Published October 12, 2020 by Ruth Comerford
Simon & Schuster Children’s is to publish author and illustrator Beach’s first picture book, secured in a three-title deal.
Simon & Schuster Children’s is to publish author and illustrator Beach’s first picture book, secured in a three-title deal.
Senior commissioning editor Polly Whybrow bought world rights for three picture books from Charlotte Ayeto at Kingsford Campbell. The first in the series, The Dragon with the Blazing Bottom: A Very Firey Fairy Tale, is due to publish in September 2021, with the second book publishing in May 2022, and a third following in 2023.
The picture book’s synopsis explains: “Sir Wayne’s dragon has lost his flame. Are his teeth too clean? Is his tongue too pink? Perhaps his diet is to blame. Not to worry – Sir Wayne has a meal plan of epic proportions, including a heat-seeking rocket, one burning bush, some sparkles and fireworks – the ones that go ‘WHOOOOSH’. Oh, and one very mouldy piece of cheese – almost as green as the snot from a sneeze — what could possibly go wrong?”
Commenting on the acquisition, Whybrow said: “There are only a few books which, when they land in your inbox, make you shout out loud, to the entire office, with lunch still in hand: ‘We have to publish this. We have to publish this RIGHT NOW.’ And so it was with The Dragon with the Blazing Bottom. Fantastically funny, wonderfully frivolous, and hugely farty, there’s not one child out there who won’t fall about laughing for this brilliant new series. Beach is one of the most naturally hilarious and gifted picture book talents there is, and we’re completely thrilled we get to publish him exclusively on our bestselling and award-winning S&S list.”
Beach is the co-author and illustrator of six books under the name Tyers & Beach, who have sold 10,661 books for £88,601 through Nielsen BookScan’s UK TCM. He said: “I feel like I have died and gone to picture book heaven. Polly and the team are quite simply the most effortlessly cool and mind-bendingly inspiring partners in crime I could ever have wished for. I am over the moon to have found such a magical home for my hot-bottomed dragon.”
