Ivy Bird sold to North America

Jess Racklyeft and our publisher at Windy Hollow, Cristina Pase, are absolutely delighted to release Ivy Bird into North America in 2020. Rights have been sold to Blue Dot Kids Press, a new children's publisher based in San Francisco.

Ivy will be one of several books launching Blue Dot's inaugural season, and we couldn't be more thrilled. Just look at this gorgeous, quirky line-up - so exciting!

Ivy Bird Auction!

In celebration of the release of Ivy Bird, my latest picture book with Jess Racklyeft (Windy Hollow Books), I’m auctioning two of the birds I crocheted to celebrate the book. All proceeds (less postage) will be donated to Bird Life Australia, an organisation dedicated to creating a bright future for Australian birds.

To partake, head to my INSTAGRAM account.  

Auction runs until Saturday 14 September, 5pm, Sydney time. Bids are in Australian dollars.

Each bird has a reserve of AU$50. Bidding must be in increments of $5. Smaller bids won’t apply.

To bid, leave a comment stating the bird you are bidding on and the bid price (e.g. PEDRO $55). Bid as many times as you like.

The last bids for both birds will win – please note that the bids MUST have been placed BEFORE the clock ticks over to 5pm.

Birds can only be posted within Australia.

Winners will find some little surprises in their package along with the birds.

Winners will be tagged straight after auction and will be private messaged for postal addresses. PLEASE NOTE: winners have 24 hours to respond to the message and to send payment before I offer to the next bidder. I will outline payment options in the private message.

ABOUT THE BIRDS

COSSIMA THE CANARY is an actress and singer. She's stylish, sleek and has a magical voice. She can often be found in the world's finest jazz bars (where she's been likened to Edith Piaf), but she loves nothing more than singing along to an audio book. Her favourite book is Ivy Bird. Cossima measures 30cm from head to claws.

PEDRO THE PEACOCK may look showy, but he's humble and extremely intelligent. He likes to spend his time exploring and solving problems, and especially loves analysing the impact humans are having on climate change. At night, he simply adores wrapping his feathers around a good book. His favourite book is Ivy Bird.

Birds are handmade, with no removable parts.

Learn more about the book, Ivy Bird, right here. 

Hello, almost Spring! book production, events, Book Week, book gobbling, costumes, illustration, apps, everything!

Hello, peeps. How is your winter going? Cosy? Good. Perfect book-reading weather (though which weather is not perfect for book reading?).

It's been a heads-down time of late, so I'm coming up for air before diving back in again. I'm squirrelling away on Book 2 of my junior fiction series, Evie and Pog, before diving into my next NLA book with Stephanie Owen Reeder. Then it's on to Book 3 of Evie and Pog, which I hope to finish mid-January, and somewhere Christmas might be (I said might be) wedge in between!

I'm also resurfacing because this is my favourite time of year - so much happening, especially CBCA Book Week. There's a heap of glorious KidLit events happening, too. See my recent post on the opening of the Story Time Australian Children's Literature Exhibition right here.

I'm starting this post with Story Box Library. I have always loved what they do. I still remember when Nicole Brownlee started the site, and it continues to go from strength to strength. It was a joy and an honour to film with them at the National Library of Australia recently, where I recorded two story readings--one of them Mamie. (Will reveal the second one soon!)

I recently gifted a SBL subscription to my little great niece Lexi, so she can see her great aunt reading Mamie (of which she has a copy) and so she can enjoy the jam-packed line-up of story readings. I love that her mum and dad know how important books are for little ones. Anyhoo, I can't recommend SBL heartily enough--for both schools and home. What a treat to immerse in brilliant stories, read by a cornucopia of talent.

Here is my Mamie preview, below, or you can view it on the SBL site right here. We also filmed a little bonus video where I show original artwork and talk about the production process behind the book. You can see it, and my SBL Testimonial, right here.

The Ivy Bird BIRD CREW!

Finally, I have Ivy Bird in my clutches! Copies arrived this morning and I've been peeping like a chick over the divine production values--beautiful paper, stunning colour. Very happy! And to celebrate their arrival, of course, I had to have a photo shoot.

Introducing the Ivy Bird Bird Crew. I've spent the last couple of months hooking these darlings, with mountains of yarn and stuffing for plump tummies and thighs. Some of these birds will soon be flying the nest ... one will be given away on Kids' Book Review, along with a copy of the book (signed by moi!). 

bird costume ideas for little ones - celebrating Ivy Bird

In just two weeks, Ivy Bird will take flight! Release date is 1 September, and in celebration, here are some fabulous dress-up ideas for the little chicks in your life. Or the big chicks. {Watercolour images from the book by Jess Racklyeft.}

Ivy Bird loves to play dress-ups. From warbling in the early morning light like a magpie to donning her owl hat to hoot in the dark at bedtime, she takes great delight in mimicking her bird friends. It might be a very special red robin outfit, a peacock tail of leaves and flowers in the garden, or a rainbow lorikeet cape to help her fly with her feathered friends.

It's time to play dress-ups!

Ivy Bird - COVER REVEAL!

I'm absolutely delighted to reveal the cover for Ivy Bird, my next book with the illustrious Jess Racklyeft - about a little girl and her obsession with the beauty of birds. Ideal for early childhood, the book also features some wonderful, accessible bird facts.

I really love this book, and Jess's illos melt my heart. You can PRE-ORDER Ivy Bird, and look out for its appearance on shelves this September, thanks to Windy Hollow Books. An internal page peek, below!

a wintry warmer and book peeks

I don't know about you, but I'm shivering in my ugg boots this early morning as I type up this blog post, warmed by a hot water with lemon and a little blow heater at my feet. Yesterday I clicked send on a final draft for my large format picture book for Hardie Grant Travel. My divine editor will be working her magic these coming weeks. Not much rest, though, as today I'm diving back into my junior fiction series, Evie and Pog (and will be underwater again for quite a while), so I wanted to say hi and send some pretty pictures and a few little happenings before I disappear again.

The first and most important thing I want to tell you is that I've rediscovered gypsophila. I remember wearing a baby's breath crown at my Debut ahem-years-ago (Debut? yes, that's how old I am) and I think the '80s ruined this flower (along with any form of dress sense and style, and let's not even mention the hair). But just look at this blossomy cloud, en masse, above. Is it not beautiful? So, I declare gypsophila so very much back, baby. I'm sure those little white buds have their own light source.

Ivy Bird in Collins Booksellers' Kids Reading Guide 2019

Ivy Bird in the Collins Kids Reading Guide for 2019