Rosen and Egnéus first team-up lands at Bloomsbury Children’s
Bloomsbury Children’s has bought a new picture book from Michael Rosen, in his first team up with Sweden-born multiple award-winning illustrator Daniel Egnéus.
Senior commissioning editor Pari Thomson acquired world all language rights to The Big Dreaming with the deal for Egnéus’ illustration done with Doreen Thorogood at Good Illustration, and Rosen’s text from Charles Walker at United Agents.
The book is about two bears, Big Bear and Little Bear for hibernation, a.k.a “the Big Sleep”. But Little Bear is worried: what if they run out of dreams during the Big Sleep? So Little Bear sets off to find new dreams, and bring them safely home again.
Thomson called The Big Dreaming “an instant classic from one of the greatest storytellers of our time. It is an unmissable tale about hope and the power of stories, accompanied by completely stunning illustrations by [Egnéus]”.
Rosen is one of Britain’s most successful and fêted picture book authors, having written more than 140 books which have collectively sold £16.9m through Nielsen BookScan UK, led by his and Helen Oxenbury’s classic, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
Athens-bsed Egnéus has illustrated numerous books, including several Neil Gaiman titles and Olivia Hope’s international bestseller Be Wild, Little One. He won the 2005 Association of Illustrators Best Illustrator prize.
Egnéus said: ‘I am excited to work on this project because the story is such a universal one. It’s about how we prepare to face the unknown. Will we come through? Have we done enough? I love the way Michael sets up these worrying questions and gives us a lovely resolution of hope and joy with the coming of spring and new life.”
Rosen added it was “a story about hope and perseverance that’s very close to my heart—and I hope that it will comfort and uplift readers too”.
The Big Dreaming is scheduled for an October 2023 release in the UK.
