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The Tree Book Wins Silver at the 33rd Hong Kong Print Awards

We’re thrilled to announce that The Tree Book recently won silver at the 33rd Hong Kong Print Awards, in the Book Printing, Children’s Book category!

About the awards

The Hong Kong Print Awards are organized by the Graphic Arts Institute of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Publishing Institute and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and co-organized by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

The awards aim to encourage local printing, design, publishing and related industries to produce high-quality and competitive printed materials, and showcase Hong Kong’s high-quality design, publishing and printing services to other industries and overseas so that they are widely recognized. Find out more about the awards here.

About the book

The Tree Book by Hannah Alice is an incredibly inventive board book with five die-cut pages and amazing see-through acetate, in which readers can discover how trees change through the seasons.

It’s a fantastic first look at nature for curious children everywhere, and an exciting way to explore all the amazing things trees can do.

Take a look inside:

Watch the trailer:

Congratulations to all of the Nosy Crow team involved in making this book a reality!

Have you, or your little ones, read The Tree Book? If you’ve yet to discover its magic, click here and select your preferred retailer to purchase your copy.

Nosy Crow’s Award-Winning Felt Flaps Series Turns 5!

Five years ago, we published the first title in our Felt Flaps series, Where’s Mr Lion? Today, it is one of our bestselling series in the Nosy Crow collection. We’re beyond proud at how far the series has come in so relatively short time – selling over 5 million copies worldwide, and has become one of our most recognisable and enduring series and a family favourite among babies, toddlers, parents, and carers alike.

Where’s Mr Lion? went on to win the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year Award in 2017, and has since released in a new, compact buggy book format – perfect for babies on the go!

 

We’ve published an astounding 33 titles in the series so far, our most recent being the delightfully festive Where’s Mr Snowman?

Next year, we’ll publish Where’s Mrs Panda? and Where’s Baby Bunny?, followed by Where’s Mr King? and Where’s Mr Train?

Where did it all start?

The Felt series is the brainchild of Camilla Reid, former Editorial Director of the Pre-School and Novelty list at Nosy Crow. Camilla came up with the felt novelty concept after Zoë Gregory – then Deputy Art Director, and now Art Director for Pre-school titles – suggested that they collaborate with Ingela P Arrhenius.

“The felt flaps idea that I developed was based on Ingela’s gorgeous animals, but the novelty required that the animals were naturalistic and pictured in their natural environment. However, what I immediately realised is that if you stand animals on all fours and they don’t have fun names or trousers, it can all get a bit factual and dull, and that is definitely not what I want in a book! Because for me, books need to have warmth and wit, so children can identify with the characters.” – Camilla Reid

We met with Camilla and Ingela in celebration of these incredible milestones, and to discuss the creative process behind the series in more detail. Read on below for this inspirational origin story.

Can you tell us more about the inspiration for the name of the series?

Camilla: Everything I do as a writer is inspired by my experience of reading to my own children. As a parent of a baby, I wanted books to identify the animals so my daughter could start to learn and speak the words. But, as a writer, I felt it was a bit dull to just say, “Where’s the lion? Here it is!” Adding a Mr/Mrs prefix gave the animals both character and gender, which I felt was important as I found myself calling all animals “he”. I also wanted to avoid giving them cheesy names like ‘Larry Lion’, which always slightly grates for me.

How does it feel to have reached five years and over 5 million copies worldwide?

Ingela P Arrhenius: Unreal and fantastic! When we started I could never imagine this to happen and that we have done SO many titles.

Camilla: It feels great! I have to admit that as soon as we finished the first book, Where’s Mr Lion?, I knew it was good. I knew we had made something that really worked for its audience and that looked gorgeous, so I was pretty confident that the series would do well. You never quite know how it will perform, though, so it’s really pleasing that this has done as well as I’d hoped.

What did you enjoy the most when working on the series?

Ingela: First of all, to work together with Zoe and Camilla on these has been wonderful. So happy to have gotten to know them! I also enjoy working on them because it´s such a fun challenge to find the perfect balance between childish and edgy. You shall always have the child in mind so that they understand and enjoy the picture but it´s  interesting to see how graphic and clean you can go, if you understand what I mean.

Camilla: It’s always about the collabs! Though it was my concept and I planned the text and layouts, many people contributed to shaping the first books. Zoe Gregory (now Deputy Head of Design) proposed Ingela P Arrhenius as an illustrator, Catherine Stokes (Nosy Crow Head of Sales and Marketing) suggested the mirror ending, Imogen Blundell (then Head of Production) found a printer who could supply good quality felt at the right price, and Ingela, of course, drew the most wonderful pictures! I very much enjoy the experience of working with smart, passionate people, who all want the book to be the best it can be.

What has surprised you the most about the series?

Camilla: I’m surprised, and delighted, that it has sold into so many different markets. These books seem to work for a huge range of consumers, from those who shop at British supermarkets, to those in the US, France, even the Far East. That’s quite unusual.

Ingela: That it has sold like this and that every book is still fun to do after all these titles! 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to write for children for children?

Camilla: Read to them first – a lot! Observe how they engage with books, and try to understand what they find exciting about them.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to illustrate for children?

Camilla: The same applies – you can learn so much by seeing a book through a chid’s eyes. For example, as a young editor, I never liked big, goggly eyes on characters as I felt they were too cartoony. However, once I had babies myself, I realised that they really connect with goggly eyes, so I changed my taste completely! 

Ingela: Never forget the children´s perspective. And visit an antiquarian bookstore, children´s book section, SO much inspiration! 

Explore all 33 titles in the series so far here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fledgling, by Author Lucy Hope is nominated for the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing

We’re thrilled to announce that Fledgling by Lucy Hope has been nominated for the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing!

The Yoto Carnegies are the UK’s longest running and best-loved children’s book awards. The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people. It was established in 1936 in memory of the Scottish-born philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, founder of more than 2800 libraries.

Fledgling is Lucy Hope‘s debut novel and was released last November. It’s the perfect read to cosy up with as the days get colder and longer – it’s a dark, gothic adventure set deep in a Bavarian forest, with angels and owls and magic, and a boy who isn’t all that he seems to be …

Watch our playlist below, which features Lucy reading extracts from Fledgling:

You can view the full list of nominations here. The longlist is due to be announced on 15th February, followed by the shortlist on 15th March.

Pip and Posy secure a BAFTA nomination!

The nominations for the 2022 BAFTA’s Children & Young People’s Awards have been announced and we are absolutely thrilled to see that Pip and Posy and our colleagues at Magic Light Pictures/Channel 5 Milkshake!, Sky Television and ZDF have been recognised! The ceremony returns after a three-year hiatus, with an awards evening at the end of November where the winners will be crowned!

Huge congratulations to the incredible production team at Magic Light Pictures for creating such a warm and enriching pre-school series based on two of Nosy Crow’s dearest and best-loved characters!

Pip and Posy’s beginnings
Pip and Posy started life more than 10 years ago, as a simple picture book idea written by Nosy Crow’s then editorial director, Camilla Reid. From her experience as a parent, she knew that there was a gap in the children’s book market for stories that had a little more action than a board book allowed but weren’t as complicated as a beautifully detailed picture book; and so Pip and Posy was born!

Nosy Crow has gone on to publish ten Pip and Posy picture books, all of which chart the ups and downs of toddler life with wit, heart and endearing honesty. Every story has a low point – an “oh, dear” moment – and then, at the end, a high point – a “hooray” moment. All the books have been beautifully illustrated by Axel Scheffler, who brings the characters to life with his trademark style and brilliant attention to detail.

Axel Scheffler illustrating Pip and Posy

Reaching new heights

We as a company are so proud to see these characters reaching new heights through the TV series, which launched in the UK last year. Indeed, the TV’s success inspired us to create our own tie-in publishing programme to showcase the animation and bring Pip and Posy books to all fans of the show. In June of this year, Nosy Crow published two TV tie-in sticker activity books.

Best of Friends introduces this playful pair and invites everyone to join in their wonderful world of play with puzzles, games and stickers galore.

Come On, Let’s Play! is full of fun-filled activities that will delight fans of TV animation, featuring artwork from the episodes, alongside dot-to-dot, colouring, search and find sticker scenes and much more to keep little hands (and minds) busy.

Earlier this month, we published a Christmas sticker activity book and a joyful lift-the-flap board book, ready for the festive season. (Is it too soon to mention Christmas?!)

Looking forward

As we come to end of a busy year, Pip and Posy show no signs of slowing down. In fact, they return to our TV screens with a second season in early 2023. I, for one, can’t wait to see what new adventures these best friends will have!

Go, Pip and Posy! I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you at the BAFTA’s on 27th November.

 

Katie Woolley, Senior Commissioning Editor

Three Ways in Which Starting a Company is like Running a Marathon

Well before signing on to help start Nosy Crow Inc, and after many years of flirting with the idea, I made the decision to run my first marathon this fall.

It is certainly cliché to say that starting a company is like running a marathon. But as I find myself in the middle of trying to do both, I really understand why. And thus, I cannot help but consider the lessons I’ve learned from both challenges.

Here are a handful of takeaways from my marathon training that can also be applied to beginning a business.

1.   There are no shortcuts

The first and most obvious lesson from my marathon training program is simply: there are no shortcuts. To be successful on race day, one must put in the miles during training. Do the work, trust the process, and race day will take care of itself. The analogy to business is simple: to create great books, or deliver a compelling sales pitch, what matters most is the time, thought, and careful consideration that go into each step before the book is printed or the customer visited.

2.   You must lean into discomfort

Setbacks will occur. What I’ve learned is not to ignore the doubt or the pain in the knees, but rather to take some time to dwell on the reasons behind them. I’ve even found that when out on a run and the doubt and discomfort creep in, it is helpful to give voice to those feelings. I will say out loud, “I am not sure I can finish another mile,” or “my feet hurt.”  It is only then that I can fully let go, clear my head, and keep moving forward. I find this to be useful in the office as well. When things are difficult, it is imperative to talk through the underlying issues that led to the setback or rejection. Why did things go awry? How can we make sure it does not happen again? Learn from these lessons and challenges so that you may be in a better position when the inevitable challenges arise again.

3.   Pacing is key

Sometimes the best way to be able to run fast is to run slow. While speed can be necessary sometimes, the bulk of the work will be at a slow and steady pace over a long duration. A pace that allows you to take the time to set up solid processes, think through a complicated negotiation, teach, and learn from those around you. Like with running, sometimes you need to slow down to be able to move faster in the future, with a solid base of knowledge and the courage of your convictions well seated. I sometimes must force myself to slow down – this has been the case with Nosy Crow Inc, and in my marathon training. And I need to keep reminding myself that sometimes going slowly yields better results than going quickly.

Looking ahead

As I write this, I am cognizant of two dates: November 6, 2022, and May 2, 2023. These are the dates of the New York City Marathon and the publication of Nosy Crow Inc’s first books, respectively. While I keep these dates in the back of my mind, I try to focus more on the present, putting in the work daily, learning from mistakes, leaning into discomfort, and moving forward at a steady, even pace. And last but certainly not least, I try to have fun and to enjoy the ride!

If you’d like to keep up-to-date with Nosy Crow Inc news, be sure to follow us on social media at @NosyCrowUS. For any questions relating to our North American wing, please email [email protected].

National Poetry Day!

How did you celebrate National Poetry Day?

We were delighted to showcase our love of the poetic form with an abundance of activity for And Everything Will Be Glad to See You –  our recently published, inspiring collection of poetry for women and girls, selected by Ella Risbridger and gorgeously illustrated by Anna Shepeta.

A Visit to The Children’s Bookshop

Ella Risbridger kickstarted the day by spending a lovely morning at the Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London with the wonderful pupils of Sarum Hall Schoolwhere they got stuck in to write lots of poetry together!

Q&A with Ella Risbridger

Ella also recently sat down with UK Mums TV for a coffee-break interview, where she discussed the key ingredients for a good children’s book, and lots more! Grab a cuppa and read the full Q&A here.

Pie Lady Books

Pie Lady Books, online book reviewer, artist, and creator of the Book Pie had the Crow’s Nest in awed wonder as she revealed her creation of the cover of And Everything Will Be Glad to See You in pie form – it’s almost too good to eat!

You can read her delicious review on Instagram here.

Our Read-Along with Tandem Collective

We teamed up with Digital Marketing Agency, Tandem Collective to launch an official read-along for this wonderful anthology, with copies of And Everything Will Be Glad to See You sent to excited online influencers to share their experiences and favourite poems on on Instagram. Follow the hashtag here to catch up with the reviews!

Poetic Praise for And Everything Will Be Glad to See You

We’re so grateful for all of the amazing reviews we’ve received for And Everything Will Be Glad to See You – so much so that we couldn’t resist compiling the highlights into an animated trailer, which you can watch below through our Nosy Crow YouTube Channel, along with more of our Poetry Collections.

Take a look inside the book:

What’s your favourite poem? Let us know on social media, by tagging @NosyCrow to be featured on our channels. Happy Reading!

You can order a copy of And Everything Will Be Glad to See You from a host of retailers, including Waterstones, Bookshop.org, or from Amazon.

John Mendelson visits the New England Independent Booksellers 2022 Fall Conference

The journey to the New England Independent Booksellers fall conference

As I drove from my home in Massachusetts down to Providence, Rhode Island, to attend the New England Independent Booksellers fall conference – to be held in person for the first time since 2019, and just a week after publicly launching Nosy Crow Inc here in North America – I was flooded with memories of prior trips to NEIBA, as we in the industry call the show. In fact, I was struck by the realization that I attended the show for the first time 25 years prior in 1997. Despite being something of an old hand in the New England bookselling community, attending for the first time with Nosy Crow, I was also somewhat surprised to be brimming with nerves and anticipation. When I pulled into the parking lot of the exhibition hall, I had a moment of panic that I’d driven to the wrong location as I’d been on autopilot and just assumed the show was to be held where it always had been! A quick check of the program confirmed that my instincts, if not my preparation, were sound. Phew.

Setting up the Nosy Crow Inc display

I quickly got to work setting up our small table next to our distributor, Hachette Book Group’s larger display, and unfurled our newly printed bright red table cover with the Nosy Crow logo on the front. Once set up, there was time for one more coffee and a quick walk around the show floor before the doors opened and booksellers started their pilgrimage from table to table, eager to see the new books, grab a handful of sought-after galleys, and chat about business.

Familiar faces

Many familiar faces came by to say hello and to see some of our 2023 books in printed form. It was thrilling to hear from so many people who’d read the articles about our launch in places like Publisher’s Weekly, Shelf Awareness, Publishing Perspectives and more, and wanted to learn a bit more about our plans. I was also fortunate to spend some time with our Hachette sales representative for New England, with whom I worked at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the early 2000’s, and to get to know Karen Torres who is overseeing Hachette’s business into the independent bookstore market nationwide. The Hachette team is fantastic and I can’t wait to get to know more of their reps in the coming weeks and months as we work together to bring our first books to market in May of 2023.

A sea of new books

One thing that always strikes me when attending book conferences, and this one was no different, is just how many books are published in a given year. While I know this to be the case from looking at Bookscan, reading industry reports, etc., there is nothing that quite brings it home as walking a large conference floor and seeing the sea of new books out there. While intimidating, this is an experience to keep present as, to me, it is an important reminder both of the relentless competition in the book market, and also, more importantly, just how critical it is to bring the care and attention to each and every book we publish at every step of the way from acquisition to editing, designing, producing, marketing, and selling.

Writing from the sky

Speaking of selling, I am writing this blog from 36,000 feet, having just crossed the Mississippi River, on my way to see a customer on the other side of the country and to show them some of the books we have in store for 2023 and beyond, and the nerves and excitement remain. I’ll be sure to let you know how it went next week.

John

If you’d like to keep up-to-date with Nosy Crow Inc news, be sure to follow us on social media at @NosyCrowUS. For any questions relating to our North American wing, please email [email protected].

 

We’re spreading our wings! Nosy Crow Inc to launch in North America

We are really delighted to be launching Nosy Crow Inc in 2023. We feel it’s time to spread our wings and engage directly with the amazing and very different market that is North America. It’s a wonderful natural extension of our strongly international perspective on children’s publishing. 

The new business will be led by John Mendelson, formerly SVP of Sales at Candlewick Press, and will publish the full range of formats that have been key to Nosy Crow’s international success: innovative board books; warm and witty picture books; beautifully designed and engaging non-fiction; and compelling chapter books and fiction. It will be sold and distributed by Hachette Book Group, effective immediately. We will also bring to North America our award-winning Stories Aloud audio programme, which has been such a success in the UK and export markets.

We are hugely grateful to the US publishers, particularly Candlewick, who have been such supporters of the Nosy Crow full-colour lists in the first decade of our existence. In fact, John Mendelson is someone we got to know very well through Candlewick, as he previously led the sales team there. 

We will be focusing on the Americanisation and publication of titles from our full-colour lists in the next year or so, but looking ahead, we are keen to explore the publication of our fiction titles in the USA by Nosy Crow Inc too. 

It’s important to say that existing series and picture books that feature the same characters will continue to be published by those US publishers who have already launched them. This particularly applies to Candlewick, who publish a number of our pre-school series and character-based picture books brilliantly, but also to fiction series where titles from the start of the series have already been sold to other publishers in the USA.  

We look forward to bringing our great books, our reputation for sustainability, and our commitment to diversity and inclusivity to this vibrant market with a new company under the leadership of John Mendelson, whose customer focus combined with an intelligent engagement with books, authors and illustrators is unparalleled.

 

Press Release: Nosy Crow takes flight in North America!

Nosy Crow, the UK’s fastest growing children’s publisher with a string of awards to its name, is launching a United States company, Nosy Crow Inc, in May 2023. The new business will be led by John Mendelson, formerly SVP of Sales at Candlewick Press, and will publish the full range of formats that have been key to Nosy Crow’s international success: innovative board books; warm and witty picture books; beautifully designed and engaging non-fiction; and compelling chapter books and fiction. It will be sold and distributed by Hachette Book Group, effective immediately. Nosy Crow will also bring to North America its award-winning Stories Aloud audio programme, which has been such a success in the UK and export markets.

The launch of Nosy Crow is already being warmly received by the key figures in the bookselling world.  James Daunt, CEO of Waterstones and CEO of Barnes & Noble says:

“Over the years, Nosy Crow has been a phenomenal partner to Waterstones in the UK. We look forward to more of their magic here in the States and wish them the very best of luck.”

John Mendelson, President of Nosy Crow Inc (pictured) comments:

“I am delighted to lead Nosy Crow Inc, building a varied, commercially powerful, creatively distinct and fully Americanised list. Our first year of publishing will showcase 30 amazing books from illustrators and authors that will reach a wide audience across North America. Over the next few years, we’ll add chapter books and fiction and we’ll increasingly originate books in North America too, featuring art and words from a diverse group of creators.” 

Todd McGarity, Hachette’s VP of Corporate Business Development and Strategy says:

“We’re thrilled to welcome award-winning children’s publisher Nosy Crow to our Hachette Client Services family of clients. For the last ten years, they’ve really made their mark in the UK, and I’m excited to see how we can help them build upon their impressive track record of success here in North America.”

Kate Wilson, Group CEO of Nosy Crow, will oversee both the UK and US companies. She comments: “We are so excited about this new venture! It’s such a natural extension of our creation of books that are published around the world. We are hugely grateful to the US publishers, particularly our long-time partner, Candlewick Press, who have been such amazing supporters of Nosy Crow’s full-colour books in the first decade of our existence.

But we feel it’s now time to spread our wings and engage directly with the amazing and very different market that is North America. We look forward to bringing our great books, our reputation for sustainability, and our commitment to diversity and inclusivity to this vibrant market with a new company under the leadership of John Mendelson, whose customer focus combined with an intelligent engagement with books, authors and illustrators is unparalleled.”

Everything Possible by Fred Small and Alison Brown is Nosy Crow UK and Nosy Crow Inc’s first joint acquisition and will be published simultaneously (and in Spanish in North America) for Pride Month 2023.

A Nosy Crow Tribute to the Queen by Kate Wilson

I was born 12 years after Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, so, like so many of us, my whole life, until yesterday, has been lived during her reign. As the daughter of a deeply committed civil servant, who took his duties as an employee of the Crown (as every civil servant is) very seriously, I grew up understanding the important role of the monarch as head of state. My maternal grandparents, like so many, rented a newfangled television set and invited their neighbours around to watch the coronation. It’s hard to reach for anything other than the words that so many people are using: this feels like an ending of more than an remarkable and dutiful life: it feels like the end of an era. I am moved by the response of so many to the Queen’s death, and that response is such a powerful reminder of the way that she stood for so many different things to so many different people.

Last summer, we began thinking about what the Platinum Jubilee, and the Queen’s remarkable 70 year reign could mean to the children, families, educators and librarians we publish for, a process of reflection that led to the publication of Great Elizabethans: HM Queen Elizabeth II and 25 Amazing Britons from her Reign. We felt that that one defining aspect of Queen Elizabeth’s reignwas the extraordinary changes that she had witnessed and embraced. We thought about the move from Empire to Commonwealth; about profound and enriching changes in the population make-up of the UK; about deep changes in social mores impacting on, among others, women and the LGBTQIA+ community; and about changes in the visibility and accessibility of The Royal Family. The Queen, and her reign, linked so many changes and so many people together.

Today, I was reminded by Catherine Stokes, our Sales and Marketing Director, of the Queen’s resonant words on the death of her own mother:

“I hope that sadness will blend with a wider sense of thanksgiving, not just for her life but for the times in which she lived — a century for this country and the Commonwealth not without its trials and sorrows, but also one of extraordinary progress, full of examples of courage and service as well as fun and laughter. This is what my mother would have understood, because it was the warmth and affection of people everywhere which inspired her resolve, dedication and enthusiasm for life.”

The British Book Design & Production Awards are back, with Four Nosy Crow books shortlisted for a prize!

The shortlist for the 2022 British Book Design & Production Awards (BBD&PA) have been announced and we are absolutely thrilled to see that four Nosy Crow books have been recognised this year!

Huge congratulations to the incredible authors, illustrators, editors, designers, and production staff involved in creating these books! It’s unusual to have the mechanics of the creation of a book honoured in this way, and it is lovely to have the work of Nosy Crows Leila, Sophie, Anna, Nia, Zoe, Holly, Tina, Rachel, Victoria and Tegen recognised.

What is the BBD&PA?

Established in 1901, The British Book Design and Production Awards are hosted by the British Printing Industries Federation and are the premier recognition event for British book design and production.

The winners of each category will be announced at the award ceremony on Monday 7th November. You can find out more about the awards, and view the full shortlist, here.

The following books have been shortlisted this year:

Children’s Trade 0 to 8 Years

Recognised in the Children’s Trade 0-8 Years category is Christmas Street, illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius, creator of the bestselling Felt Flaps and Peekaboo series, with a clever rhyming text from Jonathan Emmett.

With two big sturdy flaps on every spread, this is a charming Christmas alphabet book that little ones will return to again and again.

Get Your Copy of Christmas Street

Tiptoe Tiger, a delightful interactive story written by Jane Clarke with artwork by award winner Britta Teckentrup has also been shortlisted in this category. With its vibrant neon artwork, this is the perfect bedtime story for any lively child who needs a bit of help settling down at bedtime.

Get your copy of Tiptoe Tiger

Educational Books

A History of the World in 25 Cities has been shortlisted in the Educational Books category.

Co-authored by award-winning children’s authors by Andrew Donkin, and Tracey Turner with vibrant and beautifully detailed artwork from Libby VanderPloeg, this ambitious book tells the story of human civilisation throughout history and is published in collaboration with specialist curators at the British Museum

A gorgeous, large-format gift where readers can visit cities from every inhabited continent on Earth, from the walled city of Jericho built over 10,000 years ago, to the modern-day metropolis of Tokyo, the most-densely populated city in the world today.

Get your copy of A History of the World in 25 Cities.

Also acknowledged in the Educational Books category is The Tree Book, By Hannah Alice. With overlapping see-through diagrams of a tree throughout the year, together with the minibeasts and animals that live in it, the book builds up to provide brilliantly layered first look at nature for curious children everywhere.

From leaves changing colour to underground root networks, The Tree Book is an exciting way to explore all the amazing things trees can do.

Get your copy of The Tree Book.

Draw Shifty McGifty & Slippery Sam!

We’re delighted to have published Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: Pirates Ahoy! in July – the latest instalment of the wonderful Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam series, written by Tracey Corderoy and illustrated by Steven Lenton.

Here’s what it’s all about:

The detective dogs are back for a swashbuckling pirate adventure!

Shifty and Sam have swapped their life of crime for a career in cupcakes. But when they’re asked to bake for a pirate party, they find themselves caught up in the middle of a robbery. Uh-oh! Captain Sharpwhiskers and his criminal crew have stolen Captain Chucklebeard’s treasure! Can Shifty and Sam catch those BAD pirates and bring back the loot? Find out in this hilarious, rhyming picture book adventure!

And today we’re sharing some of Steven Lenton’s drawalongs from his YouTube channel, so that you can learn to draw Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam yourself!

Draw Shifty McGifty:

Draw Slippery Sam:

Make sure to tag us on social media with any drawings you do and we will do our best to share your wonderful creations!

 

Take a look inside the book:

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: Pirates Ahoy! is out now – you can order a copy from Waterstones here, Bookshop.org here or from Amazon here.

If you’d like to be the first to know about our new books, along with receiving exclusive previews, giveaways, discounts and more, you can sign up to our newsletter here, and you’ll never miss a thing.