• Meet the Publisher

Flying Eye Books | July 14, 2015

by Tucker Stone (US Sales and Marketing Director, Flying Eye)

Flying Eye Books (FEB, if we get close enough to share nicknames) is the children’s imprint of award-winning visual publishing house Nobrow. Established in 2013, Flying Eye seeks to retain the same attention to detail in design and excellence in illustrated content as its parent publisher, but with a focus on the craft and history of children’s storytelling and non-fiction. We are based in both London and New York City and put out about 20 Flying Eye Books a year.

One exciting upcoming title:
Whatever Happened to my Sister? by Simona Ciraolo
Whatever Happened to my Sister? is the bittersweet second book from Simona Ciraolo, author of last year’s best-selling Hug Me. This time around, Simona tells the story of a young girl who is starting to notice some changes in her big sister, changes that seem to be tied into the word “teenager.” Whatever Happened to my Sister? is a sweet portrayal of the transience of childhood and the mystifying experience of watching a sibling grow up.

One classic title:
Wild by Emily Hughes
Emily Hughes’ Wild is one of our favorites, and also one of the first picture books published by Flying Eye Books! When a group of explorers stumble upon a girl living in the forest, they bring her to their concrete apartment block. But as the little girl was raised by animals, taught to talk by birds, to eat by bears, to play by foxes…well, it doesn’t really work out. Emily’s art in Wild is remarkable, and by itself the book would be worth noting. But when you couple it with her vaguely anarchic hymn to being yourself, Wild turns into a legitimate contender for that “modern classic” moniker.

One series you may not have heard about:
The Dahlov Ipcar Collection
Dahlov Ipcar is one of the masters of children’s illustration, and we are extremely proud to introduce her work to another generation of young readers with a series of reprints of some of our favorite books from a lifetime of impressive work.  We went to great lengths to reproduce this series using the same methods of printing and color work that were used back when these books were originally printed—they were originally done in spot color, a technique no longer in consistent use. We feel it gives the books a sense of timeless authenticity that ensures they will be enjoyed for generations to come. It also gives us a chance to hang out and make movies with Dahlov, who is still churning out her own work up in Maine at the age of 97.

5 Things you might not know about Flying Eye Books:
1. We are, at our core, an international company with a dedication to diversity, representing over eight nationalities across our two offices.
2. With the exception of a few specialized inks, we print our books using soy or vegetable-based inks that have little to no impact on the environment.
3. All of the paper that we use for our books comes from high-quality, sustainable sources.
4. Flying Eye Books are available all over the world, in many different languages. The Hilda series, for example, has been translated into eleven languages!
5. When we get really excited about something in the New York office we tend to use an air horn sound effect to celebrate. Sometimes we use clips of the Bane character from the Batman movies. Basically, we really like soundboards and are not very mature.