HCG buys 'Worrysaurus' picture book on anxiety

Hachette Children's Group has bought a picture book on anxiety, The Worrysaurus, by Rachel Bright and illustrator Chris Chatterton.

The book will be published under the Orchard Books imprint in hardback and e-book in November 2019.

Frances Elks, HCG's editorial director for picture books and gift books did the deal with Mandy Suhr at Miles Stott Children’s Literary Agency (for the author) and Arabella Stein of The Bright Agency (for the illustrator).

The publisher said: "The importance of promoting emotional well-being in children and giving them the tools to cope with
mental stress has never felt more prevalent, with yoga and mindfulness practices for children becoming increasingly popular in schools and nurseries."

Elks commented: “In The Worrysaurus, Rachel and Chris have created the perfect picture book to help every anxious little (and big) Worrysaurus let go of their fears, have fun and feel happy in the moment. The Worrysaurus is first and foremost a wonderful story and a great book to share, and it also provides a light-hearted, child-friendly introduction to mindfulness and dealing with worry.”

Bright said: “It’s important to remember that children have a whole set of worries that often, us adults forget about. So much of life is new to them and these things can feel huge for a little person. The Worrysaurus is all about that sense of riding your thoughts back to a place of calm – it’s sort of The Power of Now for pre-schoolers! If someone finds their own little blue butterfly is set free for a while when they read this story, Chris and I will be very happy that our dinosaur has found his place in the world."

Chris Chatterton added: “As a worrier myself I have first-hand knowledge on how crippling anxiety can be, so to be able to help little people who may be suffering with anxiety to talk about it and deal with it is a subject very close to my heart.”

Bright is author of The Lion Inside, The Koala Who Could, The Squirrels Who Squabbled and The Way Home for Wolf – with over 600,000 copies sold in 32 languages, according to HCG. Chatterton is "a rising star of the picture book world", says HCG, and the illustrator of Ten Minutes to Bed, Little Unicorn.