Bonnier bags Huq children's book

Former "Blue Peter" presenter Konnie Huq has written a children’s book for Bonnier, Cookie and the Most Annoying Boy in the World, as part of a new series.

Huq unveiled the cover and title for her first children’s on

for the title which will be published under the Piccadilly Press imprint in hardback 8th August 2019, retailing at £10.99. 

Cookie and the Most Annoying Boy in the World “marks the start of a brand new hilarious series for young readers and introduces the world to Cookie Haque - nine years old, obsessed with science and ready to take on the world,” Bonnier said. “Or at least she thinks she is.”

The deal was won on pre-empt in negotiation with Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown, amid “very strong interest” from multiple publishers, Bonnier said.

The initial three-book series Cookie, scheduled to publish from autumn 2019, "is a laugh-out-loud middle-grade sitcom combining Huq’s own comedic upbringing with madcap science projects in a contemporary London Bangladeshi setting," the publisher said. 

Alongside this series Piccadilly Press has also contracted a collection of modern-day fairy tales, which will publish in an illustrated hardcover edition for the Christmas gift market in 2019 with a paperback to follow in 2020.

Konnie Huq commented: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be embarking on this adventure with Piccadilly Press. T

The synopsis reads: “Cookie has never quite felt like she fits in – a quirky girl with a touch of the geek, from a Bangladeshi family – and with an uncanny ability to get herself into almost constant scrapes. Populated with a hilarious cast of characters, from annoying classmates to tedious teachers and of course her amazing friends, the Cookie books are relatable for anyone who’s ever been to school.”

The publisher said that with “a joyful combination of anarchic humour and the thoughts we all have but most of us remember not to actually say and a bit of STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] learning sneaked in, the Cookie books are essential reading for anyone in the 8-12-year-old age group”.

The former “Blue Peter” presenter said: “As a children’s TV presenter for over a decade and now a mother of two young children, writing these books is very close to my heart. It’s so important to get kids enthused at a young age not only with reading but also a good sense of humour and even a touch of the anarchic. The Cookie books do all this, while telling a real, relatable story about growing up, friendship and staying true to yourself.

“My educational background in science and my love of the arts are both massively important to me and have been a huge influence in writing the Cookie series.”