HarperCollins Children’s publishes Australian classic

HarperCollins Children’s is releasing The Adventures of Bottersnikes and Gumbles, a collection of stories by S A Wakefield, to coincide with a new TV series.

Set in the Australian bush, the stories follow the adventures of Bottersnikes and their attempts to capture the giggly Gumbles. The new collection contains the best stories from the original four books, published between 1967 and 1989, and features the original illustrations by Desmond Digby.

Harriet Wilson for HarperCollins UK and Lisa Berryman for HarperCollins Australia acquired the world English language rights from Barbara Mobbs of Barbara Mobbs Literary Agency.

Wilson said: "These books were treasured childhood favourites of mine. I was thrilled to revisit them and discover that they’re every bit as playful, inventive and funny as I remembered. Young readers will delight in the naughtiness of the Bottersnikes while the adorable Gumbles are sure to win their hearts."

HarperCollins is publishing the collection to coincide with a new TV version, set to air on CBBC in July and co-produced by CAKE, Cheeky Little Media and Mighty Nice for CBBC UK, Seven Network Australia and Netflix.

The Adventures of Bottersnikes and Gumbles is on sale now, priced at £6.99.