Chronicle buys two from Underwood and Hunt

Chronicle Books, which is distributed in the UK and Europe by Abrams & Chronicle Books, has acquired two picture books by Deborah Underwood and Meg Hunt.

Both titles are retellings of classic stories: Reading Beauty, inspired by Sleeping Beauty, is about a princess who has to bring books back to her people; and Snow Bright and the Seven Bots is based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Editor Melissa Manlove acquired world rights from Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary (for Underwood) and Scott Hull at Scott Hull Associates (for Hunt).

“The fairy tales that children grow up with tend to offer them girl characters who wait patiently for a rescuer and their happily-ever-after,” said Manlove. “The books that we are making here deliberately recast these old stories to tell an important truth: a princess is really just someone to whom good things happen, but a heroine is someone who changes her own story.”

Both books will be published in hardback (£12.99). Reading Beauty will be released in September and Snow Bright and the Seven Bots in autumn 2021.