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Macmillan Children’s celebrates 30 years of Donaldson and Scheffler’s partnership with new publishing
Macmillan Children’s Books is celebrating 30 years of author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler’s creative partnership with new publishing and a celebratory events programme.
The duo’s first picture book, A Squash and a Squeeze, was first published in March 1993 and has sold 2.2 million copies across 33 territories, according to the publisher.
Anniversary publishing kicked off in January with the publication of a new edition of A Squash and A Squeeze in paperback, with a foil cover and extra content from the pair. The special edition includes a letter from Donaldson and some early sketches from Scheffler to demonstrate how the classic characters came to be.
Macmillan Children’s said a newly created foil roundel will sit on all anniversary books published across the year. Further publishing begins in May with eight anniversary editions of A Squash and a Squeeze; The Gruffalo; Monkey Puzzle; Room on the Broom; The Smartest Giant in Town; The Snail and the Whale; The Gruffalo’s Child, and Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book.
How To Draw The Gruffalo and Friends will also launch in May. It was described by the publisher as a "brand-new step-by-step guide to drawing for families to enjoy together and learn to illustrate 10 iconic characters from Julia and Axel’s books".
The publisher went on: “Filled with activities to encourage creativity, never-seen-before sketches and advice from Axel Scheffler on everything from character development to cover design.”
The anniversary year will culminate in October with the publication of The Amazing World of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, described as “a stunning treasury, bursting with never-before-seen artwork and behind-the-scenes information all about the bestselling pair’s extraordinary creative partnership”.
A year-round marketing and PR campaign will see a series of events, national press coverage and a series of high-profile partnerships. Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, m.d., Macmillan Children’s Books, said: "What an incredible moment this is. Julia and Axel have an extraordinary partnership and together their stories bring a particular kind of magic to their readers, be they young or old. Not many creative duos have touched so many lives around the world—and with The Gruffalo now translated into 107 languages and dialects, we can honestly say that. We are so proud to work with them as publishers and personally they are dear to us all at Macmillan Children’s Books. We wish them very many congratulations on reaching this brilliant 30-year milestone and look forward to celebrating throughout the year."
Donaldson said: “A Squash and a Squeeze is especially close to my heart because it was my very first book and also the start of my partnership with Axel Scheffler. It began its life earlier still, as a song on children’s television when I was in my 20s, and I still hear the tune in my head whenever I read it. I wish the little old lady, the wise old man, the hen, goat, pig and cow a very happy 30th birthday.”
Scheffler added: “In the beginning there was A Squash and A Squeeze. We weren’t given advice by a wise old man, so over the years we took in a Gruffalo (with his daughter), a Stickman, a witch and a dragon, a cat and a rat, even a snail and a whale and many more. And it wasn’t a squash, and it wasn’t a squeeze, as everybody lived happily ever after in the world of our picture books.”
