Frances Lincoln ‘proud’ to spread the peace

Frances Lincoln will publish a picture book based on John Lennon’s song “Imagine”, with the artist who drew the iconic Peace for Paris symbol.

The title, published in association with Amnesty International, is about a pigeon’s journey to spread a message of peace. It features the lyrics to the famous song and is illustrated by Jean Jullien, whose Paris symbol was widely disseminated after the militant attacks in November last year.

The deal, for world rights, was struck by Rachel Williams, publisher at Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, and Nicky Parker, publisher at Amnesty International. Yoko Ono, Lennon’s widow, owns the rights to the song lyrics.

Parker said: “We are enormously grateful to Yoko Ono for permitting us to use John Lennon’s beautiful song in this way. We have an established programme of work on picture books, because we value their power to develop empathy and give children the confidence to stand up for others. We are confident that Jean Jullien and Frances Lincoln will do ‘Imagine’ proud.”

Imagine will publish internationally in September 2017, with royalties from each sale going to Amnesty.