Jamie and Rebekah Vardy have inked an agreement to launch their first range of children’s illustrated storybooks – with the first title going on sale around World Book Day 2022.
Brokered by London Entertainment Inc, in partnership with Little Brother Books, the deal sees the family-focused couple – who have six children between them, ranging in ages from two to 16 – embarking on their first storybook together.
A similarly new venture for LBB, this is the first time the business – which has partnered with some of the UK’s most sought-after licensed children’s properties in recent years – has created a storybook, and with a well-respected celebrity couple.
The Vardy’s range of storybooks will be aimed at children aged three and up, with the first release titled Cedric the Little Sloth with a Big Dream.
The Be Yourself Guardians (B.U.G.) are the central characters to each book, with every title having a different storyline and never-ending B.U.G. support.
Cedric dreams of joining his favourite football team – the Rainforest Rovers – but has had it engrained in him that sloths are too slow and too sleepy to be good footballers. The Be Yourself Guardians step in to boost Cedric’s confidence and remind him that he can follow his dream and join the team.
Having worked with London Entertainment Inc for three years, one of Rebekah’s original objectives was to work on a project where she could share not only her personal learnings from being a parent, but also the values she believes in, with personal confidence being an important one of them.
“Working on this book together has been a dream for us,” Jamie and Rebekah commented. “We aren’t writers but we are experienced parents, and we know which messages we care most about instilling into our children; it isn’t about having to be the best or winning at everything, but is about trying your hardest, being happy and going after your dreams.
“Our dream is for the Be Yourself Guardians (B.U.G.) to become identifiable characters that boost children’s confidence, ease their anxieties and help them to believe in themselves through these storybooks. LBB put us together with an amazing writer and illustrator to guide us through this process. We’ve shown the drafts and sketches to our children throughout, so it’s been a real family affair and we hope that readers love the first book as much as our family does.”
Matthew Reynolds, md of Little Brother Books, added: “It’s been a pleasure working on this new title and format with Jamie and Rebekah Vardy, and our editorial team.
“With our experience of current kids trends and the important message the B.U.G. team are sharing with kids and parents, we are certain this first book will be loved by children but trusted and respected by parents. We can’t wait to see it hitting bookshelves from February 2022.”
