Growing Up & Facts of Life

Based on the original stories by Michael Bond, a funny, festive Paddington adventure with real mail to open and enjoy!

This funny interactive picture book follows Paddington as he does his best to help the Brown family get ready for a very special Christmas. Open the five envelopes inside and find an Advent calendar, Paddington’s home-made Christmas card to Aunt Lucy, a bear-shaped Christmas tree decoration . . . and more!

Paddington is looking forward to Christmas, and from making cards to writing to Santa there is certainly a lot to keep him busy!

Stories of Paddington Bear have delighted children all over the world for more than sixty-five years.

Michael Bond’s book ‘Paddington’s Easter Egg Hunt’ was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 03-04-2023.

Read more

Enjoy eight hilarious stories of everyone’s favourite bear, Paddington, in this special gift-set carry case. Paddington is now a major movie star!

Stories of Paddington Bear have delighted children around the world for more than sixty years.

Read about Paddington’s trip to the seaside, his encounters with the hungry inhabitants of a zoo and much more in these eight funny picture books!

Inside you will find:

Paddington and the Busy Day
Paddington and the Marmalade Maze
Paddington and the Tutti Frutti Rainbow
Paddington at the Fair
Paddington at the Palace
Paddington at the Zoo
Paddington Minds the House
Paddington the Artist

Michael Bond’s book ‘Paddington’s Easter Egg Hunt’ was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 03-04-2023.

Read more

Read more

Ruby Palace is no place for pets! But Princess Bea won’t let royal rules stop her from helping animals in need.

Bea gets a big surprise when she discovers a beautiful pony alone on the beach. Bea is determined to find Sandy’s owner, if only the pony would stay put! Can Bea find Sandy’s home before the pony runs into trouble?

From Paula Harrison, author of the Rescue Princesses and Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue series. With a shiny foil cover and beautifully illustrated throughout by Olivia Chin Mueller, this is the perfect book for animal-mad young readers aged seven and up.

Related activity sheets are available on the Nosy Crow website. Check out Princess Bea’s other adventures: The Naughty Kitten, The Lost Puppy, The Snowy Reindeer and more!

Read more

Written by a clinical social worker and child therapist with experience in anti-bias training and edited by a diversity expert, Race Cars tells the story of 2 best friends, a white car and a black car, that have different experiences and face different rules while entering the same race.

Filled with bright, attention-grabbing illustrations, a notes and activities section at the back helps parents, guardians and teachers further discuss these issues with children.

Why is this book important? As early as 6 months old, a baby’s brain can notice race-based differences; children ages 2 to 4 can internalise racial bias and start assigning meaning to race; and 5- to 8-year-olds begin to place value judgments on similarities and differences. By age 12, children have a complete set of stereotypes about every racial, ethnic and religious group in society. Our guidance is especially crucial during this impressionable time.

Race Cars offers a simple, yet powerful, way to introduce these complicated themes to our children and is a valuable addition to classroom and home libraries.
“… a great tool for helping young people understand structural racial inequality—and the importance of challenging it!” – Margaret A. Hagerman, Associate Professor of Sociology, Author of White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America

“… can jumpstart important conversations with children about racism, white privilege, and how to fight racial injustice in their own lives.” – Marianne Celano, New York Times bestselling co-author of Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice

Read more

Seven-year-old Rick and his beloved dog Koko are inseparable. They cavort in the swimming hole, chase each other through the fields, play fetch and wrestle. But their relationship changes as Koko grows old and his health declines.

With Koko’s passing, Rick is devastated. But then one night, he is woken by Buster, a flatulent but well-intentioned messenger dog, who suddenly appears at the boy’s bedside. Buster ferries Rick to a magical paradise for pets where Rick is reunited with Koko; it fills Rick’s heart with joy. It’s a place where cats burrow through fields of catnip, no couch is off-limits to dogs and frisbees are flung endlessly. This mysterious adventure is truly a holiday miracle!

Adrian Raeside captures the special bond between humans and their pets, and with marvelous illustrations, brings a gentle humour to a story that will resonate with children and pet lovers of all ages.

Read more

Read more

Welcome to Shadowhall Academy, where spirits haunt the school halls. A brilliantly spooky new series from the author of Aveline Jones.

I heard a tapping noise, right by my head. Like there was someone in the wall trying to get my attention…

When Lilian Jones starts at creepy, cold and bewilderingly large Shadowhall Academy, she’s nervous about making friends and finding her way around, but those turn out to be the least of her worries when strange things start happening at school.

Tapping in the walls, unsettling tales of missing students, and rumours that the school is haunted… When mysterious figures start appearing at night, looking exactly like the girls themselves, Lilian suspects there may be more to the bizarre happenings than just stories, and her school is hiding real secrets.

Realising her new friends could be in danger, Lilian sets out to solve the mysteries of Shadowhall Academy once and for all…

Read more

WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
WINNER OF THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2023!
 

‘Steadman has a vast imagination, her world-building is a joy, the battle scenes are thrilling and her characters charm.’ – The Times Children’s Book of the Week
‘Pacy, enthralling and epic, a gripping read.’ – Louie Stowell, author of Loki and Otherland 
‘A dazzling feat of imagination. I loved every breathless moment of it!’ – Cat Doyle, author of The Storm Keeper’s Island and co-author of Twin Crowns
‘The best book I’ve ever read.’ – Patrick, age 10

Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith has only ever wanted to be a unicorn rider. To be one of the lucky few selected to hatch a unicorn. To bond with it for life; to train together and race for glory; to be a hero.
 
But just as Skandar’s dream is about to come true, things start to take a more dangerous turn than he could ever have imagined. A dark and twisted enemy has stolen the Island’s most powerful unicorn – and as the threat grows ever closer, Skandar discovers a secret that could blow apart his world forever . . .
 
Get ready for unlikely HEROES, elemental MAGIC, sky battles, ancient secrets, nail-biting races and FEROCIOUS UNICORNS, in this EPIC ADVENTURE series that will have your heart soaring.

THE EPIC ADVENTURE CONTINUES . . . Skandar and the Phantom Rider is out now! And be one of the first to read the highly-anticipated third story, coming in April 2024. Pre-order now!

Praise for Skandar and the Unicorn Thief: 

‘My book of the year. Not since Harry Potter have I felt this excited about a series. Readers are sure to be clamouring for the next book. You’ll never look at unicorns the same way again, nor will you want to!’ – Dominique Valente, author of the Starfell series
 
‘Never have unicorns been so ferocious, fearsome and thrilling! A fantastically gripping read!’ – Laura Ellen Anderson, author of Amelia Fang and Rainbow Grey
 
‘A magnificent book. I raced through it – at turns enthralled, delighted, amazed. It’s everything I could have wanted and more. No doubt this book is going to fly.’ – Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear
 
‘Skandar and the Unicorn Thief brims with wild adventure, fierce sky battles, elemental magic, ferocious unicorns and a terrifying enemy. Steadman’s cinematic writing draws you in from the very first page, creating a hugely compelling, unforgettable read. Endlessly thrilling, unputdownable and utterly unmissable.’ – Aisling Fowler, author of Fireborn
 
‘A. F. Steadman has created a stunning new world that feels both familiar and fresh, with a cast of characters that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.’ –Tọlá Okogwu, author of Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun

‘Perfect for those who have consumed the Harry Potter books and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy and are looking for their next fictional feast.’ – The Sunday Times

Read more

“Guess what!” said Amy. “It’s my birthday next week and my mum says I can invite all my special friends for a sleepover party.”

You’re invited to the ultimate sleepover!

Amy, Bella, Chloe, Daisy and Emily are best friends at school, they even have their own Alphabet Club (just look at their initials!). Daisy is the newest member, she’s desperate to fit in, even though Chloe is VERY unfriendly to her at times.

And, when the girls start planning sleepovers for their birthdays, Daisy starts dreading her own.

She doesn’t know what her friends will make of her older sister . .

From bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson, Sleepovers is a funny but moving tale exploring bullying, disability and friendship. It is the perfect book to introduce young readers to the world of Jaqueline Wilson, one of the country’s most beloved authors.

Has all the Jacqueline Wilson hallmarks of humour, good sense and a profound realism – Independent

And now, discover the sequel to Sleepovers, THE BEST SLEEPOVER IN THE WORLD.

Read more

So You’ve Adopted a Sibling features charming illustrations from Marlow’s daughter, a real 5 year old big sister. The engaging story is told in the voice of a young child who is enjoying being a big sister through adoption, and shares her top tips for other children who have a younger brother or sister who has joined their family through adoption. The story touches upon some of the emotions and changes to routine that children may experience in the early months as a big brother or sister.

Marlow is a biological and adoptive mother, and understands the challenges faced by parents who adopt after having a biological child. Most children have an established routine by the time they move to their adoptive family, and one of the primary goals of the adoptive family is to try to minimise the changes to this routine during transitions, to help the adopted child to settle in. Marlow found that this meant that there were quite a lot of changes to her biological daughter’s routines, so they worked together to write this story to help other parents to support their children through this.

This story is suitable for birth/biological children, as well as elder siblings who were adopted/placed in an adoptive family themselves prior to their younger sibling joining the family.

Praise for Delly Duck: Why A Little Chick Couldn’t Stay With His Birth Mother

“One of the best Adoption books of all time” – BookAuthority

“…a beautifully illustrated children’s story book, explaining big issues like adoption and fostering, in an age appropriate way.” – We Made A Wish adoption magazine

“…Delly Duck is a great choice for adopted and fostered children to explain adoption or support therapeutic life story work. The book can be used to help answer difficult and emotive questions…” – Maggie and Rose Book Adventurers

“A fantastic book for Parents, Foster Parents, Adoptive Parents, Legal Guardians, Kinship Carers, Social Workers, Play Therapists or Teachers… I can thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who is adopting, fostering, or is a child’s Legal Guardian… I love the way the book shows the love, and loss of the birth parent, and highlights the fact that sometimes a birth parent is simply not equipped with the necessary skills to keep their child safe consistently.
This beautiful, sensitively written story explains why a child may need to be removed from their birth parent, and explores in a gentle way the emotions felt by parent and child, and the roles other people play in protecting the child, and offering the child a loving, safe environment…” – Icing on the Bake

Please click on the author’s name to see more titles by Holly Marlow.

Read more

Squirty Fish is the perfect waterproof book for baby’s bath time!

With bright and engaging illustrations of sea creatures from Kay Vincent and an inbuilt squirter, Squirty Fish makes bath time as much fun as possible for carers, parents and babies.

Turn the pages together, read the gentle rhyming story about animals in a pond – and squirt some water! The waterproof pages are durable, safe and wipe-clean for hygiene.

You can also enjoy bath time with Squirty Duck.

Read more

Yeah they call me Growls, I’m like a tiger on the prowl.
King of jungles so you better take a bow.
King of concrete so you better say it loud!

Shaun (aka MC Growls) is ready to drop his best bars and smash the competition at Raptology. That way, he’s convinced Tanisha, his crush, will finally give him a chance.

But when a livestream practice goes epically wrong, Growls’s dirty laundry is literally exposed. He’s finally achieved his dreams of going viral – not in the good way.

Now Tanisha won’t look at him, he’s the joke of the school and there’s no way he can show his face at the competition. Will he ever catch a break?

Then a new girl on the block appears who might be just the friend Growls needs. Especially when she points out that Raptology could be the answer to his problems after all. . .

STEP UP TO THE MIC! It’s MC Growls and he’s ready for this. He’s steady for this. It’s comeback season and they call him comeback king for a reason.

A hilarious debut from breakout star Nathanael Lessore, perfect for teen readers of Alex Wheatle and Jason Reynolds.

Read more

Treehouse is getting festive! With lots of Christmas laughs at every level in The 156-Storey Treehouse, from the worldwide bestselling Treehouse series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton.

They’ve added 13 new levels, including a wishing well, a world-record breaking level, a T.V quiz show (hosted by Quizzy the quizzical quizbot) and an amazing mind-reading sandwich-making machine!

It’s the night before Christmas, but it’s not going well for Andy and Terry – they’re at war with an angry snowman, Santa has crashed his sleigh and fallen into the cloning machine, and Mr. Big Nose wants a new book by tomorrow!

Can they defeat the snowman, save Christmas, and get their book written in time?

Well, what are you waiting for? Come on up!

Read more

*10 Million Children Laughing Worldwide*

There are lots of laughs at every level in The 169-Storey Treehouse, the last book in the worldwide bestselling Treehouse series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton.

Andy and Terry have added thirteen new levels and built their biggest and most astonishing treehouse yet! It has everything they – and you – could wish for including: an electric pony stable, a NOISY level, a weather dome (where you can have whatever weather you want whenever you want it), and an 100% edible gingerbread house and a potato-powered translation transmitter that allows you to talk to everything everywhere all at the same time.

There’s also a hall of funhouse mirrors, which is the perfect place to hide from Mr Bunkoff who is trying to catch Andy, Terry and Jill in order to send them to school.

But Anti-Andy, Terrible Terry and Junkyard Jill, their trouble-making opposites, are trapped in one of the mirrors ― and they want out. (Oh, and Mr Big Nose wants them to write their book . . . RIGHT NOW.)

Can our heroes escape school, defeat their doppelgängers AND meet their book deadline?

Well, what are you waiting for? Come on up!

Read more