Isla Fisher pens children’s fiction series
Piccadilly Press has acquired world rights, excluding North America, to a children’s fiction series by actress Isla Fisher.
The series, Marge in Charge, is about an eccentric babysitter called Marge, who, when looking after two children called Jemima and Jake, breaks all the rules by feeding her charges chocolate soup and playing dress-up in their mum’s closet. By the end, it’s Jemima and Jake who have to put the babysitter to bed, not the other way round.
Piccadilly Press founder Brenda Gardner acquired the rights to three books before she retired last year from Stephanie Thwaites at Curtis Brown. The series will be edited by Matilda Johnson and illustrated by Eglantine Ceulemans, and each book will be divided into three stories.
Fisher, who has starred in films such as The Great Gatsby and Wedding Crashers, said: “I’m so delighted that Piccadilly Press will bring Marge in Charge to life – now that I have children of my own I see the joy and magic in their everyday lives and books are a crucial part of this. I hope together we can introduce Marge to as many family bedtimes as possible.”
Johnson added: “We’re all incredibly excited to have Isla on the list – she is one of those rare people who has a natural gift for really making people laugh. Eglantine’s illustrations are perfect for these lively stories and endearing characters.”
Book one is due for publication this July.
Piccadilly Press is an imprint of Bonnier Publishing.