Danielle Steel to Publish Children's Books

Posted on March 24, 2008

HarperCollins has snatched up the rights to Danielle Steel's children's book, The Happiest Hippo in the World. The new book tells the story of a baby hippo who happens to be born green instead of gray and learns with the help of a little boy to love himself despite being different. The book was written by Ms. Steel for her son Nicholas Traina when he was little and is expected to be published in Fall 2009. Illustrations will be by celebrated artist Margaret Spengler.

The deal was negotiated by Kate Jackson, SVP/Associate Publisher, Editor-in-Chief of HarperCollins Children's Books, with agent Kate Schafter of Janklow & Nesbit Associates. "We are delighted to welcome Danielle Steel to our list," said Kate Jackson. "She is a wonderful author and we know that this charming project will be embraced by young readers all over the world."

Danielle Steel said, "The message of the book is that it's okay to be different. Most of us try to fit in to what's expected of us, and be like everyone else, and sometimes the pieces just don't fit. I wanted to reassure children (and even grown-ups) that it's wonderful to be different sometimes, and sometimes being different is the best thing of all!"

The book will hit stores in fall of 2009 and will no doubt be a besteller, just like all Ms. Steel's other books.