A photo of author and illustrator Nadia Shireen on a blue, red and white background, alongside a picture of Charles Schulz and his Peanut creations as well as Nadia's book Barbara Throws a Wobbler and The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers

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Barbara Throws a Wobbler and Other Stories

Brought to you by Puffin. 
 
The next audio collection from Nadia Shireen features more of her best loved stories, including Barbara Throws A Wobbler, as well as brand new story Geoffrey Gets the Jitters. Presto visits the funfair to try out his conjuring skills, Rolf learns how to be a wolf, and Yeti makes a new friend 
 
With original sound design, this is a fun and heart warming listen. 
 
© Nadia Shireen 2011, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023

The next audio collection from Nadia Shireen features more of her best loved stories, including Barbara Throws A Wobbler, as well as brand new story Geoffrey Gets the Jitters. Presto visits the funfair to try out his conjuring skills, Rolf learns how to be a wolf, and Yeti makes a new friend 
 
With original sound design, this is a fun and heart warming listen.

Geoffrey Gets the Jitters

Selected for the UKLA Book Awards Shortlist for 2025. 
Shortlisted for the Oscar’s Book Prize, 2024. 
 
From the creator of Barbara Throws a Wobbler - the ultimate story to chase (and laugh) your worries away 
 
‘A wise and comical look at anxiety and how to banish it ... With funny pictures and a guide to different kinds of worries, this is soothing for all ages’ - The Times 
 
Geoffrey's got the jitters! It started last night when he was thinking about school - a funny, wiggly feeling in his tummy that grew and grew. But when Geoffrey's tummy jitters started talking to him - that's when he knew they were out of control. Geoffrey had to do something... 
 
Through a laugh-out-loud story and loveable character, Nadia Shireen shows how to understand and dispel anxieties, one jitter at a time. 
 
Selected as one of The Sunday Times Best Children's Book of the Year. 
Selected for Book Trust’s Great Book Guide 2024-2025

A wise and comical look at anxiety and how to banish it ... With funny pictures and a guide to different kinds of worries, this is soothing for all ages.

‘Complete with comic deep-breathing advice and a Very Useful Guide to Worries, this follow-up to Barbara Throws a Wobbler confirms Shireen as a hilarious, kindly and invaluable source of “feelings” advice for preschoolers

Nadia Shireen’s hilarious Geoffrey Gets the Jitters depicted the fears of its titular hero as wibbly-wobbly worms that Geoffrey eventually learned to tackle with deep breaths and big chats. The back page’s “Very Useful Guide”, examining types of worry from the Frazzle to the Fret, probably ought to go on the fridge to help the anxious of all ages through the festive season

From the author of Barbara Throws A Wobbler comes an equally brilliant look at childhood anxieties as Geoffrey feels wriggly jitters in his tummy as he worries about everything — including being stomped on by dinosaurs. Luckily, he learns a few tricks to chase them away. Comes with a giggly guide to different jitters

Daily Mail Children’s Books of the Year

Nadia Shireen enjoyed making homemade magazines and comics as a child. She studied law at university and then worked in magazine journalism; it was during this time that she started to draw again. After a lifetime of doodling in the sidelines, Nadia decided to pay some attention to drawing and in 2007 was accepted onto an MA course in Children's Book Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. Her debut book Good Little Wolf received a mention in the Bologna Ragazzi Opera Prima Award and won the UKLA Book Award. Nadia has been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. She lives in London.

The Adventures of Billy and Other Stories

Brought to you by Puffin. 
 
Puffin presents The Adventures of Billy and Other Stories. 
 
Introducing a brand-new audio bundle from much-loved author Nadia Shireen! Featuring the brilliantly funny stories Billy and the Beast, Billy and the Dragon, Billy and the Pirates, Bumblebear and The Cow Who Fell to Earth. 
 
Join Billy on her missions to defeat the Terrible Beast, to save Fatcat from a fire-breathing dragon and to escape Captain Howl and his gang of pirates! 
 
Also listen along to the heart-warming tales of Norman the honey-loving bear whose bee disguise is very convincing and the little lost cow who crash lands to earth in this zany, intergalactic farmyard tale. 
 
Featuring an array of fun and immersive sound effects! 
 
©2022 Nadia Shireen (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Introducing a brand-new audio bundle from much-loved author Nadia Shireen! Featuring the brilliantly funny stories Billy and the Beast, Billy and the Dragon, Billy and the Pirates, Bumblebear and The Cow Who Fell to Earth. 
 
Join Billy on her missions to defeat the Terrible Beast, to save Fatcat from a fire-breathing dragon and to escape Captain Howl and his gang of pirates! 
 
Also listen along to the heart-warming tales of Norman the honey-loving bear whose bee disguise is very convincing and the little lost cow who crash lands to earth in this zany, intergalactic farmyard tale. 
 
Featuring an array of fun and immersive sound effects!

Billy and the Pirates

Join Billy and Fatcat on their quest to escape Captain Howl in their third thrilling adventure, filled with singing mermaids and sticky toffee eating sharks. 
 
Ahoy there! It's time to sail the ocean blue with Billy and her trusty feline friend, as they embark on a noble seafaring adventure. 
 
Billy and Fatcat find a mysterious message in a bottle at sea. When suddenly something terrible happens: they bump into a pesky pirate and his smelly crew. Oh no! 
 
Fortunately for our courageous twosome, they're no strangers to peril: they always have a trick (or treat) up their sleeves. 
 
Nadia Shireen is back with her third instalment from our favourite heroine and hangry cat. 
 
Explore the other titles from Billy and Fatcat: 
Billy and the Beast 
Billy and the Dragon

Join Billy and Fatcat on their quest to escape Captain Howl in their third thrilling adventure, filled with singing mermaids and sticky toffee eating sharks. 
 
Ahoy there! It's time to sail the ocean blue with Billy and her trusty feline friend, as they embark on a noble seafaring adventure. 
 
Billy and Fatcat find a mysterious message in a bottle at sea. When suddenly something terrible happens: they bump into a pesky pirate and his smelly crew. Oh no! 
 
Fortunately for our courageous twosome, they're no strangers to peril: they always have a trick (or treat) up their sleeves. 
 
Nadia Shireen is back with her third instalment from our favourite heroine and hangry cat. 
 
Explore the other titles from Billy and Fatcat: 
Billy and the Beast 
Billy and the Dragon

Barbara Throws a Wobbler

From the creator of The Bumblebear and Billy and the Beast comes a hilarious story of one big bad mood - and how to make it go away...

Barbara is in a very bad mood. She won't admit it, but she is. 
 
She has a problem with a sock, and at lunchtime there's a strange pea... And even though she's at the park with her friends, it all just gets a bit much. Suddenly Barbara's WOBBLER is out of control! 
 
But what if Barbara and her Wobbler can work together, so she can be cheerful again? 
 
Winner of the UKLA Award and shortlisted for the Oscar's Book Prize and the FCBG Children's Book Award, Barbara Throws A Wobbler is a brilliantly funny and sensitive way to understand and deal with tantrums. 
 
 "These are the most brilliant, beautiful and silly picture-books out there at the moment. Little doorways of joy." Caitlin Moran 
 
"This book is AMAZING. It will be a modern classic!" - Richard Osman

The sensational Nadia Shireen returns with Barbara Throws a Wobbler, the hilarious story of a kitten, a sock problem, a strange pea - and a stupendous tantrum. Its guide to bad moods - from the huff to the seethe - is worth the cover price by itself; this is the sort of book that will make both children and adults laugh, and provide the perfect vocabulary to defuse (some) tense toddler situations.

Nadia Shireen's hilarious tale ... With illustrations the colour of bright, shiny jelly beans and a witty text that culminates in a genius guide to bad moods, Shireen's latest gem ought to come on prescription.

The Observer Best Children's Books of 2021

Just the picture book to use if you have ever witnessed a small person's meltdown... A fun way to learn about feelings

Top talent Nadia Shireen really understands what makes little children tick, and Barbara Throws a Wobbler gently nudges them to explore their tricky emotions ... If only real-life tantrums were equally hilarious.

Not only will this book get kids talking about their emotions and how to handle them, it'll have everyone in hysterics, too. An instant classic, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

For any child or parent that has ever had a fit of anger (so one for everyone, then)... Nadia Shireen is one of those rare illustrator-writers who can do both equally well.

Laugh-out-loud funny (with a great guide to grumpy moods . . .)

"Shireen's latest gem ought to come on prescription" The Observer's Best Children's Books of 2021. 
 
Barbara is having one of those days. She has a sock problem and there's a strange pea. Then, all of a sudden, Barbara's Wobbler is out of control! 
 
But what happens when a bad mood like this comes along? Barbara has a lot to learn about the ways of wobblers in this laugh-out-loud story from Nadia Shireen. 
 
A brilliantly funny and sensitive way to understand and deal with tantrums. 
 
"These are the most brilliant, beautiful and silly picture-books out there at the moment. Little doorways of joy." Caitlin Moran

Billy and the Dragon

A story of empowerment with fairytale twists, bags of humour and an adventurous heroine to boot.

Our fearless heroine Billy is back! But, something TERRIBLE has happened! 
 
Billy's loyal sidekick Fatcat is kidnapped by a fire-breathing dragon. Uh-oh! 
 
Luckily for Fatcat, Billy won't stand for that: off she goes on a brave rescue mission... 
 
Join Billy for another fairy tale adventure with a twist. 
 
'It's a great story for everyone, especially those not used to seeing themselves centre-stage'- The Guardian on Billy and the Beast 
 
'Shireen's latest book confirms her as one of the brightest and best picture book creators working in Britain today... Sensational.' - The Observer 
 
Explore the other titles from Billy and Fatcat:: 
 
Billy and the Beast 
Billy and the Pirates

These are the most brilliant, beautiful and silly picture-books out there at the moment. Little doorways of joy.

Nadia Shireen

Books by Nadia Shireen

Articles featuring Nadia Shireen

‘Don’t get it right, get it writ’: 21 Questions with Nadia Shireen

How to make a picture book

Puffin authors share their most hilarious Christmas disasters

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