Puffin title to celebrate animals living in the cities

Puffin will publish Wild Cities, a non-fiction title by Ben Lerwill, illustrated by Harriet Hobday. 

Commissioning editor Emily Lunn acquired world rights from Claire Cartey at Holroyde Cartey and Anne Clark at the Anne Clark Literary Agency. Publication is scheduled for September 2020. 

Wild Cities looks at animals that make their homes in 14 different cities across the world, such as penguins in Cape Town, seals in Sydney or leopards in Mumbai. 

Lerwill commented: "The lockdown has helped bring urban wildlife into focus — we've seen stories of goats and deer wandering the streets, and city-dwellers being able to wallow in birdsong in a way that's usually impossible — and I hope this book shows that it's far more than just a passing phenomenon."

Lunn said: "The glimpses of our wild cities have brought some happiness during the past few months, and this book has changed the way I see my city. I hope readers will love journeying around the world, seeing these cities a little differently and meeting these wild city dwellers."