Puffin snaps up WriteNow mentee's picture book debut

Penguin Random House division Puffin has acquired a picture book about a day in the life of two gay dads and their adopted daughter, by WriteNow mentee Gareth Peter, illustrated by Garry Parsons.

My Daddies!, told in rhyme, follows the family as they go on a series of adventures.

The author is represented by agent Mandy Suhr at Miles Stott Literary Agency and the illustrator by Claire Meiklejohn at Meiklejohn Illustration. Puffin has world rights and will publish My Daddies! in May 2020.

Commissioning editor Joe Marriott said: “The team at Puffin is absolutely thrilled to have discovered Gareth Peter through the wonderful WriteNow scheme; and proud that his first book is a moving and joyful celebration of same-sex-parent families. It’s a picture book that features a wonderfully likable, fun and loving family that every reader will relate to, and vitally answers an urgent need for more representations of gay characters in children’s literature. The stars aligned when illustrator Garry Parsons fell in love with the text and agreed to work his magic to bring Gareth’s words to life.”

Peter is an author and stay-at-home dad who lives in Nottingham with his partner and two children. He was one of ten finalists in last year’s WriteNow mentoring scheme, which was set up to find voices from under-represented groups.