Say hello to Ella!

A story about a girl, a frog, and a rescue mission, without a prince or princess in sight...

She’s here! 👧🏽 They’re here! 🐸 🐸 🐸 It’s real!

Friends, allow me to introduce Ella and the frogs …

“Did you know frogs can find their way home? It’s called a ‘homing instinct’ … no matter where they are, they know where they belong. I think I know how frogs feel.”

Eight-year-old Ella hates her new house … until she discovers a secret pond in her neighbours’ backyard filled with an orchestra of frogs! At her new school Ella meets Mai and learns about their class frog bog project. But when the neighbours’ pond is under threat, Ella and Mai must come up with a plan to save the frogs – before it’s too late!

Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra is the first in a four-book junior fiction series about friendship, conservation and frogs. It’s aimed at 5 to 8 year olds and fans of What Zola Did, Violet Mackerel, Lemonade Jones and Ivy & Bean. With short, engaging chapters and gorgeous black and white illustrations by Hykie Breeze, it’s a fun gateway book for newly independent readers, and also works well as a read-aloud for home or school.

Each book begins with a frog-related fact that mirrors a theme in Ella’s life (e.g. home/habitat in Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra) and ends with back matter that ties in with primary school STEM classes, such as how to build a frog bog in your backyard.

I couldn’t be more thrilled with this gorgeous cover by the talented Hykie Breeze. Hykie has brought Ella and the whole froggy orchestra to life in the most glorious way. Her black and white internal illustrations conjure vivid scenes from Ella’s life, from big moments to tiny details. Seeing my words spun into stunning illustrations will never not feel like magic to me.

Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra hops (sorry!) into bookshops on July 1, but is available for PRE ORDER now. Feel free to request it at your friendly local bookstore (it’s so helpful for new books as it puts them on booksellers’ radar and lets us know if we need to print more!) If you don’t have a local, I’ve shared a few other options for ordering below. Lots of pre order specials happening so snap them up while you can!

PRE ORDERS AVAILABLE FROM:
Your friendly neighbourhood bookstore
Booktopia
Dymocks
QBD Books (20% off if you order before end of May)
Collins Booksellers
Readings Books

I’ll be back soon to share more about Ella (drop me a line if there is anything in particular you would like to know). For now though, I want to thank the people who made this book a reality.

I’m filled to the gills with gratitude to Kate Pickard at UWA Publishing for plucking Ella from the slush pile and seeing her potential, to Hykie Breeze for bringing Ella’s world to life, to Jo Hunt for beautiful design and creative fonts that leap off the page (wait til you see the inside spreads!), to Lauren Pratt for marketing wizardry and answering my countless questions, and to Danielle Binks for advice and support.

Back soon with more froggy news.

Til then, I hope all is well in your world …

Cassy