animal characters, little readers will love helping Lois search for her friend Bob behind the big, bold flaps, and meeting their friends along the way!

Find out more about the book.

Find out more about the book.

What Does An Anteater Eat? will be out next month – the brand new picture book from award-winning Ross Collins, author-illustrator of There’s a Bear on My Chair and This Zoo is Not For You, and A DELIGHTFULLY silly tale, full of lovable animal characters and with a fantastically funny ending, that little ones will return to again and again.

Here’s a look inside the book:

Find out more about the book.

We’ll be publishing Complete Minibeast Explorer’s Kit with the National Trust next month – perfect for budding wildlife explorers, this backpack encourages children to get outside and explore the fascinating world of minibeasts! From beetles to butterflies and spiders to slugs, children can use their very own magnifying bug collector to take a closer look at all kinds of creepy-crawlies. The explorer’s guidebook is packed with useful information about how to identify creatures whilst out and about, plus facts about lifecycles, habitats and much, much more. This complete kit is the perfect introduction to all things creepy-crawly, for children aged 6+!

Find out more about the book.

Press Out and Decorate: Flamingos, Llamas and Other Cool Things, illustrated by Kate McLelland, will be in shops next month: from cool llamas to tropical flamingos, and cactuses and pineapples too, these press-out pieces are outstanding in white and turquoise, but look even better as a colourful collection of cool things. Featuring 20 unique designs, the press-out pieces can be slotted together to create super-cool three-dimensional ornaments or threaded together to make a hanging garland. Each press-out design is intricately decorated with turquoise foil and perfect for all ages to decorate.

Find out more about the book.

June will see publication of Welcome to Our World, written by Moira Butterfield and illustrated by Harriet Lynas: find out how children live all around the world in this beautifully illustrated book packed full of fun facts – a celebration of children everywhere. In this wonderful book, young children can learn all about what people in other countries eat, wear and play, and how they speak and celebrate. From breakfasts to birthdays, cakes to clothes, and hiccups to hellos, there are so many ways to say and do things – but everyone shares a love of family, friends, food and fun. This delightful book teaches us that despite different languages, customs and traditions, it really is a small world, after all.

Here’s a look inside Welcome to Our World:

Find out more about the book.

Unicorn Academy: Isabel and Cloud, written by Julie Sykes and illustrated by Lucy Truman, will be out next month – the fourth fantastic book in the magical Unicorn Academy series. Someone has cast a bad spell on Sparkle Lake, and Isabel and Cloud will have to learn to trust each other as they go on a dangerous adventure to save the school…

Here’s a look inside the book:

Find out more about the book.

And finally, we’ll be publishing My Arch-Enemy is a Brain in a Jar next month – the fourth incredible book in the award-winning, best-selling My Brother is a Superhero series by David Solomons. Luke and his brother have swapped bodies by accident. Zack’s got Luke’s weird feet while Luke has Zack’s SUPERPOWERS! Now he needs another world-threatening adventure to try them out. Could a family mini-break at Great Minds Leisure Park be his chance? Probably, because that’s where his super-clever arch-enemy lurks, fermenting dastardly plans and bubbling gently… Exciting, hilarious and heart-warming in equal measure, this is another fantastic instalment in the My Brother is a Superhero series.

Here’s a look inside book:

Find out more about the book.

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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Today’s the last day to apply for a Rights and Contracts Assistant position at Nosy Crow

A little ago we announced that we were recruiting a Rights and Contracts Assistant at Nosy Crow – and today is the last day to apply for the position: the deadline for applications is tonight at midnight.

This is a really exciting opportunity for a hardworking, organised individual, who is probably at the start of their career in publishing, to join Nosy Crow’s rights department as a Rights and Contracts Assistant. Impressive rights sales were a key reason we won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2018 and The Bookseller International Achievement Award at the 2018 IPG Awards, and this is your chance to be part of and contribute to our success in this fast-moving, fascinating, international area of our business.

Purpose of the Job:

The role of the Rights and Contracts Assistant is to provide administrative support to the rights department to enable the sale of translation rights and co-editions of our frontlist and backlist, create contracts for all foreign rights and co-edition sales, and contribute to the smooth running of the department.

The Rights and Contracts Assistant reports to the Rights Manager (with, at least initially, a dotted line report to the Commercial Director, who is currently responsible for generating all of our contracts).

We are a very small team and we value the organisational and creative input that we can all provide to help shape our products to be the best they can be.

Key responsibilities and tasks:

Creating and amending contracts for all foreign rights sales, and coordinating their sending and return
Creating rights appointment schedules for all book fairs attended by the Nosy Crow rights-selling team
Assisting in coordinating the sending out of the follow-up material after the fairs
Assisting in organising selling material for the Bologna and Frankfurt fairs
Organising appointment schedules and sales material for foreign trips outside of the main fairs
Organising travel and accommodation arrangements for foreign trips, including fairs
Updating the rights database containing information on all submissions, rejections and licences of our books
Co-ordinating the mail-out of foreign copies to authors, illustrators and their agents
Providing general administrative support required by the rights department
Providing some general office administrative support

 

Key skills, characteristics and capabilities:

Strong organisitional skills
Excellent attention to detail
The ability to multitask and prioritise tasks
The ability to work under pressure
Great initiative and the ability to work independently
Strong numeracy skills
Perfect written and spoken English as well as competence in at least one foreign language – Chinese Mandarin, Spanish and Portuguese are particularly sought after
Excellent communication
A strong interest in children’s literature

 

The successful candidate will have the right to live and work in the UK.

To apply, please email your CV, accompanied by a covering letter, to Kate Wilson (kate@nosycrow.com) with the subject heading Rights Assistant, telling us where you heard about the job.

Nosy Crow is an equal opportunities employer.  We believe that employing a diverse workforce is an important factor in success and make recruiting decisions based on applicants’ experience and skills.  We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief.

There are just a couple of days left to bid for original, signed artwork by Axel Scheffler – and help raise money for charity

Last week we announced that we would be auctioning some original artwork by Axel Scheffler, produced during live-drawing sessions at the Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival and Barnes Children’s Literature Festival at each event, in aid of charity – and there’s not long left to bid, if you’d like to be in with a chance of winning one of the incredible pieces: the auctions close at 5pm on Sunday 27th.

There are seven different signed, dated original pieces of artwork available to bid on, featuring some of Axel’s best-known and most loved characters – including The Gruffalo, The Highway Rat, and Pip and Posy – and all proceeds will go to Three Peas, a charity offering help and support to the thousands of people suffering and fleeing civil war in Syria and other war torn countries.

This is a fantastic opportunity to own an original, signed piece of artwork by Axel! Here’s what you can bid on:

The Gruffalo meets Pip and Posy:

Bid for this piece.

Pip and Posy at the beach:

Bid for this piece.

Pip and Posy:

Bid for this piece.

Pip and Posy meet a dinosaur:

Bid for this piece.

Mouse and The Gruffalo:

Bid for this piece.

The Highway Rat:

Bid for this piece.

Marabou Stork (from The Ugly Five):

Bid for this piece.

Each piece of artwork is a signed and dated original – if you’ve always wanted your own original illustration of The Gruffalo, Pip and Posy, or The Highway Rat, here’s your chance!

Please do bid generously for this hugely important cause – and good luck!

 

Take a look inside Welcome to our World

This June we’re delighted to be publishing Welcome to Our World, written by Moira Butterfield and illustrated by Harriet Lynas – and today you can take an early look inside the book!

Find out how children live all around the world in this beautifully illustrated book packed full of fun facts – a celebration of children everywhere.

In this wonderful book, young children can learn all about what people in other countries eat, wear and play, and how they speak and celebrate. From breakfasts to birthdays, cakes to clothes, and hiccups to hellos, there are so many ways to say and do things – but everyone shares a love of family, friends, food and fun. This delightful book teaches us that despite different languages, customs and traditions, it really is a small world, after all.

Here’s a look inside Welcome to Our World:

Welcome to our World will be in shops from the beginning of June – you can pre-order the book here.

And 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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Come to the next Nosy Crow Reading Group – we’re discussing The Song from Somewhere Else

Would you like to come along to the next Nosy Crow Reading Group?

In June, we’ll be discussing the Kate Greenaway Medal-shortlisted The Song from Somewhere Else, written by A. F. Harrold and illustrated by Levi Pinfold.

We’ll be meeting on Monday, June 25th at 6.30pm, at the Nosy Crow offices – 14 Baden Place, Crosby Row, SE1 1YW – for a discussion of the book (along with wine and crisps). If you’d like to come along, just register for a place with the form below, or at this page.

You can buy The Song from Somewhere Else online from Waterstones here.

And here’s a video of Levi Pinfold discussing the book:

We hope you can join us!

Take a look inside What Does An Anteater Eat

Next month we’re delighted to be publishing What Does An Anteater Eat? – a brand new picture book from award-winning Ross Collins, author-illustrator of There’s a Bear on My Chair and This Zoo is Not For You, full of lovable animal characters and a fantastically funny ending.

And today you can take a first look inside the new book!

Anteater is hungry, but he has completely forgotten what anteaters eat. Baffled and with his tummy rumbling, he consults the other animals. But Sloth is too busy, Toucan is clueless, and Crocodile has his own mouth full. Whatever will Anteater do?

This is a DELIGHTFULLY silly tale that little ones will return to again and again – perfect for reading aloud together.

Here’s a look inside the book:

What Does An Anteater Eat? will be in shops from the beginning of June – you can find out more about the book here.

And 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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Announcing the speakers for our next Nosy Crow Masterclass, How to Write Picture Books

We recently released details for the next Nosy Crow Masterclass – another edition of our How to Write Picture Books event, taking place on June 9th.

The masterclass sold-out in record time – and today, we’re very pleased to reveal the full line-up of speakers for the masterclass!

The day will begin with an overview of the children’s book market, setting a context for picture books in 2018.

Nosy Crow’s Managing Director, Kate Wilson, will deliver a crash course on the editorial essentials for writing picture books – a distilled masterclass all in itself.

Louise Lamont, literary agent at LBA Books, will talk about her role as an agent – what she looks for in a submission, do’s and don’ts for authors, and more.

Over lunch, there’ll be the opportunity for our attendees to receive one-on-one manuscript feedback.

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam author Tracey Corderoy will begin our afternoon sessions with a talk on how she writes, covering topics including the differences (and challenges) of writing in rhyme and prose, where she finds her inspiration, and more.

And finally, Kate Wilson close the masterclass with a session on the importance of thinking internationally, and writing picture books for a global audience – followed by a glass of wine at the end of the day!

If you’re interested in attending our next event, sign up to our books newsletter: our subscribers receive early ticket information and exclusive discounts.

Bid for original, signed artwork by Axel Scheffler – and help raise money for charity

Over the last couple of weeks, Pip and Posy illustrator Axel Scheffler has taken part in two fantastic live-drawing and storytelling sessions, at the Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival and Barnes Children’s Literature Festival. And today we’re very pleased to say that we’ll be auctioning some of the original artwork that Axel produced at each event, in aid of charity. There are seven different signed, dated original pieces available to bid on, featuring some of Axel’s best-known and most loved characters – including The Gruffalo, The Highway Rat, and Pip and Posy – and all proceeds will go to Three Peas, a charity offering help and support to the thousands of people suffering and fleeing civil war in Syria and other war torn countries.

Here are the four pieces from the Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival being auctioned:

The Gruffalo meets Pip and Posy:

Bid for this piece.

Pip and Posy at the beach:

Bid for this piece.

Pip and Posy:

Bid for this piece.

Pip and Posy meet a dinosaur:

Bid for this piece.

And here are the three pieces from the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival being auctioned:

Mouse and The Gruffalo:

Bid for this piece.

The Highway Rat:

Bid for this piece.

Marabou Stork (from The Ugly Five):

Bid for this piece.

Each piece of artwork is a signed and dated original – if you’ve always wanted your own original illustration of The Gruffalo, Pip and Posy, or The Highway Rat, here’s your chance!

The auction will run for 10 days, and end on Sunday May 27th at 5pm.

Please do bid generously for this hugely important cause – and good luck!