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MCB triumphs in four-way auction for three books from 'dream team' Timms & Byrne
Macmillan Children’s Books has triumphed in a four-way auction for three "hilarious" picture books from new writing and illustrating duo, Barry Timms and Mike Byrne.
Editorial director of Campbell Books Deborah Kespert acquired world rights from Molly Jamieson on behalf of Emily Talbot at United Agents. Ten Green Bottoms, the first in the series, will be published on 28th March 2024 as a paperback original. Ten Red Bottoms will follow in March 2025 with the third to follow after.
"I’m absolutely delighted to be publishing Ten Green Bottoms," said Kespert. "It is the start of a genuinely laugh-out-loud storybook series that introduces young children to counting and maths in a fun and accessible way, helping them to get ready for school. Barry’s manuscript came along at just the right time and I knew instantly this would make the perfect series for us. I’m a huge fan of Mike’s work too, and his wonderful and characterful illustrations. Mike and Barry are a dream team."
Ten Green Bottoms pairs Timms’ "clever" rhyming text with Byrne’s "gloriously colourful and bold" illustrations to introduce young readers to numbers and counting. Based on the nursey rhyme "Ten Green Bottles" and following a group of aliens getting up to mischief on Earth, the series aims to make "maths fun for children and parents".
The second book in the series will follow a group of dragons as they wreak havoc on a medieval castle.
Timms commented: "I’m truly excited by the brilliant package the Macmillan team has built around my silly alien story. And Mike’s hilarious and immersive scenes bring so much to the party! Could this be a cheeky renaissance for the traditional ’Green Bottles’ rhyme? I’d love to think so, as the laughs along the way have been such infectious fun!"
Byrne added: "When I first read Barry’s manuscript about 10 cheeky extra-terrestrial derrières, it cracked me up so much that I knew I just had to be the person to illustrate his out-of-this-world story. I hope you will be laughing your asteroids off at the escapades these 10 naughty aliens get up to in our book."
