Puffin lands 'heart-warming' tale of family with two mums by Jeffs and Davey

Puffin has landed a "heart-warming" picture book about a family with two mums, written by Lotte Jeffs (pictured) and illustrated by Sharon Davey.

Editorial director Joe Marriott acquired world rights in all languages for My Magic Family direct from Lotte Jeffs for the text and via Hannah Whitty at Plum Pudding for the illustrations. The book publishes in paperback on 17th February 2022.

The book is described by the publisher as "celebratory" and "reassuring" about "a little girl with two mummies [who] shares the magic of her family and discovers how her friends' families are equally special in different ways".

Jeffs said: “I was inspired to write My Magic Family as I wanted my daughter to be able to see her own family reflected in a picture book. I also wanted to celebrate the magic in every kind of family– something which my podcast, "Some Families", has shown to me time and time again! It’s been incredibly exciting to see Sharon’s brilliant illustrations bringing the world of My Magic Family to life!” 

Davey (pictured, right) added: “Representation is so important to me, which is why I was so excited to work with Lotte’s words for My Magic Family. I’ve really enjoyed this project; I can’t wait for little readers to get their hands on this book!”

Marriott commented: “I am so proud to be publishing this inclusive celebration of families. Here at Puffin we are committed to broadening representation in picture books and we want every child to see themselves in our publishing. In 2021 we published two brilliant picture books by Gareth Peter which centre the experiences of families with gay dads: My Daddies and Forever Star. So we are thrilled to be adding My Magic Family to our growing list of books representing LGBTQIA+ lives and experiences for younger readers. In My Magic Family Lotte cleverly weaves fantasy and reality together to create a brilliantly joyful book for readers from all kinds of communities.”

Keren Greenfeld, Puffin picture books art director, added, “As soon as we saw Sharon’s artwork, we knew she would be the perfect match for Lotte’s text. Sharon is bringing the families to life in a vibrant and inclusive way, illustrating real life settings that children will recognise and adding a huge dose of magic. We’re delighted to be publishing My Magic Family and can’t wait for readers to discover just how spellbinding this book is.”