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We are delighted to reveal today the fabulous cover of Inside Story: the wonderful world of writing, illustrating and publishing children’s books, which is being published by UPA Books in May 2022. UPA Books is the new collaborative imprint between ourselves and Little Pink Dog Books, and is part of our joint United Publishers of Armidale initiative.

The cover was designed by Rae Ainsworth, and features gorgeous illustrations by Patricia Ward, Fiona McDonald, Amy Golbach and Kathy Creamer.

Watch here too a short video about how the cover was created:

We are entering the final week of the crowdfunding campaign for the book: don’t miss out on securing your own pre-order copy of the book! Here’s the link to the campaign and a link to the update where you can also see the cover and the video.

We are pleased to announce that Ian Irvine’s exciting fantasy quartet ,The Sorcerer’s Tower, which we published in omnibus print form in Second Look in 2017, has now also been released in ebook format, published by the Santhenar Trust. You can get it as an omnibus ebook edition, or as the separate four books.

And of course you can still buy the print edition!

We’ve partnered with the fabulous Granny Fi’s Toy Cupboard to offer readers a great EOFY sale on all our ‘Two Tales’ series of picture-book titles and some anthologies as well! Head over there to select gorgeous books at excellent prices!

We are delighted to announce our forthcoming chapter-book title, Petal and the Really Hard Riddle, by Kathryn England, with cover and internal illustrations by David Allan. It will be  published on August 12, and is intended for readers 6-9 years old(and for younger kids too, as a read-aloud!).

We’re also delighted to reveal the cover of the book–illustration by David Allan, design by Authors’ Elves. Isn’t it gorgeous!

Here’s a bit about the story:

Petal’s father likes to boast about his daughter. According to him she can do anything. One day, a particularly over-the-top boast about her spinning skill makes its way across the land into the King’s ear and Petal is brought to the palace. The King orders Petal to demonstrate her skill. With no hope of doing what her father says she can do, Petal agrees to a deal offered by a tricky old man who will carry out the task if she can answer a really hard riddle. But surely it can’t be that hard, can it?

A lively, funny take on Rumpeltstiltskin.

About the author:

Kathryn England lives in Penrith in Sydney’s outer west. She has been a secretary, part owner of a milk run, farm hand and sales rep for a book supply company. She has had a number of children’s books published ranging from picture books and easy reads to chapter books, novels and non-fiction. Other stories and articles have appeared in children’s magazines here and overseas. Some of her stories come from her imagination while others are based on fact.

About the illustrator:

David Allan is an illustrator and artist whose first picture book, Two Trickster Tales from Russia(retold by Sophie Masson) was published by Christmas Press in 2013. Since then, he has illustrated three other acclaimed picture books for Christmas Press: Two Tales of Twins from Ancient Greece and Rome(retold by Ursula Dubosarsky, 2014); Two Tengu Tales from Japan(retold by Duncan Ball, 2015) and Two Enchanted Tales from Old China(retold by Gabrielle Wang, 2017). He has also illustrated short story anthologies, including The Stuff of Tales, published by Arts North West in 2018, and several Christmas Press anthologies, as well as storybooks for reading programs. His work is in private and public collections, and he has participated in solo and group exhibitions. www.davidallanart.com

 

 

 

We have a fantastic new title, Max Fatchen’s A Pocketful of Rhymes, coming out soon in our Second Look imprint, which republishes great out of print Australian children’s books, and today are delighted to reveal the fabulous cover for the book! With lively cover and internal illustrations by Kathy Creamer, and a great introduction to Max and his work by Janeen Brian, this new edition will bring this much-loved classic collection of children’s poetry to a whole new generation of readers. It’s out on May 8.

Today is the day our new Eagle Books title, the historical thriller Jack of Spades, is officially released! And to celebrate, the fabulous people at Kids Book Review are running a fun giveaway competition. Head over there and try your luck!

Just came across another great review of A Toy Christmas, in Buzz Words magazine.

Here’s a short extract:

Illustrated in full color, the anthology is the perfect book to tap into the gathering Christmas cheer, not just for this year, but for many Christmases to come.

You can read the full review here.

 

Just in time for Christmas a lovely review of A Toy Christmas has appeared in Reading Time. Here’s an extract:

The anthology is an unexpected treat – this time of year is often filled with tradition, which is lovely, but sometimes it can mean that the beauty of something different is lost in the race to maintain traditions. Christmas stories are one of those elements that could use a refresh, while maintaining the spirit of the holidays, and that’s exactly what this anthology does.

This is a book filled with modern stories, with a touch of the traditional and humorous. I didn’t expect the anthology to touch on such topics like the loss of a loved one, or that others have different Christmas traditions to celebrate. Christmas is always a joyous time of year, but these stories remind young readers about the magic of Christmas, while giving the idea of Christmas stories a modern, Australian refresh.

You can read the whole thing here. 

And those great reviews keep rolling in for Trolls! The latest is from Buzz Words magazine. Here’s a short extract:

Here is another classic offering from Christmas Press that will leave young readers wanting to explore more enchanting international folktales.

You can read the whole thing here.