My Bum's on THE RUN! – fit, fast and funny new book in the Bum series publishes internationally

My Bum's on THE RUN!                       

Dawn McMillan
Illustrated by Ross Kinnaird

 New book in the laugh-out-loud ‘Bum Series’ of picture  

 books by NZ author and illustrator in international release 

Everyone would like to run faster, right? But some things just hold us back — like a bum that won’t keep pace

In this newest book in the global bestselling New Bum series the hero of I Need a New Bum! , I’ve Broken my Bum!  and My Bum is SO NOISY!  finds a range of crack-up solutions to his slow-bum problem, in a new adventure for 2023. 

The options go from attaching a kite and balloons or eating cabbage and peas for some wind power. But then he and his cousin figure out they need bum-strengthening exercises — some squats, kicks, steps and lunges.

 

And while he’s working out, a whole lot of other folk join him. After some training he’s off — on a cross-country race near home.

Think our red pants boy is set up to win? There’ll be a twist at the end of this tale once his dog gets involved.

 

Fittingly for a book that features running in different locales around the world, My Bum's on THE RUN!  will publish in March 2023 simultaneously in New Zealand and Australia (Oratia), the US and Canada (Dover) and the UK and Ireland (Scholastic UK). 

Get ready for the fastest bum book yet!

The authors

Dawn McMillan is the much-loved author of numerous children’s books including the five previous books in the New Bum! series, Doctor Grundy’s Undies and the latest in her nature series, There’s a Moa in the Moonlight. She lives in Waiomu, north of Thames.

Ross Kinnaird is an illustrator and designer whose books have been published around the world, many of them in collaboration with Dawn. He lives close to the water on Auckland’s North Shore.

Publication Date: 2 March 2023 |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004241-6 |  RRP $19.99

Paperback, 230 x 215 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour 

Happy 10th Birthday to I Need a New Bum!

Happy Birthday to the boy in the red pants!

 I Need a New Bum! — Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird's zany tale about a boy who discovers his backside has a crack — turns 10 years old today. 

Published on 20 September 2012, the picture book was well received locally and shown to the world soon after during New Zealand's Country of Honour programme at the Frankfurt Book Fair (where publisher Peter Dowling donned the first of what would become a number of New Bum t-shirts). 

Dover Publications jumped aboard with its edition, I Need a New Butt! in 2014, CITIC Press followed with a Chinese version in 2015, and Brazil's Telos Editora followed with Preciso do um nouvo bumbum! in 2018.

In September that year, a Facebook reading by Janice Clark ('the Scottish Granny') made our 'red pants boy' into an Internet sensation, and editions followed from Scholastic UK, Midnight House (Korea) and Adriano Salani (Italy). 

Now, after 10 years, the boy trying to find a new bum has cracked up millions of readers worldwide, appeared in board books and noise books and collections, featured on TVNZ's Seven Sharp, become a favourite in Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's household, and is soon to star in a 'find the new butt' game (to be released by Spin Master in early 2023).

Along the way he's created a whole family of books — now extending to I've Broken My Bum!, My Bum is SO NOISY!, My Bum is SO CHEEKY! and My Bum is so CHRISTMASSY! 

It's all a long way from its origins in Dawn's head, on a road trip to Rotorua — and the trip goes on (as Dionne Christian summed up so well in her recent article on Kete Books). 

To celebrate the 10th birthday, Stephanie Huriana Fong has translated the book into te reo Māori — Kia Hou Taku Tou! hit the bookstores of Aotearoa at the start of September, in time for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. (See this coverage on Te Ao Māori News.)

March 2023 will see the next addition to the New Bum family with the global release of My Bum's ON THE RUN!

From Oratia Books a big thank you to Dawn and Ross for their dedication and imagination, to all our bookseller and publisher partners, and to our own Bum team (especially editor Carolyn Lagahetau, designer Cheryl Smith, and marketing wiz Belinda Cooke). 

Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird

And a very Happy Birthday to I Need a New Bum!

Publication: 20 September 2012  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-18-6 | RRP $19.99

Paperback, 230 x 215 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour

 

My Bum is SO CHEEKY! is published worldwide

 

The latest in the hit ’Bum’ series by Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird is out now in multiple editions worldwide

My Bum is SO CHEEKY! is published in a striking pink edition in New Zealand and Australia, sports a bright red cover for the UK and Europe (published by Scholastic UK), and bask in a green cover with the title My Butt is SO SILLY! in North America (with Dover Books). 

This irresistible tale of a boy whose bum has a life of its own will entertain readers from pre-school to primary age, not to mention raising a smile for the adults too. 

Available in New Zealand through Whitcoulls, then on general release from 7 March. 

The US edition and the series featuring on Dover's website ...

.. and recommended by Scholastic UK's Book Club

New book in the 'Bum series' makes a big noise globally

New book in the laugh-out-loud ‘Bum Series’ of picture books is on the shelves across the English-speaking world

After discovering a crack in his bum, then breaking his bum while out on his bike, the boy at the centre of this international bestselling series is back with a new problem. 

This time he’s in a fix because strange noises unpredictably issue from his behind! 

There’s tooting and hooting, burping and slurping, and popping and squeaking when Auntie is speaking. But Mum and Dad love their boy and they refuse to make a fuss. 

And see what happens when he is talent-spotted (or talent-heard) by movie scouts … 

Join the beloved character from hit books I Need a New Bum! and I’ve Broken my Bum! when he discovers he has the loudest, and proudest, the most uproarious, victorious, sound-system backside!

Out in all good bookstores across New Zealand now, this bright and boisterous picture book is also for sale from Oratia in Australia.

Scholastic UK has published for the UK and Ireland, while Dover Publications has My Butt is SO NOISY! on sale in the US and Canada. 

The title page of Dover's My Butt is SO NOISY!

The zany illustrations and rhymes will also be finding their way into Mandarin when CITIC Press publishes in China later in 2021.

The authors

Dawn McMillan is the much-loved author of numerous children’s books including I Need a New Bum! , Doctor Grundy’s Undies and the 2020 release Sir Singlet. She lives in Waiomu, north of Thames. 

Ross Kinnaird is an illustrator and designer whose books have been published around the world, many of them in collaboration with Dawn. He lives close to the water on Auckland’s North Shore.

Out now  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-81-0 | RRP $19.99 Paperback, 230 x 215 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour

Bestselling New Zealand Duo Secures Simultaneous Worldwide Release for Latest Laugh-Out-Loud Picture Book

 

New Zealand author-illustrator duo Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird will see the latest in their bestselling series of hilarious ‘bum’ children’s picture books release simultaneously in North America, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand at the start of 2021.

 

New York-based Dover Publications and London-based Scholastic UK jumped at the opportunity to purchase rights for My Bum is SO NOISY!  from originating publisher Oratia Books, after previous titles I Need a New Bum and I’ve Broken by Bum achieved bestseller status internationally.

 

Packed with laugh-out-loud rhymes and zany illustrations, their latest creation follows our hero on comical adventures caused by his bum and the astounding and uncontrollable noises it makes, building to a crescendo of hilarity. 

 

The first print run for My Bum is SO NOISY! will be over 120,000 copies globally.

 

“Now more than ever, we could all do with a laugh – and Dawn and Ross’ books bring laughter in abundance,” says Fiz Osborne, Editorial Director, Illustrated Books for Scholastic UK. “We can’t wait to share My Bum is SO NOISY! with readers next year.”

 

Dawn McMillan conjures up the storylines of the Bum books from her coastal home outside Thames, and Ross Kinnaird brings them to life from his waterside studio on Auckland’s North Shore. 

Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird
 

"It's been wonderful to see the series reach so many readers worldwide, and we hope that My Bum is SO NOISY!will bring more fun and laughter to kids and adults alike," they say. 

 

Oratia publisher Peter Dowling reports that CITIC Press also plans to publish the new book in China in early 2021.

 

“We’re thrilled to be part of Dawn and Ross’ international success, which proves the appeal of Kiwi creativity worldwide,” he says.

Publication: early 2021  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-81-0 | RRP $19.99 Paperback, 230 x 215 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour