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Andersen Press scoops two picture books from Michelle Robinson and Paddy Donnelly
Andersen Press has scooped a two-book deal with Michelle Robinson and illustrator Paddy Donnelly for picture books celebrating parents’ bonds with their children.
Commissioning editor Alice Milner-Watt acquired world all-language rights from James Catchpole at The Catchpole Agency and Susan Penny at The Bright Agency. Rights have also been snapped up in Denmark, Finland, Germany and Spain. Daddy’s Footsteps, the first book in the deal, will be published in May 2024 with the second book, Mummy’s Promise, to follow in February 2025.
"I fell in love with Michelle’s heartfelt ode to dads on first read – I could immediately feel that she was inspired by her relationship with her own father, and her beautiful rhyming text has the power to make you want to share it with your own family," said Milner-Watt. "Paired with Paddy Donnelly’s breathtakingly cinematic scenes that tell the story of four baby dinosaurs who just want to be like their dads, this is a book that I know will be treasured by many fathers and their children for a long time to come."
Daddy’s Footsteps, set in a "breath-taking" prehistoric landscape, follows four baby dinosaurs who want to grow up like their fathers. It is an "uplifting and heart-warming" story written in "soft" rhyme.
Robinson said: "Writing Daddy’s Footsteps helped me cope with the emotional upheaval of moving overseas. I miss my family terribly, especially my dad, but his love and encouragement have always given me the strength to follow life’s trickier paths."
Donnelly commented: "Michelle has such a great writing style, and I loved being able to bring her characters to life in my illustrations. It was one of my dreams to draw dinosaurs for a living, and with this book I’m living the dream!"
