Andersen Press acquires Kent’s ‘deeply personal’ picture book

Andersen Press has acquired Nicola Kent’s Giraffe and a Half, “a joyful and touching" story about exploring life outside your comfort zone that will help children to understand and celebrate the differences and disabilities within themselves and others, inspired by Kent’s own experience with difference and disability.

World rights were acquired by Sue Buswell, picture book editorial director, directly from the author as part of a two-book deal. Since the deal was made, Kent has taken on representation from Jodie Hodges at United Agents. Rights have been sold in eight territories including France, Germany, Denmark and Korea. Andersen Press will publish in hardback in November 2023.

Giraffe and a Half believes her difference stops her from making friends, but can Bird with a Third help her to overcome her shyness? Giraffe and a Half has six legs and three ears, which is brilliant for dancing and listening, but it makes her feel she can’t make friends. But one day, playing on her own, she meets Bird with a Third, who knows that sometimes it’s our insecurities that hold us back the most. 

In the author’s note from the book, Kent writes: “As a child I had to spend a month in intensive care, and the tubes that ventilated me badly damaged my airway, so when I recovered from the initial illness, I was left, for many years, without any voice.

“This badly diminished my sense of self and I became very self-conscious. Back at school, I felt shy and less worthwhile as a friend. My old friends stuck by me, but I avoided anyone new. Then one day, one of my old friends said to me, ‘If you said hello to them, they might talk to you’.

“I had assumed I was doing others a favour by holding back and hiding away. But the next time I was with a larger group, I said hello (in my very quiet way), and sure enough they began to include me. They had been waiting for my cue. My emotional relationship with my difference had been more of a social barrier than the difference itself. In time I understood that others didn’t see my difference as defining me and that I didn’t have to either, but that it seemed to help other people if I took the lead on how they should respond to it.

“The mantra to stand ‘Proud and Strong and Brave and Bold’ is one I want to share with other children with physical differences. We are all made up of so many components and a physical difference is only one of them.”

Buswell said: “Nicola’s deeply personal, reflective picture book shone to everyone at Andersen Press and we knew we wanted to bring the book to as many people as possible. With Nicola opening up about her own story this book has a true heart and honesty to it that you can feel on the page. With many rights deals bringing the book to an international audience, we hope it can help children and families discuss their own differences, or empathise with the ones of people they know.”