A minute ago, I was on the phone to Philip Ardagh, who asked, not remotely seriously, if Nosy Crow had won any awards during our phone call. I said, again, not remotely seriously, that unfortunately we’d only been shortlisted for something while he’d been on the line.
As I say, I wasn’t serious. But, in fact, while I was on the phone we were shortlisted for something: we’re very proud to say that Jack and the Beanstalk has been shortlisted for the Digital Book Awards in the children’s app category. You can see the rest of the shortlist and the shortlists for the other categories here.
Jack and the Beanstalk has already won Futurebook’s Best Children’s Fictional Digital Book Award. And it’s had terrific reviews, too. Kirkus, in its starred review, said, “Nosy Crow’s design cleverly weaves games and adventure into this favorite folk tale […] The presentation features Nosy Crow’s trademark excellent narration by child actors, witty speech bubbles and terrific illustrations, but it doesn’t stop there. Right from the start, readers are asked to help Jack clean Daisy the cow and scale the heights of the beanstalk, tackling challenges in a game like mode […] Different endings emerge depending on the treasures Jack brings back—perhaps it’s just some bean soup, or maybe it’s a house overflowing with a bountiful feast. Readers will feel as clever and brave as Jack as they outwit and outrun the giant in this engaging, entertaining app.” The Guardian said it was our best app yet and that “it’s a real showcase for the potential of children’s apps”.
Our fingers are crossed.
This is our third shortlisting today. Earlier today, we announced that The Spy Who Loved School Dinners was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards, and then around lunchtime we announced that Nuts in Space was shortlisted for the Peters Book Awards. I think that three shortlistings in a single day is a first for us.
