News

We are delighted to announce the arrival of Here We Are, the eagerly-anticipated new work from picture book superstar Oliver Jeffers. To be published in the UK by HarperCollins Children's Books, and in the US by Philomel, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, this exquisite and emotive new title is due to hit bookshelves in November 2017.

Inspired by the birth of Oliver’s son, Here We Are is a moving and thought-provoking book in which Oliver takes the reader on a journey through a series of heartfelt notes introducing planet Earth.  From land and sky, to people and time, the notes explore what makes the world and how we live in it, all told in Oliver’s inimitable style and accompanied by his stunning illustrations.

Here's what Oliver had to say about this very special project:  "This book has been a year and a half in the making and is based on the things I started saying to my newborn son the moment we took him home from the hospital. It started off as a book about the realisation that new life is a blank slate, and the responsibility of being a new parent. But over the next year, as global events started taking weird and scary turns, it felt like it became more urgent to reinforce these basic things my parents taught me about the simple principles of humanity, and that while, each one of us might feel unique and special, we are all in this together."  Ann-Janine Murtagh, Executive Publisher at HarperCollins Children’s Books said:

"We are immensely proud to be the original and future home of Oliver’s solo picture books. Here We Are is an extraordinarily beautiful and prescient picture book. When I first saw the art for this book I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the illustration and tender truth of the words. Oliver’s new book is visionary, and both intensely personal and universal in its theme. It is a timely book that speaks to the heart and will appeal across all ages."

Michael Green, President and Publisher of Philomel said: "There is always excitement about a new book from Oliver Jeffers. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say he’s become one of the most influential creators of picture books in the world today. And with Here We Are, we all get to share in the benefit of Oliver’s most personal book to date. Every word, every line, every brushstroke was made with his newborn son in mind. The results are as clever and quirky as ever, and are imbued with the kind of affection and wisdom that pours from every new parent’s heart." Click here to read the full UK press release in The Bookseller, and you can find out more about the US publication in Entertainment Weekly. To find out more about Oliver Jeffers and his work, visit his website oliverjeffers.com.