Today, the Bookseller published the shortlists for the British Book Awards Book of the Year prizes, and we are hugely proud that our Peekaboo series, with a focus on Peekaboo Cow, was shortlisted for the Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year Award. This is a new prize created “to reflect the importance of illustrated books to the industry”. The judges said of the shortlist, “Seasonal books are to the fore, with two Christmas titles and one Halloween offering joining board books for the very young and a YA graphic novel. The shortlist is rounded off by a ground-breaking picture book collaboration between Dapo Adeola and 18 illustrators.”
The Peekaboo series was conceived by Camilla Reid, who wrote the rhyming texts and mapped out how every page would work, supported by Zoe Gregory, Nosy Crow’s deputy head of art. It was illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius, who had already worked with us, and with Camilla, on Felt Flaps. Ingela says about working with us, “I just LOVE working with Nosy Crow. I have a very good collaboration with them.
I feel very well taken care of. They listen to your ideas, they improve them, they don’t let anything leave the house until it’s top-notch. They all seem very dedicated and with a genuine desire to make beautiful books!”
The judges said about the Peekaboo series, “It is notoriously hard to break into the board book market, yet Nosy Crow managed to top £1m in sales with just five titles in its Peekaboo series, authored by Camilla Reid. Bold, colourful images from illustrator Ingela P Arrhenius, coupled with lyrical text, 10 sliders and a mirror ending has made these books a hit with parents and children aged six to 18 months.”
The response to the series has been great. Laura, from Darling Reads in Wakefield, said, “The Peekaboo series is incredibly popular with our customers and they delight both adults and babies/young children. The simple text, gorgeous colours and pop-up pages really do make it one of our most well-sold series of books. The mirror on the last page is a fantastic feature and we really like the variety of titles we can choose from”. Mattias Hendrikson, from Ordalaget, the Swedish publisher of the series says, “We have never before published more perfect books for the youngest. Steady, colourful, tasteful, funny and imaginative. As a matter of fact: great for both kids and their parents”. And parents and children love the series too: “Such a beautiful book! Toddler loved it at the library and so decided to get our own copy. Great quality board book designed to be tough for little readers! Really lovely illustrations,” says Frankie White in an Amazon review.
Peekaboo Sun has already won the Silver award at the Junior Design Awards.
The latest addition to the series, Peekaboo Chick, has just published in the UK in time for Easter, and immediately entered the pre-school top 20 bestseller chart. We are happy to say that we have many more titles in the series to come over the next few years.
Congratulations to Camilla and to Ingela!
