Nosy Crow's Blog, page 8

Read an exclusive extract from Lenny Lemmon and the Trail of Crumbs by Ben Davis & James Lancett

We’re very excited to be publishing Lenny Lemmon and the Trail of Crumbs next month – the second book in the hilarious Lenny Lemmon series, written by Ben Davis & illustrated by James Lancett.

And today we’re delighted to be sharing a preview of the book – you can read the first few chapters below!

When an important visitor turns up at school one day, Lenny and his friends are surprised to find themselves sent to the back field to count the footballs and tidy up the bibs. The school dog, Crumbs, has been sent there too. He’s quite a lively dog and prone to over-enthusiasm. Suddenly they realise it’s all a ruse to keep them away from the guest!

Furious, and not a little hurt, our heroes rush into school, demanding answers and an apology. The subsequent encounter (chase) with the important visitor nearly brings down the school. But, of course, Lenny and friends, with the help of the enthusiastic Crumbs, save the day and show everyone that Fleurwood Academy is the place to be!

Read an extract of Lenny Lemmon and the Trail of Crumbs here:

Lenny Lemmon and the Trail of Crumbs will be published on October 12th – 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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Breaking down barriers – a guest post from Stephanie Taylor

This month we’re absolutely delighted to have published I’m Going to Be a Princess – a warm and witty celebration of the lives of amazing Black women, written by Stephanie Taylor & illustrated by Jade Orlando. And today, we’re very excited to be sharing a guest post from Stephanie!

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As a child the images of children of colour in the books I had access to were never very positive. There were no stories or history books that I saw myself in. Even when my children were small, I asked my sister, who was living in America, to send books for them to read and explore.

Now, though, I’m proud that the awesome Black women in my book, I’m Going To Be a Princess, prove that we have always broken down barriers. I wanted young readers to see that they can achieve anything.

What made you pick the Black women featured in I’m Going to be a Princess?

Alexa Irene Canady, MD

I included Alexa because so many people told her she could never be a neurosurgeon. But she persisted, succeeded, and encouraged others. Amazing!

 

Alexa fell in love with medicine at a summer school and in 1981, she was the first Black woman neurosurgeon in the United States. She became the Chief of Neurosurgery at Michigan Children’s Hospital, caring for young patients with life-threatening illnesses.

Alexa says: “The greatest challenge I faced in becoming a neurosurgeon was believing it was possible.”

Misty Copeland

Misty Copeland had to be a part of my book. She became the American Ballet Theatre’s first African American principal dancer in the company’s 75-year history. Seeing her dance, I was awestruck.

 

Misty started ballet very late, at 13 years old. Teachers said she had the wrong body shape and would never become a ballerina. She never ever gave up and fulfilled her dreams. Misty wrote a picture book called Firebird to inspire other dancers of colour.

Alice Coachman

I included Alice because she proved that anything is possible as long as you believe in yourself. Women were not encouraged to take part in sport – in fact, even Alice’s father tried to stop her. She wasn’t allowed to train with white athletes, so Alice trained alone running barefoot on dusty roads, using sticks and rope to practice the high jump.

In August 1948, Alice competed in the Olympic high jump. She jumped 5 feet 6 1/8-inch and won. She was the first Black woman to do so. King George VI of Great Britain gave her the Olympic gold medal.

Annie Easley

Annie’s mum encouraged her so much, always saying ‘As long you work for anything, you can do it!’. And that is why I wanted her to be a part of the book. All of us must support our children’s ambitions.

Annie applied for a mathematician post at NASA in 1955. She got the job as a “human computer.” Annie worked out difficult maths problems so that astronaut John Glenn could orbit space in 1962 and for the Centaur booster rocket, launched in 1963. Annie made time to tutor younger students and helped in training African Americans to take the voting test.

 

Queen Amina

Queen Amina is the heroine of my story because in her time, women were not equal to men. It’s so important for young girls to know they can do anything they set their heart and mind too! We may not agree with all of her decisions today, but she was an amazing woman who lived for her people.

Born around 1533 in Zaria, Princess Aminatu trained with the army and became a skilled warrior. As queen, to protect her people, she built strong walls called Ganuwar Aminatu or ‘Aminatu’s walls’ around her cities. There are still lots of Ganuwar Aminatu today and in Lagos, Nigeria there is a statue of Aminatu on her horse. Stories of her life have been passed down through history – a Nigerian tradition.

 

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Thank you, Stephanie!

 

Take a look inside:

 

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Read an exclusive extract from Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire!: A Sprinkling of Danger by Sarah Todd Taylor & Beatriz Castro

We’re very excited to be publishing Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire!: A Sprinkling of Danger next month – the third adventure in Alice Éclair‘s fabulous adventures, written by Sarah Todd Taylor & illustrated by Beatriz Castro.

And today we’re delighted to be sharing a preview of the book – you can read the first few chapters below!

On a glamorous movie set at the Palace of Versailles, someone is leaking national secrets. Is it the American director with the shady past, or the flamboyant lead actress whose Renaissance wig is full of secrets? Or is it someone so devious, Alice hasn’t even noticed them? Whoever it is, this person has a deadly plan…

Armed with a light sponge mix and an airy disregard for danger, Alice Éclair is on the case! And she’ll need to use every trick in her recipe book to survive this mission…

Read an extract of Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire!: A Sprinkling of Danger here:

 

Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire!: A Sprinkling of Danger will be published on September 14th – 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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Kids’ Club August 2023

Welcome to another instalment of our Nosy Crow Kids’ Club: a monthly feature with lots of engaging activities for the young readers in your life! Each month we’ll post a creative writing prompt based on one of our recent publications, and some downloadable activity sheets for you to print for your little ones.

Write a Story

Our writing prompt this month takes inspiration from Nabil Steals a Penguin – a fast-paced and big-hearted rhyming adventure about a penguin who loves curry by Nishani Reed & Junissa Bianda.

 

Write a story where the main character steals an animal from the zoo. It can be any animal you like, but be sure to think about how they manage to sneak it out past the zookeepers without them noticing!

 

Where do they hide it when they get home? What does it like to eat? What happens when their parents discover the animal? Use your imagination to think of what adventures and mishaps the animal might get up to in the character’s house.

 

And last but not least — what happens in the end? Does the animal go back to the zoo, or do they go on to have more adventures? 

Share your kids’ creative writing with us on social media, by tagging us @NosyCrow! You never know, we might even share a selection on our channels …

Activity Sheets

Little ones can learn how to draw Pierre the penguin, count cake decorations and learn how to make Nabil’s balti recipe in these free activity sheets! Download the resources here.

We hope you enjoyed the eighth instalment of our Nosy Crow Kids’ Club! Be sure to let us know if your little ones partake in our activities, and if there’s anything else you would like us to include, by getting in touch via email or social media.

 

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Read an exclusive extract from Kevin the Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster by Matt Brown & Flavia Sorrentino

We’re very excited to be publishing Kevin the Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster next month – a laugh-out-loud new fantasy series for 7+ readers from Matt Brown & Flavia Sorrentino.

And today we’re delighted to be sharing a preview of the book – you can read the first few chapters below!

When Kevin and his family get stuck in a strange town, they accidentally wake up something OLD and VERY HUNGRY. It’s up to Kevin to save everyone – or else! The first in a brilliantly funny fantasy adventure series.

Read an extract of Kevin the Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster here:

 

Kevin the Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster will be published on September 14th – 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.

 

The post Read an exclusive extract from Kevin the Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster by Matt Brown & Flavia Sorrentino appeared first on Nosy Crow.

Fun Tips for Making Comics – a guest post from Paige Braddock

This month we’re absolutely delighted to have published Peanut, Butter & Crackers – Puppy Problems – a sweet and hilarious graphic novel by Paige Braddock about life seen through the eyes of pets. And today, we’re very excited to be sharing a guest post from Paige!

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Hello, fellow comics lovers!

Comics have been a part of my life since as far back as I can remember. I read all the comics I could find. Which for me meant sifting through lots of newspapers for the comics section. What could be better? Well, at the age of seven, I knew nothing could be, and I vowed then and there to become a cartoonist. And I did!
Early in my career, I took advantage of every art opportunity that presented itself. You just never know what will come from putting yourself out there. Swim in the stream.

Lucky for me, my stream included lots of great mentors, and I eventually got to work with the creator of my all-time favorite comic strip, Peanuts. It was while working alongside Charles Schulz that I gained the confidence I needed to make my own comics. That’s because making comics was considered an art form in his studio, as it should be.

Lately, most of my comics feature animal characters. When I’m trying to come up with animal characters for stories I usually begin by sketching from photos of real animals. I then simplify those drawings into cartoon characters.

My advice to anyone who wants to create characters and comics, pay attention to the little things. The fun is in the details, and if you study animals, they each have funny little personality traits. For example, our cat loves boxes. Our little dog with the button ears whose cartoon persona is Crackers in Peanut, Butter, & Crackers, can’t stand squirrels. Our puppy does this cute little thing where he pauses and lifts one paw when he’s nervous. Peanut does the same thing. These small details help create a more fleshed-out, well-rounded character. It’s also good to think about other aspects of a character: What are their favorite things? What are they afraid of? What are their hopes and dreams? All of these can be springboards for story ideas.

In summary:

Be open to opportunities.Seek mentors.Pay attention to the little things.Sketch from photos and real life.Keep a sketchbook with all your drawings and ideas.Just keep making comics.

As with anything else, practice will improve your skills!

—

Thank you, Paige!

 

Take a look inside:

 

 

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Kids’ Club July 2023

Welcome to another instalment of our Nosy Crow Kids’ Club: a monthly feature with lots of engaging activities for the young readers in your life! Each month we’ll post a creative writing prompt based on one of our recent publications, and some downloadable activity sheets for you to print for your little ones.

Write a Story

Our writing prompt this month takes inspiration from Peanut, Butter, & Crackers: Puppy Problems – a sweet and hilarious story about life seen through the eyes of pets by Paige Braddock.

 

Write a story through the eyes of a pet. If you have a pet at home, you could write as them, or else you can make one up! It doesn’t have to be a dog or a cat — it could be any animal you want. What happens in their day when you go to school? What adventures or mischief do they get up to? If you wanted, you could introduce a new pet, like in Peanut, Butter, & Crackers, and describe how your other pet feels when this happens. Are they happy or sad that they have to share their home with another pet? 

Share your kids’ creative writing with us on social media, by tagging us @NosyCrow! You never know, we might even share a selection on our channels …

Activity Sheets

Little ones can learn how to draw Peanut, Butter, and Crackers, design their own cover and create a comic book character in the free activity sheets! Download the resources here.

We hope you enjoyed the seventh instalment of our Nosy Crow Kids’ Club! Be sure to let us know if your little ones partake in our activities, and if there’s anything else you would like us to include, by getting in touch via email or social media.

 

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Read an exclusive extract from The After School Crime Club by Hayley Webster

We’re very excited to be publishing The After School Crime Club next month – a wise, warm and uplifting story from acclaimed author Hayley Webster.

And today we’re delighted to be sharing a preview of the book – you can read the first few chapters below!

Willow has always felt like an outsider at school, but she and her Nanna were so alike that she never felt alone. Now Nanna is gone and Willow is adrift. So when a group of girls offer her friendship in exchange for “fun” stealing dares, Willow can’t say no. But as the dares escalate, she has to ask herself: How far will she go to fit in?

Read an extract of The After School Crime Club here:

The After School Crime Club will be published on August 3rd – 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.

 

The post Read an exclusive extract from The After School Crime Club by Hayley Webster appeared first on Nosy Crow.

Celebrating Shark Week!

Today marks the beginning of Shark Week, and to celebrate we’re sharing some fascinating facts about sharks, plus some reasons as to why they’re so important!

FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT SHARKS

Whale sharks have teeth on their eyes.Some female sharks, like zebra sharks, can make babies without needing a mate.Nine out of ten sharks became extinct 19 million years ago, but shark scientists aren’t quite sure why this happened.Epaulette sharks can wiggle out of the water to ‘walk’ between tidal pools.Great white sharks are hunted and eaten by orca in the water around the Cape of Good Hope.Bonnethead sharks can somehow sense the earth’s magnetic field which helps them find their way in the ocean.Frilled sharks stay pregnant for 3 and a half years!More people are killed by cows each year than by sharks.

WHY SHARKS ARE SO IMPORTANT

All sharks are incredibly important for making sure their ecosystems stay in balance. They are ‘keystone’ species: remove them and the whole ecosystem would come tumbling down.

But sharks everywhere are in trouble.

The biggest problem for sharks is humans fishing in the oceans. Humans have caught and eaten sharks for thousands of years but using ‘sustainable fishing’ – where the number of new sharks being born was the same or more than the numbers being taken out of the sea. But the problem today is that way, WAY too many sharks are being killed for food and for their fins.

Humans kill an almost unbelievable 100 MILLION sharks and rays every single year and because they reproduce slowly, they can’t replace all those taken out of the oceans.

What can you do to help? Eating ‘sustainable’ seafood is a MASSIVE help to sharks, as species that might be accidentally caught in nets have an opportunity to be replaced in the oceans by the next generation and try to avoid fish caught by ‘long-line nets’ as these tend to accidentally capture hundreds of sharks.

Sharks can’t speak for themselves, so it’s great when humans make a racket to get everyone’s attention and get them to think about their watery neighbours.

EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT SHARKS IS WRONG!

Find more fin-tastic facts in Everything You Know About Sharks Is Wrong! by Dr Nick Crumpton & Gavin Scott – an informative, inventive and entertaining take on an animal book that will help shark fans quickly become shark experts!

Read an extract:

 

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Kids’ Club June 2023

Welcome to another instalment of our Nosy Crow Kids’ Club: a monthly feature with lots of engaging activities for the young readers in your life! Each month we’ll post a creative writing prompt based on one of our recent publications, and some downloadable activity sheets for you to print for your little ones.

Write a Story

Our writing prompt this month takes inspiration from Deadlock – the latest action-packed thriller from Simon Fox!

 

Write a story where the main character has something stolen from them that they care about. Who took it, and why? How will the main character go about trying to get it back? Try to include a twist in your story. This can be a surprising turn or unexpected change that happens. For example, maybe the person the main character thinks is responsible for stealing from them is innocent, and the real culprit is someone entirely different …

Share your kids’ creative writing with us on social media, by tagging us @NosyCrow! You never know, we might even share a selection on our channels …

Activity Sheets

Children can decipher texting code, design the perfect disguise and write an acrostic poem in these free activity sheets for Deadlock! Download the resources here.

 

Windrush Day

In honour of the 75th anniversary of Windrush Day earlier this month, we’re sharing some bonus resources for Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush in this month’s Kids’ Club.

These resources use the book as a starting point to help introduce younger children to Black history, themes of belonging and identity, loving family relationships, and showing empathy and kindness towards people from all backgrounds. Download the resources here.

We hope you enjoyed the sixth instalment of our Nosy Crow Kids’ Club! Be sure to let us know if your little ones partake in our activities, and if there’s anything else you would like us to include, by getting in touch via email or social media.

 

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