Nosy Crow gets David Melling hat-trick

Nosy Crow has acquired three new picture books by Hugless Douglas author David Melling.

Louise Bolongaro, head of picture books at Nosy Crow, acquired world rights in all languages from children’s literary agent, Eunice McMullen.

The children's publisher is expected to release first title Ruffles and the Red, Red Coat in hardback in February 2021, followed by Ruffles and the Teeny Tiny Kittens in August of the same year. The third title will be published in February 2022.

Bolongaro commented: “As a parent and a publisher, I have admired the David Melling magic for many, many years. His sense of visual fun and extraordinary ability to capture mood and expression through body language makes him a household favourite and a real picture book legend.

"It’s been a such privilege to work with him, exploring new art techniques and new ways of storytelling, and we couldn’t be prouder of Ruffles and the beautiful Miffy-esque world that David has created.”

The series is "about first experiences, aimed at helping pre-schoolers navigate all the tricky troubles of toddler life", and is illustrated by Melling. He is also the creator of Hugless Douglas, which has sold 343,786 copies in total.

He said: “It’s always exciting to begin working on a new project with a new team. So when an opportunity arose to collaborate with Nosy Crow, hearing all the very good things I had, I jumped at the chance.

"Working with Nosy Crow has been a real joy from the outset. The project I’ve developed with the team has been an incredibly organic process; their approach and ideas are so creative and innovative, encouraging me to explore my thinking in new and exciting ways, working to get the best out of me."