Yoto and HCG partner on Magic Faraway Tree audio recordings

Hachette Children’s Group is partnering with Yoto to offer audio recordings of Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree titles, read by Kate Winslet.

Yoto is a ‘clever speaker’ for pre-school children, who use smartcards to load stories and music onto the device. Thanks to the partnership with HCG, the Yoto starter pack will include an audio recording of Blyton’s The Enchanted Wood. Users will also be able to buy two other Magic Faraway Tree titles from the Yoto library.

Katie Price, licensing director at HCG, said: “We are thrilled to be a part of this new and exciting venture from Yoto. This ‘clever speaker’ is extremely stylish and a brilliant option for children to access to stories, music and learning without the use of a screen.”                 

Yoto co-founder and c.e.o. Ben Drury added: “It’s amazing to have Enid Blyton on the Yoto platform at launch and to have The Enchanted Wood included in the Yoto Starter Pack for all our customers and Kickstarter backers. Kate Winslet’s reading of the story is engaging, captivating and sounds great on Yoto.”

The Magic Faraway Tree stories first appeared in the 1930s and follow the adventures of Joe, Beth, Frannie and Rick as they discover the Magic Faraway Tree in the Enchanted Wood. In the last ten years over 5 million Magic Faraway Tree books have been sold in the UK and The Magic Faraway Tree is Enid Blyton’s bestselling individual title, according to the publisher.

A live-action feature film is currently in development with StudioCanal and Neal Street Productions.

Drury is to speak at FutureBook Live on 30th November to explain the development of the smart speaker. Last week it announced a deal with HarperCollins to offer recordings of Judith Kerr’s classic character Mog.