Good news from Girassol, the Brazilian publisher of this book.   A second edition has just been laucnhed, in hardback.

There's also going to be a special edition with just the fourteen African stories in it.  African studies are part of the National Curriculum in Brazil, so this project will be aimed at schools and libraries. There's going to be a brand new cover, I should think put together digitally with artwork already in the book.

I'd forgotten which African countries I'd included, although I do remember it took a long time to find the stories and adapt them to the intended age range.  I had a quick look at the book and they are Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Botswana and South Africa.  I wonder what the book is going to look like.

Last January I signed up to do a sequel to The Giant Book of Giants.  It's not going to be about the big folk, though.  It's going to feature one of my favourite subjects - pirates.  Like Giants, it's going to have an awesome 3D poster at the back.

The illustrator is, once more, the very talented Mark Robertson, and he's already started sending in the roughs for his illustrations.  Here's one I particularly like, of Davy Jones, having a tobacco break at the bottom of the old briny. I think he looks awesome.  

We're going to have stories from lots of different sources, from classics you would have definetely heard of - maybe even read - to wonderful sea-yarns you might not be aware of.  There's a real rogues gallery of sea captains stomping through the book.  It's great fun doing the visual research at the moment.  I want to make sure every detail is as accurate as possible, so I've been checking out what pirates used to eat [you don't want to know]; what weapons they used, how they escaped from navy hunters, where they hid their treasure and - what they did with their victims' heads.  Stay tuned to find out more.  I'll be revealing more pictures as the project gathers pace.

4th January 2012

Today sees the publication of two of my books in the Collins Big Cat Progress series.  DINNER WITH A PIRATE and THE DOLPHIN KING. The first in as an adaptation of a Spanish folk tale I have loved since childhood, the second a French legend I disovered doing research for my first antholgy, Stryworld, back in 1988. I tried including it several projects but for one reason or another it always got left out.  Now it has a book all its own, with colour artwork on every spread. 

These books were really difficult to write but I enjoy a challenge. The word count was small, but the interest level had to be high enough to attract readers of 8+.  I tend to go for stories with big themes, so every page had to be packed with incident too.  The illustrators did me proud, and I'll put up some sample pictures on my blog as soon as I have the time.

Meanwhile, I've delivered another title for the series, KING OF THE FOREST, which will be published this time next year!

Lovereading4kids.co.uk have recommended THE GIANT BOOK OF GIANTS for Christmas. It's included in their 5+ category.   Lovereading is a fantastic online bookshop that gives you all the information you could possibly need about your books, including reviews, video clips, author bios and links.  

Best of all, their books come with a healthy discount.  Check them out!

My Magical Book Of Christmas Stories, or If You Love A Christmas Tale as it's known in the US, has just been published in Sweden in time for Christmas. The book includes my oen interactive version of The Nutcracker and Clement C. Moore's The Night Before Christmas.

The wonderful illustrations are by Susanna Lockhart who has worked on all my If You Love A Tale series.  The British version, published in the UK by Scholastic two years ago still does very well every well Christmas.

My latest book of folk tales has been published in France by Jeunesse. Translated by Camille Fort, it features the same cover as the English edition rather than the US one. The wonderful illustrations by Mark Robertson have all been retained, inclusding the fold-out 3D poster of the giant.

The stories inside include Jack and the Beanstalk [English]; Coyote Tricks the Giant [US]; Momotaro the Peach Boy [Japan]; Finn and the Buggane [Ireland]; The Curious Giantess [Finland] and Sinbad's Third Voyage from The Arabian Nights. 

This is my third anthology to be translated into French and I'm hoping to remember enough of the language from my schooldays to be able to read a couple of stories on a visit to a French school next year.

THE ORCHARD BOOK OF GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES has been included in the wonderful IndieBound Christmas catalogue this year.  This is a publication produced by the Bookseller's Association in the UK to promote independent bookshops.

I love independent bookshops, because they keep money in the local community, they tailor their stock to their clientele, they create local jobs and nurture community.  Plus, people who run independent bookshops know so much about books, and are so passionate about them it's a pleasure to visit their etsablishments.  And some sell delicious coffee and cupcakes too.

I'm celebrating with cake and coffee today as The Orchard Book Of Grimm's Fairy Tales hits the shops, and hopefully a lot of libraries too.  This book is a reissue of THE SLEEPING PRINCESS, first published in 2002.  

I'm looking forward to promoting the book in shops and schools, and to reading out some of the stories in classrooms.  My favourite is The Swans and the Brave Princesss, because it combines magic with adventure.

Shorter versions of these stories are going to appear in a series for younger children, with new illustrations by Cecilia Johansson.  There will be two different ones published every month starting January 2012.

27 September 2011

Just received the final proofs for Dinner With A Pirate's front cover.  I think it looks awesome. It's not easy to produce a predominantly dark cover but if it works, it's quite dramatic.  And this works, and then some.

We wanted the give the book an exciting feel.  Also, the main image leads you to think that this is the dinner in the title, but the story ends with a neat twist in the tail, which I cannot give away here.

Shahab, who lives in Italy has drawn some great characters, just begging to feaure in their own little animation series.  I took one look at them and my mind starting working overtime.  Watch this space!

You can visit Shahab's blog here!

Just seen the brilliant cover by Fausto Bianchi for THE DOLPHIN KING, my first title in the Collins Big Cats series.  It's a gutsy French folktale about fishermen in the Mediterranean.  I've been wanting to write my version for years.

Fausto has done me proud with his ilustrations, which were very difficult to do as we wanted to have an authentic folk-art feel to the work but also incorporate fantasy elements.

The publication date is 3rd January 2012.  Can't believe we'll soon be there.

7 August 2011

Anchor Press have just published my GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES in Greece. The title in Greek actually means THE SLEEPING BEAUTY AND NINE OTHER TALES FROM THE BROTHERS GRIMM. A long title for a book that took a long time to get right.  I was very happy to see it in shops all around Crete when I did a reserach trip there recently.  

3 August 2011

Sterling publish THE GIANT BOOK OF GIANTS in the US today.  The book includes six stories about giants from around the world and a height chart with moveable parts.  The illustrator is Mark Robertson, whose work I have always admired and whom I always hoped to work with at Frances Lincoln.

Egmont publish a UK edition with a different cover in October, just in time for Christmas. It's my first book for Egmont, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

2 August 2011

Templar UK has set a date for the paperback edition of FIREBIRD.  It's August 2012.  A long time to wait for those who prefer paperbacks to hardbacks but Catherine and I will plan something special for the launch.  There will be a launch party at the famous SALTS BOOKSHOP in Salts Mill in my hometown of Saltaire, and a performance at WRITE AWAY's new home in London.  

Watch this space! 

My CHILDREN'S STORIES FROM THE BIBLE has just been published in Indonesia.  This is a welcome first for me; I have never had a book published in Indonesian before.  I'm asuming the book is in Indonesian, of course.  It could be in a langauge, or even a dialect, I do not associate with Indonesia.

I hope kids there enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.  

HANSEL AND GRETEL

June is going to be an exciting month.  I have a new series coming out - GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES. There will be 8 standalone books, each one featuring a classic story from the Brothers Grimm.

The illustrations by Cecilia Johanssen are a delight.  Scary but at the same time sweet. I shall be using the stories in schools a lot in the autumn term.

ORCHARD BOOKS are reissuing The Sleeping Princess with a brand new cover by the wonderful Emma Chichister-Clark. They're also changing the title to bring the book in line with their best-selling gift books series.  

I'm not sure what the publication date is yet but I'll keep everyone posted!   I'll be promoting this and the series GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES later on in the year, so look out for lots of gruesome stories in my school and bookshop visits.