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Hachette Children's bags Nicholson's 'beautiful story' of travels with abandoned kitten
Hachette Children’s has scooped "heartfelt" picture book adaptation Nala’s World: One Little Cat’s Quest for Love and Adventure by Dean Nicholson with illustrations from Frann Preston-Gannon.
Editorial director for colour non-fiction at Wren & Rook Liza Wild acquired world rights for the text from Lesley Thorne at Aitken Alexander Associates and the art from Jodie Hodges at United Agents. The picture book will be published in hardback in October 2022.
The picture book Nala’s World has been adapted from the Hodder & Stoughton-published adult title of the same name and follows the "incredible" true story of Nicholson and his rescue kitten Nala. Nicholson left Dunbar, Scotland in 2018 aiming to cycle the world but his journey was interrupted when he found Nala abandoned near the Bosnia-Montenegro border. From then on Nicholson and Nala travelled the world together. The book is aimed at readers aged four and over and carries a clear message about loving and caring for animals.
Preston-Gannon is the illustrator and author of The Journey Home (HarperCollins) and illustrator of I Am the Seed that Grew the Tree (Nosy Crow) which was named the Waterstones Children’s Gift of the Year 2018 and has previously been nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.
Isobel Doster, senior commissioning editor for colour non-fiction, commented: “Dean and Nala’s story has captured the hearts of people around the globe. We can’t wait to bring their story to a picture book audience and Frann is the perfect illustrator to do so. Frann has captured Nala’s personality so wonderfully in this book – I defy anyone not to fall in love with her!”
Nicholson said: “When I first had the idea to publish the story of how Nala and I met, a children’s book was the way I wanted to go. Our journey is a beautiful story to tell, but it also comes with important lessons for children of an early age and beyond. As the next generation, they will be the ones to continue to care for our planet and the animals on it. From the moment we met, mine and Nala’s journey has been shared with the world through videos and photographs. These wonderful illustrations are the perfect way to represent this. In Nala’s World, we worked with Frann to bring our story to life in an engaging way to spark the imagination and passion of young minds.”
