Graffeg snaps up picture book on shyness from Pearlstein and Munro

Graffeg has snapped up The Shy Book, an interactive picture book for children who struggle with shyness, from Howard Pearlstein and illustrator James Munro.

Publishing director Matthew Howard and managing director Peter Gill acquired worldwide rights directly from the author. The picture book will be published in August 2024.

The Shy Book features the book itself as the main character who is battling with shyness.

Pearlstein said: "I’ve been a fan of Graffeg’s beautiful picture books for years, so I’m happy that they’ll be publishing The Shy Book. I can’t wait to see how they bring the story to life visually."
Howard added: "This is a delightfully playful take on the issue of shyness and we were really pleased when US author Howard Pearlstein sent it our way. But we were equally delighted when Liverpool-based James Munro cracked the problem of how to illustrate a book where the book itself is the main character. Not an easy project to tackle, but I’m happy that this transatlantic partnership has worked their magic and that we can now bring this helpful and fun title to the bookshelf in 2024."