New titles to publish as part of the Reading, Writing and the Moomins initiative.
Macmillan Children’s Books has confirmed a new publishing partnership with Moomin Characters, which will see it publish new titles in spring 2022 as part of the Reading, Writing and the Moomins initiative.
Macmillan Children’s Books has been publishing The Moomins illustrated gift titles since 2017, with sales of over half a million copies worldwide and translation into 20 languages.
Reading, Writing and the Moomins is a publishing and licensing initiative from Moomin Characters which will run across all categories, with publishing at its heart.
It will utilise newly created artwork and alphabets based on Tove Jansson’s original hand-lettering and illustrations, promoting the themes and values of the original Moomin stories to build literacy, confidence and compassion in children through reading, writing and developing a love of language.
The unique illustration art-bank will be used across Macmillan Children’s Books’ Reading, Writing and the Moomins publishing, which will launch in spring 2022 with a pair of gift alphabet and counting titles.
Nicole Pearson, publishing director for brands and media, brokered the deal with Hanna Pajunen-Walsh, international publishing director at Rights & Brands, the global licensing agent for Moomin Characters.
The initiative will also bring on board a range of charities and partners including Oxfam, Unicef and the Read Hour campaign run by the Finnish Children and Youth Foundation.
“Moomin occupies a very special place for us at Macmillan and we are delighted to be extending our partnership with Moomin Characters to include this new Moomin publishing,” commented Nicole. “We were drawn immediately to the stunning new creative designs and we felt the vision and aesthetic offered many opportunities for creating a rich publishing programme that fosters a love of reading, writing and communication, building on the original Moomin values and classic canon.”
Sophia Jansson, creative director of Moomin Characters and niece of Tove Jansson, added: “We’re launching the Reading, Writing and the Moomins initiative because we know first-hand how powerful words can be: they allow you to communicate your hopes and dreams, relate to others, engage with the big issues of our times, and change the world.
“We’re delighted that Macmillan will continue their beautiful Moomin publishing and join us on this journey.”
Macmillan Children’s Books’ currently offers three different ranges, including illustrated picture books, tie-in publishing for the Moominvalley animation, plus a classic range including The World of Moominvalley.
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