My next graphic novel project, Seacritters! The Hunt for the Jigamaree, sets sail on March 16th, 2027 from Candlewick Press. The book is written (delightfully!) by Kate Milford, illustrated (lavishly!) by me, Lucy Bellwood, and colored (sumptuously!) by K Czap and Natalie Riess. It’s already a Junior Library Guild Selection for 2027! We’re all so excited to get it into the world.
Wanna read the first twenty pages for free? You can do that right here:
Preorder Info
My local indie bookstore Chaucer’s Books is our official preorder partner on the West Coast! You can grab a copy from them (hardcover or softcover!) to receive an exclusive sticker sheet when the book comes out.
For a complete list of other retailers offering preorders right now, head here.
Got a local bookshop or library you love? Just give them the ISBN (Hardcover: 9781536220681 / Softcover: 9781536220865) and they should be able to get it in for you. We love getting the book into libraries, because it means other people in your community can also discover it! There are pages on Goodreads and StoryGraph for those of you who like to keep track of “Want to Read” titles, too.
The best way to stay on top of future preorder perks is to subscribe to my newsletter.
Seacritters! The Hunt for the Jigamaree – Synopsis
Monty Mellivore dreams of adventures on the high seas, just like the ones in his storybooks. So when his parents get him a place on the schooner Rodentia, the young badger is convinced he’s on his way to glory.
But his new crewmates are an unlikely bunch, from the carnivorous-plant-collecting capybara captain down to his new friend Lettice, a savvy, time-obsessed sailor. Troubling, wary whispers seem to follow the crew everywhere: The pirates are here. Is it possible Monty has accidentally shipped out with a crew of actual pirates?
Well, pirates they might be, but the critter crew of the Rodentia is one thing above all else: daring. So daring that they’ll take on an impossible mission: to find a mythical creature that might not even exist. And if they’re to succeed, Monty will have to embrace his pirate side, too.
It’s Compass South meets the Muppets in this slapstick-and-heart series opener from bestselling novelist Kate Milford and adventure cartoonist Lucy Bellwood.
Looking for more?
There’s loads of behind-the-scenes process posts from the last five years of drawing work available on my Patreon, and I’ll be making plenty of announcements as the publication date draws near via Bluesky, Instagram, and my newsletter. Stay tuned!
