Frances Lincoln Children’s Books to publish Little People, Big Dreams book featuring Henry

Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, an imprint of The Quarto Group, has partnered with Comic Relief to publish Little People, Big Dreams: Lenny Henry in February 2024.

The comedian, actor and author co-founded Comic Relief in 1985 in response to the effects of the Ethiopia famine, and the charity has gone on to raise over £1.5bn.

Written by series author Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara and illustrated by Diane Ewen, Quarto will be donating 50p from the sale of every copy sold in the UK to Comic Relief, as well as working closely with Comic Relief and Henry on the promotion and production of the book.

The book depicts the life of the comic, from his school years to his rise through the industry and his formation of Comic Relief, as well as his work to promote diversity in the arts and later work as an author. The synopsis says: "One of seven siblings, Lenny’s parents arrived in the UK from Jamaica in search of a better life, and despite his amazing career in comedy, he never lost sight of who he was or where he came from. His inspiring story shows everyone the importance of believing in yourself, and the value of bringing your own lived experience to whatever it is you’re passionate about."

Peter Marley, publisher of Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, said: “We are proud to partner with Comic Relief to help support incredible projects that are making a difference to the lives of children and adults today. Our bestselling Little People, Big Dreams series is the perfect way of sharing Lenny Henry’s inspiring story with children and showing them the power of charities to unite people to tackle the biggest challenges faced by society today.”

Henry added: “It’s a huge honour to have my life story become part of such a beautiful collection - it’s something I never would have dreamed of when I was a kid. I absolutely love how the series captures children’s imaginations and inspires them to think differently today, to change tomorrow. Thank you to the team at Little People, Big Dreams for this wonderful opportunity and for their generous commitment to raising funds for Comic Relief."

The Quarto Group is planning an extensive media campaign around the release of the book, and will be working with Comic Relief, Lenny Henry and other partners to connect with schools, libraries and bookshops all over the UK.