FOREIGN RIGHTS CATALOGUE FRANKFURT 2024
KIND LITTLE HUMANS
Susan Hayes & Dorothy Lou
Ages 2+ | 175 x 175 mm | 10pp | £8.99
Board Book | Spot UV
A series of First Words and First Numbers for little ones learning about sharing, kindness and how to be Kind Little Humans!
Adorable characters introduce new words such as “smile”, “friend”, and “give” along with new numbers from one to ten, using phrases like "one toothy grin" and "two outstretched arms" to teach positive behaviours. The perfect gift for new parents and their little ones.
Susan Hayes is a best-selling author of children's books. Susan lives in the East Sussex countryside, UK with her children, her partner, and her huge black cat, Miro.
Dorothy Lou, also known as Luoluo, is an award-winning freelance illustrator based in London who specialises in creating vivid digital illustrations for editorial, picture books
GUESS WHO?
Owen Davey
Ages 2+ | 175 x 175 mm | 10pp | £8.99
Cased Board Book
A lift-the-flap guessing game series from award-winning illustrator Owen Davey. Lift the flaps to reveal playful clues and then guess which animal is hiding behind them. Can you guess who’s waiting to say hello? This is a brand-new board book series exploring four different habitats – jungle, forest, seaside, and desert – and the animals that live within.
Owen Davey is a freelance illustrator living in Leicester, UK. He graduated with a first-class degree in Illustration from Falmouth University and his work has since been published on every continent except Antarctica. He has also worked for clients such as The New York Times, Microsoft and Orange.
Rights sold: Dutch
lift the flap series
THE GREAT OAK TREE
Zoë Armstrong & Amélie Videlo
Ages 3+ | 270 x 230 mm | 32pp | £12.99
Hardback | Emboss
Discover the enchanting world of nature's resilience and the unbreakable bonds between a curious blackbird, a wise owl and a steadfast guardian tree in this beautifully illustrated, lyrical non-fiction picture book.
When a little blackbird questions why an old oak tree just stands there doing nothing, a gentle journey of discovery begins. We see all the ways
in which the tree is, in fact, very busy. We learn about how the tree is central to its ecosystem – the many ways in which it offers shelter and sustenance to the wildlife all around. And when the tree itself is under attack, the blackbird is quick to help defend it.
Zoë Armstrong grew up in Oxford and Paris and is a graduate of the Golden Egg Academy’s Picture Book Programme. In 2018, she won a SCBWI contest to have her work illustrated live at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and in 2019, she received the SCBWI Margaret Carey Scholarship for Picture Book Writers. Zoë lives in Brighton, UK with her daughter.
Amélie Videlo is a French-Mauritian illustrator based in the United Kingdom. She loves creating illustrations of rich flora and playful characters. She is a prolific illustrator in her home country of France, where she has published dozens of books. Internationally, she has worked for clients such as Beaming Books, Usborne, Nosy Crow and Zillow Group.
THE LAST STARDOG: THE COMET'S SHIP
E.K. Mosley
Ages 5+ | 215 x 255 mm | 40pp | £15.99
Hardback | Gold Foil and Pearlescent Ink
Enter the stunning world of The Last Stardog, discover her story and the joy and strength to be found in friendship, love, and discovering who you are.
After falling to Earth, Stardog had lost all her magic. Her friends had helped restore two stars in her star crown; the Dream Star’s magic of light and the Falling Star’s magic to grow… But, the Flying, Travelling and Wishing Stars’ magic had yet to return…
Paris-born wanderer E.K. Mosley is a British writer and illustrator who grew up living between Texas and London, but currently resides by the Cornish seaside in the UK. She studied Illustration at Falmouth University and now works as a freelance illustrator and writer. Emily works in a diverse range of media including hand-cut stencil screenprinting inspired by Japanese woodblock prints.
Rights sold: Catalan, Croatian, Dutch, French, Greek, Spanish
FELIX FOUND AN EGG
Charlie Miller
Ages 3+ | 270 x 230 mm | 32pp | £12.99
Hardback | Gel UV
Join Felix and his grumpy cat Gary in this humorous story about a child’s endless imagination.
Felix loves playing in his garden, but he’s always avoided the stinky compost bin – he is sure there’s a monster in there! Determined to take back his garden, Felix musters up some courage and approaches the smelly heap. But instead of a monster, Felix finds... an egg? What could possibly be inside?
Charlie Miller attended the Bristol School of Animation, where he graduated with a first-class degree. With over a decade of experience in the animation industry, his path includes collaborations with Disney, Aardman, Lucasfilm and co-founding Scribble Room Animation, where he leads a team focused on creating animations for various platforms. Charlie's directorial work has been recognised in film festivals worldwide.
THAT'S NOT STELLA
Donna Fredin
Ages 3+ | 270 x 230 mm | 32pp | £12.99
Hardback | Gel UV
How well do you really know your pets?
Milo is convinced that his pet cat Stella is... different. She NEVER sleeps in the green cat bed, she NEVER climbs into high places and she NEVER eats dry food! Is Stella just trying some new things or is she a completely different cat altogether? Milo tries to convince his mum that That's Not Stella, but will she ever believe that this cat is an imposter?
Donna Fredin is a British illustrator/author/designer with a lifelong obsession with creating things. Having a librarian for a mother, she spent most of her childhood in bookshops and libraries and regards them as her childhood playgrounds. Starting out studying ceramics at Bath University and then moving into a career in digital design and Illustration, Donna has always been part of the creative world. Her two young children are her main inspiration and the reason she began writing stories. Her illustration style is heavily influenced by her years living in Stockholm, Sweden.
BIGUANA IS BIG
Michael Parkin
Ages 3+ | 270 x 230 mm | 32pp | £12.99
Hardback | Spot Graining
Biguana is BIG!
Biguana and Pinto have been best, best friends since they were eggs! They grow up together and Biguana gets bigger... and bigger... and BIGGER! He gets so much attention from everyone because of how big he is that he forgets all about Pinto and what it's like to be a good friend. Will he learn his lesson and make friends with Pinto again?
WRONG TIME ROOSTER
Michael Parkin
Ages 3+ | 270 x 230 mm | 32pp | £12.99
Hardback | Emboss and Spot UV
COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!
Ronnie the rooster arrives at Farmer Tony’s farm to help wake up the animals. But something isn’t right – Ronnie just cannot tell the time! The animals band together to help teach Ronnie and soon his COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOs are perfectly on time... mostly!
Rights sold: German, Korean
Michael Parkin grew up in the countryside around Hampshire and Surrey, UK. He graduated from Kingston University with a first-class degree in 2014 and has since been working as a freelance illustrator for clients including Ladybird Books, The Natural History Museum, The New York Times, and Magic Cat. Narrative and humour have always shone through in Michael’s work, leading to him getting shortlisted for the AOI Awards multiple times and winning 2nd prize in the Jonathan Cape/ Observer/Comica graphic short story prize.
THE GOOD NIGHT AIRPORT
Tori Kosara & Natalia Rojas Castro Ages 3+ | 230 x 270 mm | 32pp | £12.99
Hardback | Spot UV and Emboss
A bedtime picture book celebration of everyday heroes and non-traditional working patterns for little vehicle lovers.
As night falls on Motor Isle, travellers and pilots finish up their journeys and settle down for sleep.
But why are Air Ambulance, Cargo Truck and the rest of the Good Night Airport crew just waking up? Follow these busy vehicles from dusk to dawn as they drive and fly about carrying out important night jobs that keep the airport running smoothly. As the morning light appears, tuck them in and say sweet dreams.
Tori Kosara is a children’s book author and editor from New York. She has a master’s degree in Children’s Literature from Roehampton University and has written more than 40 books for a variety of age ranges, covering topics across fiction and non-fiction.
Natalia Rojas Castro is an illustrator from Bogotá, Colombia. She studied visual arts at Javeriana University and since then has worked as a freelance artist. The inspiration for her work comes from her surroundings, the streets of Bogotá, and the colours and nature of Colombia and Latin America.
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Rights sold: Dutch, Indonesian, Polish, Swedish
BEAR HEART
Louise Greig & Hoang Giang Ages 3+ | 270 x 230 mm | 32pp | £12.99
Hardback | Gold Foil
Who has a heart big enough to hold a lion?
Earnest is a bear with a big heart. He keeps all his favourite things inside his heart. When Earnest's heart is full, he feels as though he can do anything! But is his heart big enough to hold a lion?
Louise Greig lives in Aberdeen and is an award winning poet and author who is profoundly deaf. Her first picture book, The Night Box, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the Teach Primary Book Awards and the Klaus Flugge Prize and was the Cultura Book of the Year in France. Her picture book Sweep was nominated for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal.
Hoang Giang is a Vietnamese illustrator from Da Lat, a small town in the highland of Vietnam. She has a Finance and Banking BA degree but always dreamt of illustrating books. In 2016, she travelled to England to study for an MA in Illustration and Book Art at Cambridge School of Art. Hoang has now published several picture books for publishing houses such as Puffin, Little Tiger and Walker Books.
PICOPACO Mocculere
Ages 3+ | 270 x 230 mm | 32pp | £12.99
Hardback | Emboss
A sweet and heart-warming picture book about celebrating differences and working together.
Picopaco loves to collect special objects, carve lovely toys, and build brilliant things – including her own home! Her discomfort with loud noises and attachment to her routine leave her feeling lonely, but after a terrible storm leaves woodpecker town in a mess, she receives some unexpected visitors. With the help of the other woodpeckers, she comes out of her shell and finds joy and pride in working with others to rebuild the town.
Mocculere (Mojca Novak) was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia. She studied Educational Sciences and East Asian Cultures at the University of Arts in Ljubljana. Whilst studying, her passion for drawing grew, so with a sketchbook and pencil in hand, she started freelancing as an illustrator in 2020. Her first picture book, Pobegla radirka, written by Mojca Fatur, was published in 2023.
Rights sold: French, Spanish
WISH UPON A STAR
Catherine Ard & Wenjia Tang Ages 7+ | 290 x 232 mm | 64pp | £14.99
Hardback | Emboss, Gel UV and Holographic foil
A beautifully illustrated non-fiction book about stars. Explore the awe-inspiring world of stars, discover their life cycles, stunning constellations and the vast galaxies they inhabit. From guiding travellers and inspiring art to their role in shaping myths and stories, this beautifully illustrated guide reveals the incredible wonders of the night sky.
Catherine Ard is a writer and editor with over 20 years’ experience in children’s books, bringing scientific and vocational subject matter to life in an engaging way for toddlers through to tweens.
Wenjia Tang graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in Illustration in 2017. Her work has been recognised by American Illustration, the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts and 3x3 Magazine. Her clients include The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
IN THE SAME SERIES:
Rights sold: Chinese (Simplified and Complex), Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Slovenian
Rights sold: Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Italian
BIRDING
Nadeem Perera & Montse Galbany Ages 7+ | 260 x 205 mm | 80pp | £15.99 Hardback | Gel UV
An exquisitely illustrated guide to the bird world, exploring anatomy, evolution and habitats, along with the extraordinary behaviours and survival strategies that make birds truly unique.
An informative and engaging introduction to birds written by wildlife TV presenter and bird watcher, Nadeem Perera. Passionate about making nature accessible and inspiring the next generation of young birders to look up, Nadeem brings a fresh approach to modern-day birding. Peppered with clear case studies on different bird species and punchy fact files on all things beaks, feathers, migration and nesting, the book closes with a chapter on connecting with birds and becoming a birder. Ultimately, Nadeem sets out to answer the question: what makes a bird?
Nadeem Perera was born and raised in London, England. He is a wildlife TV presenter, author, activist and co-founder of the birdwatching collective, Flock Together. Montse Galbany started drawing as soon as she could hold a pencil. She is an illustrator and graphic designer living in Granollers, close to Barcelona. She studied graphic design at ELISAVA University. Montse works digitally with shapes and vibrant colours to tell stories.
WATCH ME GROW: FROGS
Sara Forster & Bianca Austria Ages 3+ | 270 x 230 mm | 32pp | £10.99
Hardback | Emboss
Learn all about the life cycle of a frog in this beautiful introduction to the natural world.
With colourful and engaging illustrations, and simple explanations split into two levels of reading ability, this is a fun and informative introduction to the natural world. This book will take the reader on a journey through a frog's life cycle, learning about how it eats, its habitat and how it grows and defends itself. The next titles in the series will explore the life cycles of a sunflower and a chick.
Sara Forster is an author and editor based in West Sussex, UK. She spent much of her childhood in the Middle East and South Africa, where she developed a love of wildlife. She now spends her time researching and writing about all kinds of topics for children from her home in the countryside with her dog Mouse and cats Meg and Mog.
Bianca Austria is a painter, illustrator and designer. As an avid traveller, she loves to illustrate her experiences through a whimsical lens. Her work visually narrates her curious and wondrous exploration of the world. As a way of expressing her pride and joy in being a Filipina, she particularly enjoys subjects inspired by her own memories of the Philippines.
IN THE SAME SERIES:
Rights sold: French, German
ONE DAY ON OUR PREHISTORIC PLANET ... WITH A TYRANNOSAURUS REX
Ella Bailey
Ages 3+ | 230 x 270 mm | 32pp | £12.99
Hardback | Gel UV
The newest title in Ella Bailey's One Day on our Prehistoric Planet series. From breakfast to dinner, dusk to dawn, children will love spending the day with this curious baby T. rex and his siblings.
Join this little Tyrannosaurus rex as he spends the day on a prehistoric land with his brother, sister and mother. As we follow him, he'll meet other animals, splash through swamps, sniff out yummy scents and hunt for dinner! When the day is gone, wish him sweet dreams as he snuggles up with his family for a cosy night's sleep.
Ella Bailey is a freelance illustrator currently living in Devon, in the UK. She studied illustration at Falmouth University, and has since gone on to work for clients such as Hodder Children’s Books and Simon and Schuster UK.
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THE UNEXPLAINED
Adam Allsuch Boardman Ages 9+ | 225 x 163 mm | 96pp | £10.99
Paperback | Gel UV
Adam Allsuch Boardman's award-winning An Illustrated History of... series reformatted for a younger audience.
Whether ghosts are the souls of the dead, windows in time or interdimensional beings, cultures through the ages have responded with fear and fascination to their horrific haunts and eerie appearances. The Unexplained: Ghosts will take young readers through the history and culture of ghosts.
The Unexplained: UFOs uncovers the history of UFOs, separating the science fiction from the facts. The mysterious history of flying saucers is explored indepth, from potential alien visitors as far back as Stonehenge to UFO cults and the secrets of Area 51.
Adam Allsuch Boardman grew up in an exceptionally green part of the Yorkshire Dales in England and studied Illustration at Leeds Arts University. He is currently a freelance illustrator, doing jobs for national museum exhibits, educational publications and historic businesses.
YELP! YETI! CHAOS IN KATHMANDU
Sneha Pradhan & Promina Shrestha Ages 6+ | 225 x 163 mm | 64pp | £9.99
Paperback | Gel UV
Dev and his pet cat Tuna spot a Yeti in the city, but no one will believe them! Fun-packed action and adventure set in Nepal.
Dev and Tuna are ready for a summer of sleepovers, endless games of cricket and sweet mangos, until they discover there’s a Yeti loose in Kathmandu! No one believes all the mess and chaos is caused by the Yeti, leaving Dev to take the blame – but Dev is on a mission to prove his innocence. With Tuna by his side, he finally catches the Yeti, only to discover it’s a friendly, lost creature who just wants to go home.
Sneha Pradhan was born and raised in Kathmandu and now lives in Chicago. She has a Liberal Arts Degree from Mount Holyoke College and an MSc in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. When she's free you can find her having coffee chats with her family back home in Nepal.
Promina Shrestha illustrates from a rural farm in Nepal. She is the co-founder of Virangana Comics Collective and has worked with the Women of the World (WoW) Festival through the Creating Heroines project, with the British Council. She has two Nepali awards in Children's illustration for her works Maile Aja Ke Ke Jane and Kasko Bhoto.
NEXT IN THE SERIES:
DETECTIVE STANLEY AND THE GREEN THUMBED THIEF
Hannah Tunnicliffe & Erica Harrison
Ages 6+ | 279 x 202 mm | 64pp | £9.99
Paperback | Metallic Foil and Gel UV
It’s a botanical burglary! Who is swiping precious and priceless plants from the Narlybone Gardens? Barnaby Moss, Head of Horticulture, is flummoxed. Somebody is thieving very rare specimens from the wintergarden and they are worth a lot of money! The latest Detective Stanley mystery is curlier than a vine and full of twisty secrets. Join Detective Stanley and his pal, Parker Pine, to catch the botanical bandit!
Hannah Tunnicliffe is the author of several books for kids and adults including Canadian bestseller, The Colour of Tea, and trilingual picture book, Marjory and the Mouse She lives by the sea with her family which includes one licky dog and an aloof cat.
Erica Harrison is an illustrator and children’s book designer from a small village in Norfolk. She took a degree in graphic arts at Leeds Metropolitan and has been designing and illustrating children's books ever since. She lives in Auckland with her partner and daughter.
IN THE SAME SERIES:
Rights sold: Catalan, French, German, Italian, Korean, Spanish, Turkish
Detec ve Stanley AND THE
HUPO AND THE DOOM LAGOON
Billy Partridge
Ages 6+ | 279 x 202 mm | 64pp | £12.99
Hardback | Metallic Foil and Gel UV
Join Hupo on another adventure through the land of Yip, where his courage will be put the the ultimate test as he battles his worst fears...
Hupo is off on an airship adventure, but this time he's sharing the decks with Zimmy, a peculiar person who looks, sounds, and smells, just like Hupo! They make their way to the Doom Lagoon, a place where you can trap your worst fears below the waters so you never have to be scared again. But things don't go to plan, and after hundreds of years of fear escapes into Yip, it's up to Hupo and the suspicious Zimmy to save everyone from the horrors of the Doom Lagoon!
Billy Partridge grew up in Nottingham, surrounded by a family of painters, designers, and wood carvers. After spending his early years doodling peculiar creatures and writing short stories and poems, he decided to study illustration at Leeds Arts University, where he graduated with a first-class honours degree. He was the recipient of a merit in 3x3 magazine’s 2022 illustration awards, and has been nominated for a V&A illustration award. At the heart of his work is a fascination with the weird and wonderful, intriguing characters and mystical worlds.
Rights sold: French
FROGGY
Paige Walshe
Ages 6+ | 225 x 163 mm | 132pp | £9.99
Paperback | Gel UV
Froggy is just a small, slimy guy trying to navigate the big wide pond, and there’s no end of sticky situations for him to get caught up in!
A small pond like any other lies in the forest, but dwelling in this pond is no ordinary Froggy. He’s a little bit of a klutz, and making friends with local wizards, falling foul of picnicking humans, and befriending giant fish are in a day's work for our small hero. Learning how to deal with big feelings, big magic spells, and big fish in the big world can be a lot for a little frog, but he’s not giving up any time soon.
Paige Walshe is an illustrator from Montreal, Canada currently working as a character designer at Laughing Dragon Studio. Her previous work includes Lemons, a 3-part comic that was published as part of Webtoon’s Heart Anthology – a collection of the top heartwarming and tear-jerking entries to the 2020 short story contest.
HILDA AND TWIG: WAKE THE ICE MAN
Luke Pearson Ages 5+ | 279 x 202mm | 56pp | £12.99
Hardback | Gel UV
Join Hilda and Twig on a slightly icy adventure in the Wilderness, where even the warmest, cosiest cups of cocoa are about to freeze!
Hilda and her new friend, Burku the giant, are enjoying playing together in the Wilderness. There is just one thing that would make everything more fun... snow! It just so happens that Twig has accidentally woken the Ice Man, and unfortunately, that means there's a lot more than a snow flurry headed straight for Hilda!
Luke Pearson is the creator of the Hildafolk comic series. He is also a writer and co-executive producer of the BAFTA award-winning animated series of the same name. Outside of his work on Hilda, Luke has been an illustrator, a storyboard artist and has drawn a range of other comics.
IN THE SAME SERIES:
Rights sold: Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Czech, French, German, Italian, Polish, Slovak, Spanish
AVERY AND THE FAIRY CIRCLE
Rowan Kingsbury
Ages 5+ | 225 x 163 mm | 56pp | £9.99
Paperback | Holographic Foil and Sprayed Edges
Whilst exploring the forest next to her new home, Avery stumbles into a magical circle that transports her to a tiny, wondrous fairy world.
Avery’s family has just moved to a small cottage in the forest. She is obsessed with plants and loves exploring nature outside her home – until one day she stumbles into a magic fairy circle. Shrinking to the size of a teeny tiny fairy, Avery tries to find her way back home. A young fairy named Birch agrees to help her reverse the magic, but only if Avery helps her complete some fairy chores! Hopefully, Avery can befriend Birch and complete the tasks required if she wants to return home before her parents discover she is missing...
Rowan Kingsbury is a Portland, Oregon based illustrator and storyteller creating work full of wonder, warmth, and whimsy. She has a BFA in Illustration from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and has always loved living and working in this rainy region, letting her childhood running through its forests influence her art. Her past clients and exhibitions include Random House, Nucleus Portland Salut! 6, 7, and 8, and the Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship Competition 2020.
RUNE: THE TALE OF THE OBSIDIAN MAZE
Carlos Sánchez
Ages 8+ | 225 x 163mm | 160pp | £10.99
Paperback | Holographic Foil
Levelling up their magic and sword-fighting skills deep in the kingdom of Puddin’, Chiri and Dai are about to receive a spooky invite to their most terrifying trial yet.
After defeating the Shadow King, Chiri and Dai are settling into their new lives in the magical land of Puddin’. However, there is always more evil to fight against, and this time, the evil is coming to them. After being invited to the Obsidian Maze to fight the sinister MidKnight, Chiri and Dai are about to encounter the deepest darkness there ever was. Can they save both each other and the kingdom from doom?
Carlos Sánchez grew up, with a pencil in his hand, in Barcelona. When he was very young, a comic fell into his hand and that changed his life forever. He studied Design at EINA and earned a master in Creative Illustration from BAU. He loves to draw, read comics, eat cereal and play videogames. Nowadays, he works as a designer, illustrator and comic artist in Barcelona.
Rights sold: Catalan, French, Spanish
IN THE SAME SERIES:
Rights sold: Catalan, French, Spanish
COSMO PARK
Madeleine Finlay & Tom Dearie Ages 7+ | 225 x 163mm | 136pp | £10.99
Paperback | Gel UV
The Universal Nature Park is a place of wonder and scientific adventure, but watch out: there are mysterious and nefarious plots afoot, and it’s not all fun and learning when the Universe is at stake…
Hop on a hover-buggy to the centre of the Milky Way and catch a ride around the Universal Nature Park to learn some amazing facts about our galactic neighbourhood. Maybe you’ll spot some tricksy black holes trying to escape their enclosure, or perhaps you’ll get caught in a meteorite storm (don’t forget your comet-repellent umbrella!). This colourful comic informs and explains some of the key tenets of cosmology in an engaging and accessible way, following a narrative and packing in fascinating facts and concepts along the way. Kids will emerge from this world with new-found knowledge about the nature of our Universe, and a thirst to learn and explore on their own.
Madeleine Finlay wrote Beetles for Breakfast and has a first-class master’s degree in astrophysics and physics. She has been producing The Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast since last year and is currently running a series covering the COP26 in Scotland. Tom Dearie is a British illustrator and cartoonist working from a desk in the east end of London or sat on a rock somewhere out at sea.
COVER NOT FINAL
ASTRAL PANIC
Katie Hicks
Ages 13+ | 225 x 163mm | 176pp | £14.99
Paperback | Holographic Foil
When the happy-go-lucky Aiden stirs a little chaos into his life, Gale has to decide if stepping out of his comfort zone is really worth it.
Gale’s trying to master his anxiety, and he’s hoping the latest wonder-cure “Simply Pear” can help. He chugs his Simply Pear products and takes advice from its demanding app. His plan is thrown into chaos by the bubbly Aiden, who needs a buddy to help him get a job. Can this colourful and heartfelt romp through shoddy part-time jobs help Gale out of his anxious bubble?
Katie Hicks is a comic artist and illustrator who was raised and currently resides in Ontario, Canada. Having struggled with anxiety and depression most of her life, Katie explores those themes in her art through a comedic and whimsical lens. She’s inspired by the cartoons she grew up with as a kid as well as the punk and emo music she listened to as a teenager. Katie is currently working as a freelance illustrator with clients like The New York Times and Reader’s Digest and has been nominated for the Ignatz's outstanding artist category for her comic GUTS.
DITCHING SASKIA
John Moore and Neetols
Ages 13+ | 225 x 163 mm | 192pp | £14.99
Paperback | Gel UV
A heart-warming, supernatural slice-of-life graphic novel that gently weaves together tough, everyday themes of identity, grief, and accepting flaws in those we love the most.
Living with his grandfather and struggling in a new high school, Damian decides to summon his mother’s ghost so he can talk things out – but he blows it and summons Saskia, a scruffy, annoying kid. Damian doesn’t need her hanging around trying to ‘help’ him with his crush – but Saskia’s suffering too, and everything they’re both hiding deep down might be just what they both need to get some peace. John Moore and Neetols paint a sweet and hilarious tale of friendship amidst grief.
John Moore studied at the University of Sussex. Subjects such as grief, mental health, childhood and family are core themes in his work which he often tries to examine with humour. In 2021, John was also selected for the VAULT Festival New Writers Programme. Neetols (they/them) is a graphic designer and illustrator born and raised in Manila, Philippines, where they reside still. They are inspired by classic manga, mid-century packaging design, old gig posters, and slice-of-life movies.
Rights sold: Catalan, French, Italian, Spanish
SKATING WILDER
Brandon Dumais & AJ Dungo
Ages 16+ | 225 x 163 mm | 264pp | £16.99
Paperback | Metallic Foil
A poignant comic that sheds light on the inclusive and life-changing world of skating, featuring brand-new art from the award-winning creator of In Waves, AJ Dungo.
We find ourselves in a skating renaissance, with more people heading out to use skate parks and practice on sidewalks than ever before. In this graphic non-fiction masterpiece, best friends AJ Dungo and Brandon Dumais explore the highs and lows of skating culture from its conception to the modern day, in a visual feast that will have you reaching for your board in no time.
Brandon Dumais was born and raised in Southern California and studied at California State University, Long Beach. He has work published in various small press poetry collections, as well as through his own independent art zine, Remedial Art Class. AJ Dungo was born in Florida and after living in Toronto, he attended Art Center in Pasadena, LA. When he’s not making comics, he works as an illustrator and designer. When he's free, he works on his cutbacks on his surfboard and slappies on his skateboard.
Rights sold: French, Spanish
ALSO BY AJ DUNGO:
Rights sold: Chinese (Simplified), Croatian, Dutch, French, Italian, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Slovak, Spanish
