Fiona Waters
Anthologist and Children’s Author
From bookseller to publisher, Edinburgh-born Fiona Waters has worn many hats in the world of books. From John Smith’s Booksellers in Glasgow, she moved to Cambridge to run Heffers Children’s Bookshop for eight years before going to join The Bodley Head. Her last move took her to Dorset where she was the Editorial Director of Troubadour, then the largest independent Book Fair Company in the United Kingdom. She is renowned in the world of children’s books for her passion and enthusiasm and her encyclopaedic knowledge.
Fiona has over 100 book titles to her name, published in many different languages all over the world. Her love of poetry has been her guiding light; she was hooked from the moment she heard Gabriel Woolf reading The Lady of Shalott on the radio when she was seven years old. She has compiled a great number of poetry anthologies and is a recipient of the CLPE Poetry Prize. She now works as a consultant for several publishers. A recent collaboration was with French publisher Auzou on a collection of eight Shakespeare Plays in a version with intricate decoupage illustrations.
Fiona compiled the poetry anthology I am the Seed that Grew the Tree, magnificently produced by Nosy Crow with glorious illustrations by Frann Preston-Gannon. Winner of the 2018 Waterstones Children’s Gift Book of the Year, the book has been hailed as a classic in the making.
From bookseller to publisher, Edinburgh-born Fiona Waters has worn many hats in the world of books. From John Smith’s Booksellers in Glasgow, she moved to Cambridge to run Heffers Children’s Bookshop for eight years before going to join The Bodley Head. Her last move took her to Dorset where she was the Editorial Director of Troubadour, then the largest independent Book Fair Company in the United Kingdom. She is renowned in the world of children’s books for her passion and enthusiasm and her encyclopaedic knowledge.
Fiona has over 100 book titles to her name, published in many different languages all over the world. Her love of poetry has been her guiding light; she was hooked from the moment she heard Gabriel Woolf reading The Lady of Shalott on the radio when she was seven years old. She has compiled a great number of poetry anthologies and is a recipient of the CLPE Poetry Prize. She now works as a consultant for several publishers. A recent collaboration was with French publisher Auzou on a collection of eight Shakespeare Plays in a version with intricate decoupage illustrations.
Fiona compiled the poetry anthology I am the Seed that Grew the Tree, magnificently produced by Nosy Crow with glorious illustrations by Frann Preston-Gannon. Winner of the 2018 Waterstones Children’s Gift Book of the Year, the book has been hailed as a classic in the making.
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‘For those keen to introduce their children to poetry, I am the Seed that Grew the Tree is a classic in the making, a book the whole family will cherish for years to come.’ Emma Lee-Potter, The Independent.
‘I am besotted with I am the Seed. It’s the kind of book every household should own.’ Florentyna Martin, Children’s Buyer Waterstones. ‘The selection is extensive, intelligent and generous. It’s full of engaging poems, some of which are familiar and many that I enjoyed encountering for the first time. The ebb and flow of the seasons is brought wonderfully to life by Fiona Waters’ eclectic choices and Frann Preston-Gannon’s enchanting illustrations.’ Margaret Wallace-Jones, Alligator’s Mouth. ‘Take our word for it, I am the Seed that Grew the Tree is one of the most stunning books of the year.’ The Good Schools Guide. ‘Paired throughout with Preston-Gannon’s evocative, vibrantly textured digital illustrations, Waters’ superbly curated poems offer something for everyone: majestic and inspiring as nature itself.’ Kirkus Reviews. ‘Evidently sumptuous. A poetry book destined to survive the generations, passed down with worthy affection.’ The Sunday Telegraph. |
In September 2020, Nosy Crow published Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright!, Fiona's latest collection, this time illustrated by Britta Teckentrup.
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'A poetry collection to make your heart sing. An animal poem for every day of the year, published in collaboration with the National Trust. From unforgettable classics to contemporary works, this rich anthology, compiled by Fiona Waters, is a wonderful introduction to poetry for children. Each spread is stunningly illustrated by Britta Teckentrup, bringing to life all the wonder of the animal kingdom.' The Bookseller, August 2020
'A few years ago, it seemed like the key to getting a book published was to tell the tale in 100 objects. The current trend has seen the number rise, as umpteen books promise a this, a that or another for every day of the year. So it came as something of a pleasant surprise to encounter Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright, boasting an animal poem for every day of the year. This is no bandwagon-jumper, rather a stunning collection of 366 wonderful poems, drawn from over 400 years and 22 countries, each exquisitely illustrated. It's an awe-inspiring book, produced in collaboration with the National Trust, and one that might initially seem aimed at a younger reader, but delivers whatever age the reader has reached. One a day allows just enough time to digest a poem before an appetite is worked up for the next.' Paul McGuinness, Our Wild World. 'There is a whole world inside this glorious book; a poem for every day. This is a wonderful introduction to nature and all our fellow creatures. Within these pages we get to know them better and care for them more. There are poems to read again and again and some even to learn by heart. So when you next meet a tiger face to face, just start reciting the great poem 'Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright' and he'll be mesmerised.' Michael Morpurgo, LoveReading4Kids. |
'This hefty collection - a thing of visual and verbal beauty - contains an animal poem for every day of the year. Waters has chosen brief and arresting verses from an extraordinary range of sources, from haiku to clerihew, from Shakespeare to George Szirtes, to engender a love of language as well as an appreciation of animals. Teckentrup's atmospheric scenes fill the background of every handsome page, evoking the changing seasons, with creatures in natural settings cut from sharply graphic, richly textured shapes. As the publisher's introduction says, "Poems leave funny spaces on the page that give you room to think," and this rewarding safari will brighten a year of bedtimes and lodge in the minds of children for a lifetime.' Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times.
'Following the success of the beautiful nature poetry anthology I am the Seed that Grew the Tree, anthologist Fiona Waters and illustrator Britta Teckentrup bring us the stunning collection Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright! Choosing an animal poem for every day of the year is no mean feat, but the selection is sublime and varied, featuring poets from 22 different countries writing about a huge assortment of creatures. This is a book that families can revisit again and again for moments of laughter, connection and wonder.'
Emma Dunn and Sandra Mallon, The Scotsman.
'Following the success of the beautiful nature poetry anthology I am the Seed that Grew the Tree, anthologist Fiona Waters and illustrator Britta Teckentrup bring us the stunning collection Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright! Choosing an animal poem for every day of the year is no mean feat, but the selection is sublime and varied, featuring poets from 22 different countries writing about a huge assortment of creatures. This is a book that families can revisit again and again for moments of laughter, connection and wonder.'
Emma Dunn and Sandra Mallon, The Scotsman.