The SQUIRREL’S TAIL
by Julian Reisz
When a bouncy little squirrel named Hazel loses her tail, her dad decides to make her a new one. But first he has to venture out into the dark night to gather everything he needs ...
Based on a bedtime story made up by the author to comfort his young daughter as she underwent a series of operations, this vibrant picture book celebrates the extraordinary strength of children as they face life’s challenges and the tireless devotion of their parents. With a touching father-daughter relationship at its heart, the story takes place in the Great Forest, a magical world teeming with colourful creatures and dazzling lollipop trees, beautifully brought to life by illustrator Alex Beeching.
Julian came to Otherwise with a basic plot worked out and some key illustrations already created. We worked with him to develop certain aspects of the story, to give a clearer narrative arc and attend to some minor details. Once the story was firmed up, rough sketches were prepared for the missing illustrations, which were then sent to the illustrator to work up in his own inimitable style.
Once the book’s pages and cover design were finalised, Julian turned his attention to creating a small range of spin-off products. This included a colouring book for which we designed a corresponding cover, as well as collaborating with him on a set of activity sheets and sourcing and designing a 48-piece jigsaw puzzle. Julian’s day job centres around sustainability issues and in alignment with our own values we sourced FSC-certified papers for the book and recycled paper and board for the manufacture of the jigsaw.
“Having never written – let alone published – a book before, I needed help and the Otherwise team were so supportive throughout the process. Simon's editorial work – fine tuning the story flow, tweaking the language for the target audience, and even suggesting some new characters to strengthen the narrative – was invaluable. When it came to the page layouts, he thought about all the details that the illustrator and I had missed and even sketched out suggested alterations and additions with paper and pencil. Angela, meanwhile, took care of the printing and shipping and was hugely supportive with the arrangements for warehousing. The pair’s attention to detail and passion for my book gave me the energy and motivation I needed – if anything, I wish I had involved them much earlier in my process! For anyone considering self-publishing, I highly recommend Otherwise.”
JULIAN REISZ
