Comic signs a seven-book deal

Sir Lenny Henry is to write a series of seven children's books, with the first coming out next year.

His first, as yet untitled, novel will be published in hardback by Macmillan Children’s Books in autumn 2021, aimed at eight- to 12-yearolds

That will be followed by his first picture book, You Can Do Anything, Tyrone, in spring 2022. 

 Sir Lenny Henry said: 'This is an incredibly exciting moment of my life; I was a voracious reader throughout my childhood even though there were not that many books in our house.

'I joined Dudley Library at the behest of my Auntie Pearl and from that moment on I was a regular customer, immersing myself in the parallel universes of Just William, Enid Blyton and CS Lewis.

'When I thought about writing for children, all my favourite authors sprang to mind – big respect to all of them. To contribute to such a hallowed canon is the biggest thrill ever.  I can’t wait to share my stories with you.'

The comedian has already written a short story to introduce readers to Tyrone, and released this video of him reading it:

Under the deal, Sir Lenny will write four fiction titles and three picture books.

Macmillan Children’s Books won the rights after what they described as a 'hotly-contested seven publisher auction'.

Sir Lenny's memoirs, Who Am I Again? was a bestseller last Christmas, and he has spoken of writing a sequel, reportedly entitled Rising To The Surface and due out next year.

He told model Twiggy on her podcast this summer: 'If I was to write a second book it's going to be a career retrospective and it's going to be about craft.

Published: 31 Oct 2020