Month: April 2023

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News: New Stitch Head Graphic Novel and feature film release

Little Tiger is working with the author and illustrator duo behind its bestselling STITCH HEAD series on at least two graphic novels featuring the much-loved hero. Guy Bass and Pete Williamson are bringing their unforgettable creation back to almost-life in glorious full-colour. World all language rights in Bass’s adaptation of the text were bought from Isobel Gahan at Curtis Brown by Associate Publisher Jane Harris. Art Director Charlie Moyler acquired World Rights in Williamson’s art from Alice Williams at Alice Williams Literary. The deal covers two volumes, adapting the first two novels in the original series.

The original STITCH HEAD novel was first published in 2011. Over 260,000 copies have been sold across the six books in the series in the UK alone. The books have been published in 16 languages and Little Tiger is relaunching the original novels in North America through their US-based Tiger Tales imprint, with the first two books publishing in April 2023.

An animated feature film adaptation of the first book is currently in production with Gringo Films. The voice cast is led by Asa Butterfield (Sex Education) as the eponymous hero. Butterfield is joined by a stellar line-up including, Joel Fry (Cruella) as the Creature, Rob Brydon (Gavin & Stacey) as Professor Erasmus, Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey) as Nan, Tia Bannon as Arabella, and comedians Fern Brady and Jamali Maddix voicing members of Fulbert Freakfinder’s sideshow.

Deep in the maze-like dungeons of Castle Grotteskew, a young Professor Erasmus created Stitch Head, a small, almost-human creature. His experiments continued, filling the castle with creations so fabulously monstrous that Stitch Head was long cast aside. But loyal Stitch Head did not forget their promise to be friends forever, and thus spends his days wrangling a long line of the professor’s rampaging monsters, in an effort to protect both his home and his beloved master. Until a travelling circus ringmaster knocks at the castle door, promising to make Stitch Head a star. Is this Stitch Head’s chance to venture beyond the castle walls? Or could he be making a terrible mistake…?

Guy Bass said:

β€œAs a life-long fan of comic books, I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Little Tiger to give Stitch Head the graphic novel treatment. It could only have happened with Pete Williamson, who illustrated the novels, and I’m ecstatic that he’s on board to help bring Stitch Head to almost-life all over again. I can’t wait to introduce this adaptation of Stitch Head to readers old and new – and in full colour, no less!”

Pete Williamson said: β€œIt’s been wonderful to collaborate with Guy and the folk at Little Tiger once again, and it’s particularly exciting to apply our shared love for, and excitement about, the comics/graphic novel medium to Stitch Head. It’s a perfect fit – Guy’s brilliant storytelling and my artwork really open up the world of Stitch Head in a completely new way. This is the most fun I’ve ever had in illustration.”

Jane Harris said: β€œAfter welcoming Stitch Head to our list twelve years ago, I’m utterly delighted to see this best-selling creation step out of the shadows into a brand-new format. Guy and Pete have worked tirelessly to distil Stitch Head’s darkly comic world into a stunning full-colour graphic novel, and I couldn’t be prouder of the book they’ve created. It’s sure to delight Stitch Headfans and introduce his monstrous adventures to a whole new legion of readers.”

Little Tiger will publish Stitch Head: The Graphic Novel in February 2024 with Stitch Head: The Pirate’s Eye: A Graphic Novel following in February 2025.

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Acquisition Announcement: Becoming Brave – a heartfelt biographical picture book about love, grief and believing in yourself.

Little Tiger to publish Becoming Brave – a heartfelt biographical picture book about love, grief and believing in yourself from double debut Jennie Cashman Wilson and Tomekah George.

Managing Editor Nicola Edwards acquired world rights in all languages for Cashman’s lyrical text, working editorially on the title alongside Senior Editor Isabel Otter. Illustrator Tomekah George was brought on board by Art Director Emma Jennings.

Following Jennie and her relationship with her late husband, critically acclaimed jazz musician Abram Wilson, Becoming BraveΒ is both an exploration of grief and a celebration of courage. Jennie Cashman Wilson is the founder of The Abram Wilson charity – an organisation that works to open doors to minoritised young talent in the music industry. You can read more about their aims here.

If you want to try new things, you have to be brave. But you can’t be brave without also being scared.

While Jennie grew up wanting to please other people, Abram followed his heart from an early age. The two couldn’t have been more different, and yet when they met Jennie fell in love with Abram’s fearlessness.

But when life takes a turn for the worse and Abram is no longer by Jennie’s side, will she find her own courage?Β 

This poignant and heartfelt picture book explores themes of love, grief and believing in yourself in a gentle and uplifting way. With a contemporary setting and characters that many readers will relate to, this book is great for inspiring children and starting important conversations.Β 

Cashman Wilson says: β€œThe first time I told the Becoming Brave story was to an audience of about 1,000 primary-school children at Birmingham Symphony Hall. It was my sixth and final year of getting up on stage and telling these bright young things stories about courage and fear, me and Abram. When I got off stage someone suggested I turn the story into a children’s book. This turned out to be the spark of an idea that quickly snowballed into what eventually became an actual, real-life children’s book. Becoming Brave has been a journey in itself, weathering the formal withdrawal of the UK from the EU, a global pandemic, a war in Ukraine and a cost-of-living crisis. It feels like if ever there were a time for courage it is now. I feel deeply privileged to have had the opportunity to share mine and Abram’s story in such a beautiful and creative way and I’m so grateful to Little Tiger for involving me in the process in the way they did. I’m also indebted to Tomekah George who worked so hard on making mine and Abram’s story come to life, I couldn’t have asked for a better illustrator. Her involvement in this book has been a crucial part of the Becoming Brave journey and I’m extremely thankful to Little Tiger for investing the time and resources that are so necessary to develop emerging talent. I hope you enjoy reading Becoming Brave as much as we enjoyed making it.”

Edwards commented: You know some manuscripts are special the moment they cross your desk, and that was unquestionably the case with Jennie’s deeply moving story of love and loss. It explores not only grief but the way that fear and bravery are inextricably linked and that our hard times can be the catalyst for real and positive change. Jennie’s passion for helping young people find their power really shines through in this inspirational story of what it means to face our fears and live boldly, no matter what life throws at us along the way.

Jennings added: We knew we needed to find a very special illustrator to bring this true story of love, loss and hope to life. As soon as we saw Tomekah’s portfolio we fell in love with her striking, dynamic artwork and knew that she would be able to visually explore the nature of fear and bravery. Her emotive illustrations perfectly captured the different energies of Abram and Jennie’s characters and evoked the spirit of jazz music that infuses the story. She was a joy to work with!

George commented: β€œI’m honoured to be a part of sharing such a beautiful story, I can’t wait to see it in the wild!”

Little Tiger will publish Becoming Brave in August 2023.

About the Abram Wilson charity: Abram Wilson was a critically acclaimed and award-winning jazz trumpeter musician from New Orleans, who made London his home and forged a name for himself on the UK jazz scene. By 2012 he was at the height of his creative abilities and in the middle of a UK tour with his band when he became increasingly unwell. Abram died a few weeks later on Saturday 9th June from cancer. He was 38.

www.abramwilson.com

His wife and manager Jennie Cashman Wilson founded the Abram Wilson charity in his memory. She says:

β€œThroughout his career, Abram touched thousands of lives with his music, workshops and projects. He was a creative spirit but he knew that building a career as a freelance musician was really tough.Β  Someone of his ability and stature could have played with anybody, yet time and time again he would take on much younger, less experienced musicians and mentor, educate and encourage them. When Abram died, the kernel of an idea to somehow continue the work that we had begun together was formed.”

That idea has since grown into the Abram Wilson charity today. Abram’s experiences have influenced how the charity’s programmes happen, as part of an exciting and thriving UK jazz scene. The Abram Wilson charity continues to work hard to inspire a new generation of talent that is representative of the society we live in.

Β 

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Q&A with Above and Below: Sea and Shore author, Harriet Evans


 

 

 

 

Above and Below is a unique split page and lift-the-flap book, can you explain how the book works?

The book showcases eight watery habitats from across the world, with facts about the creatures and plants that inhabit these places – or their geological features – on the left and Hannah Bailey’s beautiful illustrations on the right. Each artwork is divided into two using a split-page flap that allows the reader to delve further into these underwater worlds to discover what lies beneath the waves.

Β What kinds of areas of the world do you cover in the book?

We journey all around the planet, taking in some of the magnificent marine life along the way! From the sandy shallows of the British coastline to the amazing mangrove forests of Asia and from colourful coral reefs to the darkest depths of the deep ocean, there should be something to capture every young nature-lover’s imagination!Β Β 

Did you have to do a lot of research the content in the book, how did you go about deciding which facts to cover?

I definitely did have to research the places – sadly my knowledge of habitats isn’t quite encyclopaedic just yet! I love finding stories in nature, so I was particularly drawn to the facts that helped me imagine the lives of the animals I was writing about or that challenged my expectations of these creatures. For example, did you know that seagulls stamp on the ground to imitate the sound of rainfall and trick worms out into the open where they can be quickly gobbled up? Or that plover birds build fake nests to draw predators away from their hatchlings?

How do you make the subjects you cover engaging for your readers?

Β I tried to pick a mixture of different creatures – some that readers would know and enjoy spotting but also animals that they might not have encountered before like the opalescent nudibranch (great name!) or the Irrawaddy dolphin. Similarly, we took care to pick a variety of different locations so we could have a broad sweep of different animals, plants and geographic features.

What do you think of the look of the finished book, with illustrations by Hannah Bailey? Are there any spreads that stand out for you?

Hannah Bailey’s illustrations are completely gorgeous, so I was thrilled! She’s a master at adding small details that make the whole habitat come to life and was so skilled at the shifts of perspective that you need for the split-page novelty to work. I love all the spreads but the kelp forest one has a special place in my heart. Otters are one of my favourite animals and I think Hannah’s depiction of the harbour seal and leopard shark on this spread are beautiful too!

 

 

Other than some fascinating insights into our world, what would you like young readers to take from your book?

That our planet is a much weirder and more wonderful place than we often remember. Learning more about the Earth’s incredible habitats – some of which are on our doorstep – can encourage us to live more thoughtfully and be aware that we share this world and have a responsibility to protect it.

How do you think this book could be used in classrooms?

One of the things I love about this series is how it taps into your curiosity – what else could be hiding inside a habitat? What might come out at night or what lived there eons before? Perhaps teachers could give each child their own simple seascape picture and assign them different oceans to use as inspiration to draw and write about underwater worlds. Or maybe they could read the book in class together and each child could choose an animal or plant and research it further to present their findings to the class? For younger children, perhaps you could match the animals mentioned to their habitat. It could be a great way to think about how different creatures are adapted to where they live and the relationships that we all have with our homes.