Nosy Crow's Blog, page 94
October 5, 2017
Our new October books are out now!
It’s here! Our October publication day is here, and there’s a bumper haul of beautiful Nosy Crow books (including some wonderfully Christmassy reads!) available now from all good bookshops – with brand new fiction, picture books, novelty and activity books, there’s something for everyone. Which ones have you got your eye on?
First up, we’re thrilled to publish the latest book in the Can You Say It Too? series, illustrated by Sebastien Braun. Little ones love to play ‘I Spy’ but they also adore making animals sounds, too! In Can You Say it Too? Stomp Stomp, you can spot where the dinosaur is hiding, lift the flap, and then join in with the a big dinosaur ROAR! With sturdy, easy-to-grab board flaps, and a surprise double flap on the last page, it’s perfect for little readers who are just starting to talk.
The latest in the Listen To The… series, Listen To The Christmas Songs, is out now! Illustrated by Marion Billet and featuring six well-known Christmas songs, little ones will love to join in with these festive tunes. Press the sound button on every spread to trigger the music and, when you’ve finished singing along, you can flip the switch at the back of the book to turn off the sound for a silent night.
As of today, you can also get your hands on the board book edition of Snow Bunny’s Christmas Gift. With beautiful illustrations by Rebecca Harry, every page is made extra wintery with a dusting of shimmery silver foil. Little Snow Bunny loves nothing better than playing with her friends in the wintry forest. But one particularly cold day, no one wants to play and Snow Bunny is left all alone – but with a little luck and a lot of imagination, she makes cosy winter gifts for all her friends, just in time for Christmas Eve! This is a heart-warming tale about a little bunny with a big heart, and the true gift of friendship.
Look inside:
We’re so excited to publish Oliver Elephant, a heartwarming story with a funny surprise ending. Filled with beautifully detailed festive illustrations by award-winning illustrator Helen Stephens, author and illustrator of How to Hide a Lion, and written by Lou Peacock, this is a wonderfully Christmassy picture book and the perfect present for any child, especially for the child who has that one special toy…
Look inside Oliver Elephant:
Out now in paperback (complete with Stories Aloud audiobook), we have The Princess and the Christmas Rescue, written by Caryl Hart and illustrated by Sarah Warburton, and the festive fourth title in the hilarious Princess series. Princess Eliza is brilliant at making toys and gadgets, but her mum wants her to start making friends instead. Using her super inventing skills, can Eliza saves Christmas with her marvellous machines, and makes some unexpected friends along the way?
Look inside:
Next up, we have published FOUR new activity books for you to make, colour and create! First up is Make and Play: Nativity, the latest in a series of innovative activity board books full of press-out pieces, prefect for inventive playtimes. With stunning artwork from the hugely talented Joey Chou, these simple die-cut shapes are easy to press out and slot together to build a beautiful nativity scene. The book also includes songs, fun activities, recipes and lots of things to make and do. This is sure to keep little ones busy for hours!
Next we have two new books in our creative Press Out series, Press Out and Colour: Christmas Decorations and Press Out and Decorate: Unicorns, both illustrated by the marvellous Kate McLelland and available to buy in a few weeks time! You can make your own beautiful 3D decorations with these beautiful board books of press-out ornaments and figures. Each press-out design is intricately decorated with foil and perfect for all ages to colour in. The press-out pieces can be slotted together easily to create bright and unique ornaments or garlands – perfect for hanging on the Christmas tree, or anywhere else for that matter…
To round off this month’s activity books, Gift Boxes to Colour and Make: A Year of Celebrations is out now! This is the latest in our Gift Boxes series of innovative books for fans of colouring and craft who are looking to test their creative skills on something new! Each page of this brilliant book is actually a box! Simply tear along the dotted lines and fold along the scored edges to create a gift box perfect for storing and gifting all kinds of treats for special occasions all year round. The 24 boxes are all intricately designed by Eilidh Muldoon, with black and white designs ready for colouring fans of all ages to customise to their hearts content!
Next, two wonderfully festive fiction books have their book-birthdays today! First up, Shifty McGifty and Slipper Sam: Jingle Bells!, the third illustrated chapter book in the series, and perfectly pitched for early readers who are growing in confidence. Get ready for three brand new and hilarious stories from Tracey Corderoy, with fantastic illustrations by Steven Lenton, all beautifully printed in two colour. It’s Christmas Eve and Shifty and Sam are delighted to be asked to bake a cake for Santa! After delivering it safely to Santa at the North Pole, they discover that SOMEONE has stolen all the Christmas presents from Santa’s sleigh and a certain red panda is behind it! Can the boys stop Red Rocket before he STEALS Christmas?!
Look inside:
We can’t wait for you to read the latest book in the Jasmine Green series, A Kitten Called Holly, out now! Written by Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlisted author Helen Peters, with beautiful black and white illustrations by Ellie Snowdon, this is a fantastic animal-centric story for younger readers. Jasmine and Tom find three shivering abandoned kittens and Tom is desperate to keep one, Holly, for himself. But someone else wants to take Holly for their horrible animal-hating daughter! Can the little kitten be given the best ever Christmas present – a loving home? Beautifully written and with great heart, A Kitten Called Holly is not just for Christmas.
Look inside:
Congratulations and great big ‘Happy Publication Day!’ to all out marvellous authors and illustrators!
October 4, 2017
Win a Books are My Bag Pip and Posy tote bag!
It’s National Bookshop Day this Saturday, and the launch of this year’s Books are My Bag campaign! And this year, Axel Scheffler has designed a special Pip and Posy tote bag exclusively for Books are My Bag – and we have some totes to give away!
To win one of these beautiful Pip and Posy bags, just tweet a photo of your favourite bookshop (or the books you’re buying…) to @NosyCrowBooks this weekend with the hashtag #BookshopDay – we’ll pick ten winners at random!
October 3, 2017
Would you like to attend the next Nosy Crow Masterclass?
Last month saw the return of our Nosy Crow Masterclass, How to Write Picture Books – another fantastically creative, inspiring, and informative sell-out day, filled with advice, lessons and guidance on writing picture books.
And for those of you who weren’t able to book a place, we’re delighted to say that we’ll be holding another How to Write Picture Books Masterclass on January 20th next year – and we’ll be announcing the programme and line-up of speakers for the Masterclass, along with information on buying tickets, next week.
If you’d like to be the first to hear when and how you can book your place, sign up to our books newsletter, either at this page or with the form below – subscribers will receive early booking information. Our previous How to Write Picture Book Masterclasses have sold out in a matter of hours, so if you’re interested in attending, our newsletter is your best way of securing your place.
We hope to see you there!
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October 2, 2017
The Jamie Drake Equation is shortlisted for the 2018 Bolton Children’s Fiction Award!
The shortlist for the 2018 Bolton Children’s Fiction Award has been revealed, and we’re delighted to see The Jamie Drake Equation by Christopher Edge on the list!
The award, co-ordinated by Bolton School, is decided by pupils from around 20 schools, who will now start to read and review the shortlist, before voting for their favourite books next year.
A phenomenal novel for 9+ year olds, The Jamie Drake Equation combines great storytelling, popular science, and lots of heart. The book has been named one of The Times’ Children’s Books of the Year – Alex O’Connell writes: “If you like stories about space, aliens and having to share your parents with other people, this is for you. It is told with the intelligence and heart we can expect of Christopher Edge, nominated for the Carnegie Medal for The Many Worlds of Albie Bright ... A fun, intellectually challenging novel with an emotional centre.”:
Combining action and adventure with cutting-edge space exploration and a compelling emotional core, this is truly awesome storytelling. Here’s a look inside the book:
The winner of the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award will be announced in July next year – congratulations, Chris, and good luck!
September 29, 2017
World Book Day announces 2018 authors and illustrators
World Book Day has announced its plans for 2018 – and we’re absolutely delighted that Pamela Butchart and Thomas Flintham, author and illustrator of the Izzy series, have been chosen to create a brand new story that will be published as one of ten £1 World Book Day books – The Baby Brother From Outer Space!
When Haroon’s mum brings his baby brother into school, Izzy and her friends are ALARMED! The baby is clearly using mind control because the office ladies start squeaking and saying made-up words. He writes strange messages with his blocks and he REALLY LIKES SCHOOL DINNERS! But it’s when he’s caught speaking in an alien language on his ‘phone’ that they know. Haroon’s baby brother is from outer space and he’s trying to BEAM THEM ALL UP!!!
World Book Day marks the world’s biggest celebration of reading, where the nation’s entire book industry comes together to work proactively to address falling literacy levels and create readers of the future. This year, over £650,000 was raised for charity by World Book Day and over 1.2 million £1 book tokens were redeemed, enabling 1 in 4 children (1 in 3 for those receiving free school meals) to purchase their first ever book.
To mark the launch of next year’s celebration, World Book Day are launching a brand new Twitter game today called #ShareAStoryIn10. From 10am this morning, 10 authors, illustrators and World Book Day ambassadors will come together to share a brand new story in 10 lines, each writing one line of the story and posting it to Twitter. Anybody following the hashtag, #ShareAStoryIn10, will see the story unfolding across the social media network. Once the story is finished, each of the 10 authors and ambassadors will encourage their followers to start their own 10 line stories, nominating a friend to continue the chain.
Here’s the list of £1 World Book Day books for 2018 in full:
Oi Goat! by Kes Gray and Jim Field
Mr Men: My Book About Me By Mr Silly written and illustrated by Adam Hargreaves, original concept by Roger Hargreaves
The Baby Brother From Outer Space! by Pamela Butchart, illustrated by Thomas Flintham
Paddington Turns Detective and Other Funny Stories by Michael Bond, illustrated by Peggy Fortnum
Nadiya’s Bake Me a Story by Nadiya Hussain, illustrated by Clair Rossiter
Terry’s Dumb Dot Story: A Treehouse Tale by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
The Girl Who Thought She Was a Dog by Clare Balding, illustrated by Tony Ross
Brain Freeze by Tom Fletcher, illustrated by Shane Devries
The Bolds’ Great Adventure by Julian Clary, illustrated by David Roberts
Marvel’s The Avengers: The Greatest Heroes by Alastair Dougall
World Book Day will be taking place on 1 March 2018 – you can find out more here.
Here’s the hashtag to follow for the #ShareAStoryIn10 game on Twitter.
Congratulations, Pamela and Thomas!
September 28, 2017
Pip and Posy celebrate Books Are My Bag!
We’re so happy to be part of this year’s Books Are My Bag campaign with Axel Scheffler’s Pip and Posy tote bag. This tote bag has been sent out to thousands of bookshops across the country and are now up for grabs. We hope you’ll join in the celebrations on National Bookshop Day on the 7th October and wear your tote bag with pride!
Over the past month, we’ve been running a Pip and Posy competition to mark the publication of The Bedtime Frog in board book and The New Friend in paperback. We challenged booksellers to create a Pip and Posy display! The prize being exclusive use of our Pip and Posy costumes on Bookshop Day, a team night out for bookshop staff and, of course, a big box of chocolates… We had some absolutely fantastic entries, from displays featuring real sandcastles to scooters and balloons galore.
Forget Me Not Bookshop – Warrington
The Bookmark – Grantown-on-Spey
It was really hard to pick just one, but we’re delighted to announce Forum Books Kids! based in Corbridge, Northumberland, as the winner of our Pip and Posy display competition!
We loved this colourful display for its hand-drawn artwork and the multitude of children’s reviews pinned on the window. Congratulations to owner Helen Stanton and her team for creating this beautiful window!
September 27, 2017
Come to the next Nosy Crow Reading Group – we’re discussing The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell
Would you like to come along to the next Nosy Crow Reading Group?
In October we’ll be discussing The Wizards of Once – the first book in a brand new series by How To Train You Dragon author Cressida Cowell.
We’ll be meeting on Monday, October 30th 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.
Signed copies of The Wizards of Once are available online from Waterstones here.
You can watch a trailer for the book at the top of this post – and here’s a video of Cressida introducing The Wizards of Once and reading from the book:
We hope you can join us!
September 26, 2017
Our new October books are almost here!
October is almost here, and it’s time to unveil our new books, publishing in a few weeks time. There’s a bumper haul of beautiful books (including some wonderfully Christmassy reads!) heading your way from Nosy Crow – with brand new fiction, picture books, novelty and activity books, there’s something for everyone. Here’s a look in advance at what’s coming soon.
First up is the latest book in the Can You Say It Too? series, illustrated by Sebastien Braun. Little ones love to play ‘I Spy’ but they also adore making animals sounds, too! In Can You Say it Too? Stomp Stomp, you can spot where the dinosaur is hiding, lift the flap, and then join in with the a big dinosaur ROAR! With sturdy, easy-to-grab board flaps, and a surprise double flap on the last page, it’s perfect for little readers who are just starting to talk.
Also publishing this October is the latest in the Listen To The… series, Listen To The Christmas Songs, illustrated by Marion Billet. Featuring six well-known Christmas songs, little ones will love to join in with these festive tunes. Press the sound button on every spread to trigger the music and, when you’ve finished singing along, you can flip the switch at the back of the book to turn off the sound for a silent night.
In a few weeks time, you can also get your hands on the board book edition of Snow Bunny’s Christmas Gift. With beautiful illustrations by Rebecca Harry, every page is made extra wintery with a dusting of shimmery silver foil. Little Snow Bunny loves nothing better than playing with her friends in the wintry forest. But one particularly cold day, no one wants to play and Snow Bunny is left all alone – but with a little luck and a lot of imagination, she makes cosy winter gifts for all her friends, just in time for Christmas Eve! This is a heart-warming tale about a little bunny with a big heart, and the true gift of friendship.
Look inside:
We’re thrilled to be publishing Oliver Elephant, a heartwarming story with a funny surprise ending. Filled with beautifully detailed festive illustrations by award-winning illustrator Helen Stephens, author and illustrator of How to Hide a Lion, and written by Lou Peacock, this is a wonderfully Christmassy picture book and the perfect present for any child, especially for the child who has that one special toy…
Look inside Oliver Elephant:
Publishing in paperback this October, we have The Princess and the Christmas Rescue, written by Caryl Hart and illustrated by Sarah Warburton, and the festive fourth title in the hilarious Princess series. Princess Eliza is brilliant at making toys and gadgets, but her mum wants her to start making friends instead. Using her super inventing skills, can Eliza saves Christmas with her marvellous machines, and makes some unexpected friends along the way?
Look inside:
Next up, we have FOUR new activity books for you to make, colour and create! First up is Make and Play: Nativity, the latest in a series of innovative activity board books full of press-out pieces, prefect for inventive playtimes. With stunning artwork from the hugely talented Joey Chou, these simple die-cut shapes are easy to press out and slot together to build a beautiful nativity scene. The book also includes songs, fun activities, recipes and lots of things to make and do. This is sure to keep little ones busy for hours!
Next we have two new books in our creative Press Out series, Press Out and Colour: Christmas Decorations and Press Out and Decorate: Unicorns, both illustrated by the marvellous Kate McLelland and available to buy in a few weeks time! You can make your own beautiful 3D decorations with these beautiful board books of press-out ornaments and figures. Each press-out design is intricately decorated with foil and perfect for all ages to colour in. The press-out pieces can be slotted together easily to create bright and unique ornaments or garlands – perfect for hanging on the Christmas tree, or anywhere else for that matter…
To round off this month’s activity books, we’re excited to publish Gift Boxes to Colour and Make: A Year of Celebrations. This is the latest in our Gift Boxes series of innovative books for fans of colouring and craft who are looking to test their creative skills on something new! Each page of this brilliant book is actually a box! Simply tear along the dotted lines and fold along the scored edges to create a gift box perfect for storing and gifting all kinds of treats for special occasions all year round. The 24 boxes are all intricately designed by Eilidh Muldoon, with black and white designs ready for colouring fans of all ages to customise to their hearts content!
Finally we have two wonderfully festive fiction offerings, publishing this October. First up, Shifty McGifty and Slipper Sam: Jingle Bells!, the third illustrated chapter book in the series, and perfectly pitched for early readers who are growing in confidence. Get ready for three brand new and hilarious stories from Tracey Corderoy, with fantastic illustrations by Steven Lenton, all beautifully printed in two colour. It’s Christmas Eve and Shifty and Sam are delighted to be asked to bake a cake for Santa! After delivering it safely to Santa at the North Pole, they discover that SOMEONE has stolen all the Christmas presents from Santa’s sleigh and a certain red panda is behind it! Can the boys stop Red Rocket before he STEALS Christmas?!
Look inside:
Finally, we can’t wait for you to read the latest book in the Jasmine Green series, A Kitten Called Holly. Written by Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlisted author Helen Peters, with beautiful black and white illustrations by Ellie Snowdon, this is a fantastic animal-centric story for younger readers. Jasmine and Tom find three shivering abandoned kittens and Tom is desperate to keep one, Holly, for himself. But someone else wants to take Holly for their horrible animal-hating daughter! Can the little kitten be given the best ever Christmas present – a loving home? Beautifully written and with great heart, A Kitten Called Holly is not just for Christmas.
Look inside:
Don’t forget – you can stay up to date with all of our book news by signing up to our books newsletter at this page, or with the form below – you’ll never miss a thing!
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September 25, 2017
Cover reveal! The Phantom Lollipop Man – the brand new book from Pamela Butchart and Thomas Flintham
Next February we’re delighted to be publishing a brand new book in the award-winning Baby Aliens series, written by Pamela Butchart and illustrated by Thomas Flintham – The Phantom Lollipop Man. And today we’re very pleased to share the cover for the new book for the first time!
Izzy and her friends are shocked when they find their lollipop man has disappeared! Maisie thinks he’s gone to Rome but if that’s true, why do they keep seeing a weird white wispy cloud around the school? And why do Izzy’s legs feel cold even though she’s got tights on? Could it be that the lollipop man is a phantom and he’s come to spook them all?!
This is another HILARIOUS Izzy story, brilliantly illustrated and perfect for newly confident readers. You can find out more about the series here.
And here’s a look at the full cover!
We can’t wait to share the book with you!
To stay up-to-date with all of our book news, sign up to our books newsletter at this page, or with the form below, and you’ll receive exclusive competitions, discounts, author interviews and more.
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September 22, 2017
Get your tickets for the Bath and Cheltenham Literature Festivals!
The Bath and Cheltenham Literature Festivals are fast approaching – and there are some fantastic events taking place featuring Nosy Crow authors and illustrators! Here’s what happening at each festival…
On Saturday October 7, Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam creators Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton will be at the Bath Festival for a fantastically fun-packed event full of storytelling, participation and games. You can book your ticket here – and here’s a look inside the latest Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam picture book, The Diamond Chase:
On Sunday October 8, The Jamie Drake Equation author Christopher Edge will be taking part in a Get Creative! session at the Cheltenham Festival. Fire up your imagination as authors and illustrators get together in a creative madcap event for the whole family discussing all aspects of creativity, from things they made as children, to finding time for it in their busy adult lives and sharing top tips for budding creatives. You can book your ticket here – and here’s a look inside The Jamie Drake Equation:
On Monday October 9, Tracey Corderoy will lead another fantastic Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam session of fun, games and storytelling at Cheltenham. You can book your ticket here.
And on Sunday October 15, you can join illustrator Helen Stephens in Cheltenham as she reads and draws from her new book, Oliver Elephant. You’ll be able to draw along with Helen too! You can book your ticket here – and here’s a look inside the book:
We hope to see you there!
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