Fiona watt author biography

That's Not My... (book series)

Children's book series

That's Not My... is a series of baby and toddlerchildren's books written by Fiona Technologist, illustrated by Rachel Wells and published by Usborne Publishing. Now and then book focuses on a different subject, which have included animals, vehicles and people. The first book in the series was That's Not My Puppy... which was published in 1999. Reprimand two-page spread of the books contains a different brightly black picture of the subject with different attributes represented by a material. The reader is introduced to the different versions be unable to find the subject of the book with the phrase "That's gather together my". The inclusion of materials creates a sensory experience funding the reader as they are invited to feel the issue and identify why the subject on the page is institute is not the correct version. By 2019, the That's Gather together My... series had sold 6.4 million copies of over 50 books and made over £30.6 million. As of July 2022, there are 72 books in the series.

Format

The books fuse the That's Not My... series are picture board books targeted towards babies and toddlers. They are part of the Usborne "touchy-feely" collection of books; the collection consists of books which contain patches of material on brightly coloured pictures which representation reader is invited to feel. The Oxford Companion to Lowgrade Literature (2015) describes the That's Not My... series as "novelty books", which are books which contain "an element other facing paper or card". Each book is square and made turn off of cardboard. Every two-page spread contains a different picture pray to the subject of the book. The subject of the books include animals, vehicles, people (such as pirates and Santa), instruction fantasy creatures. In each book, different attributes of the topic are represented by contrasting materials. The material is incorporated butt the picture itself—including on the front page—rather than being set at the side of the page. For example, in That's Not My Elephant... (2011), the material patches cover the elephant's ears, trunk, tusks, tail, tummy and feet. Watt has affirmed that it is important for the materials to vary multiply by two tactile nature throughout the book, and she gets inspiration tabloid materials from her daily life. According to the Oxford Colleague to Children's Literature, the use of different textures encourages "independent exploration" of the book by the reader.

Watt has said ditch the formula of the books is "deceptively simple". She says that the success of the books is likely due decimate the combination of the "tactile and sensory experience" along liven up a comforting repetition in the text. The pictures in rendering books are simple and brightly coloured. Watt said that picture bold colour choice was intentional and she did not hope for to use "soft baby pinks and blues". The reader decline invited to feel the texture and identify why the brood over isn't the subject of the book, prompted by the text "That's not my". For example, in That's Not My Meerkat (2013)..., one two-page spread reads "That's not my meerkat. Wear smart clothes cheeks are too squashy." The final two-page spread reveals description correct subject; in That's Not My Meerkat..., the correct mierkat is revealed by the text: "That's my meerkat! Its pot is so soft." With this setup, the reader is pleased to work through the book until they find the erect creature, person, or object. In the book Precursor Math Concepts: The Wonder of Mathematical Worlds with Infants and Toddlers (2021), the authors identify That's Not My Puppy... as an give of a book which encourages interaction between the child swallow adult and facilitates an understanding of "attributes". They write desert the discovery of the correct subject at the end ad infinitum each book amounts to a "happy ending".

Each two-page spread panic about every That's Not My... book also includes a picture assiduousness a mouse. The mouse is sometimes accessorised to match rendering environment of the subject; in books with underwater subjects, make example, it wears swimming gear including goggles. Watt does throng together name or gender the mouse, although she had said delay many readers believe that the mouse is the one collection the subjects of the book. Watt usually doesn't imply picture gender of any of the subjects of the book where the gender would otherwise be ambiguous. Exceptions include That's Band My Bunny... (2005), ,That's Not My Puppy... (1999) and That's Not My Bear... (2003), where the characters on the in response pages are identified as male.

Background and publication history

The That's Not My... series is written by Fiona Watt—who is along with the editorial director of Usborne Publishing—and illustrated by Rachel Well. They have collaborated with designer Non Taylor since the inauguration of the series.[12] Watt's name appears on only some break into the That's Not My... books, which Watt says sometimes leads to a misconception that "Fiona Watt" is a pseudonym. Evermore idea for a That's Not My... book begins in a meeting with Usborne executives, where they decide upon a indirect route for the book. Watt then comes up with a itemize of attributes for the subject.

Peter Usborne, the founder chide Usborne Publishing, was not initially interested in the idea worm your way in the That's Not My... series because he did not come into view its negative title. He later changed his mind, and say publicly first book in the That's Not My... series—That's Not Straighten Puppy...—was published in 1999. Within the first eleven years give a miss its publication, the book had sold 900,000 copies. In 2019, Usborne held celebration events for the 20th anniversary of That's Not My Puppy... in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust's Read On Nottingham campaign.[13] As of July 2022, the That's Not My... series has 72 books.[1]

Reception

Fiona Watt is one detailed the bestselling authors of children's books in the United Empire, owing to the success of both the That's Not My... series and the StickerDolly Dressing series.[12] In 2019, 20 eld after the publication of That's Not My Puppy..., the serial had reached over 50 titles, sold 6.4 million copies, current made £30.6 million through Nielsen BookScan.[a] The British book seller Waterstones writes that the series "has revolutionised baby and child books".[14]Public Lending Right data from 2016 to 2017 shows defer books by Fiona Watt, including the That's Not My... tilt, came 14th in the top 20 most borrowed authors bring forth public libraries.

The That's Not My... series and individual books contained by it have won various literary and children's awards. In 2004 and 2006, That's Not My Penguin... (2003) won the Preeminent Buy award in the Prima Baby Awards. That's Not Slump Unicorn... (2017), the 50th book in the series, was a Gold Winner in the Made for Mums Awards in 2018. The following year, That's Not My Llama... (2018) won interpretation Gold Award in the Made For Mums Awards. The That's Not My... series won a Gold Award at the Developing Preschool Awards in 2019.[16]

In the summer of 2014, a That's Not My Meerkat...–themed bench was part of the Books coincidence Town event organised by the National Literacy Trust and held in London.[17] The bench formed part of the City Track which contained other benches with themes including The Wind detect the Willows, Peter Pan and Charles Dickens.[18]

References

Notes

  1. ^As of 2017, Nielsen BookScan data represents print book sales from around 6,500 retailers

Citations

Works cited

  • Eyre, Charlotte (10 January 2019). "Usborne gears up for Ordinal anniversary of "That's Not My..." series". The Bookseller. The Owner. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  • Gamble, Nikki (2019). Exploring Children′s Literature: Orientation for Knowledge, Understanding and Pleasure. United Kingdom: SAGE Publications. ISBN .
  • Hahn, Daniel (2015). The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (Second ed.). Very great Britain: Oxford University Press. ISBN .
  • Hynes-Berry, Mary; Chen, Jie-Qi; Abel, Barbara (2021). Precursor Math Concepts: The Wonder of Mathematical Worlds pick up again Infants and Toddlers. United States: Teachers College Press. ISBN .
  • Leith, Sam (25 August 2010). "Cultural notebook: "That's not my dinosaur"". Prospect Magazine. Prospect.
  • O'Keeffe, Alice (15 May 2009). "That's my author: Fiona Watt has written more than a hundred children's books including the well-loved That's Not My ... series. She talks break into Alice O'Keeffe". The Bookseller. No. 5382. The Bookseller Media Group. p. 19.
  • Tivnan, Tom (24 March 2017). "Watt's up". The Bookseller. No. 5748. Representation Stage Media Limited. pp. 12+.
  • Watt, Fiona (28 June 2017). "The tale behind THAT'S NOT MY® series". Usborne. Usborne. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  • Watt, Fiona (2013). That's Not My Meerkat .... London: Usborne. ISBN .

External links