Puffin lands 'stunning' picture book by Lewis and Saldana

Puffin has landed a “stunning” poetic picture book by acclaimed Welsh writer Caryl Lewis, illustrated by Carmen Saldana.  

Andrea MacDonald, editorial director, acquired world rights for The Boy Who Dreamed Dragons and one further title from Anwen Hooson at Bird Literary Agency, with Clare Doughty commissioning illustrations from Doreen Thorogood at Good Illustration Agency. It will publish on 1st September. 

The book will be Lewis’ debut English-language picture book and will follow two further English-language debuts this year: adult book Drift (Doubleday), which publishes in April; and middle-grade novel Seed (Macmillan Children’s Books), which publishes in May. Lewis has won Wales Book of the Year twice, as well as the Tir na n-Og Award for best children’s fiction in 2004 and 2015. 

The Boy Who Dreamed Dragons follows the story of Albie, a boy who struggles to make connections in the real world. Each evening, Albie runs home to dream of dragons—fire dragons, word dragons, water dragons and more—who keep him company the whole of the next day. 

MacDonald said: “The Boy Who Dreamed Dragons is a dream of a book—in its scope, its emotional heart and its lyrical pitch-perfect language. And Caryl too is a dream. Hers is a voice that I felt was extraordinary from the get-go, and her compassion, viewpoint and commitment have all made this a very special project to be a part of. We are so proud to be bringing her talents to a whole new audience of readers, and as a fellow Welsh woman, I wanted to say a personal ’Diolch yn fawr iawn’ to Caryl for letting us Puffins dream dragons.” 

Lewis added: “It’s an absolute dream to be publishing my debut English picture book with Puffin. I wrote the story in the early hours of the morning after watching my youngest son sleep, snuggled up with his toy dragon. He has always felt at home in his gorgeous imagination but has occasionally found it difficult to feel so confident in the real world. I hope the book will comfort those who have ever felt different, and reassure them that by continuing to stay true to themselves, they will eventually experience a connection with someone who shares their sensibility, and that it will be absolutely and truly magical.” 

Doughty, deputy art director, remarked: “As soon as I read The Boy Who Dreamed Dragons I fell in love with it; it’s such a powerful story and one that reminded me of my son’s struggle with shyness. I knew instantly that Carmen would be the perfect illustrator to bring it to life. Not only is her art beautiful and atmospheric, but there’s an immersive quality to her light that completely draws you in. The result is truly breathtaking.” 

Saldana commented: “The first time I read Caryl´s text I immediately connected with it, with the story and its characters, and especially with Albie and his love for dragons. I have loved them too since I was a child: my older brother is a fan of fantasy literature, and I remember how fascinated I was by the covers of the books he read: full of majestic dragons, powerful, colourful and sometimes fierce. With magical and ethereal illustrations, this book is a chance to bring back my childhood dragons.”