Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Random House Children’s Books (RHCB) are entrusting a group of new voices in the children’s publishing space to bring Ted Geisel’s (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) unpublished sketches and illustrations to life in the first books of a new original book line called Seuss Studios.
Florida-based Lala Watkins (Little Boo’s Halloween Party) is the author and illustrator behind the inaugural title HELLO, SUN!, a day-in-the-life story about a worm, his friends and the sun that encourages imaginative play. The book will be released on January 7, 2025, but is already available for preorder.
Up-and-coming creators Sarah Hwang (Toasty), Jerrard K. Polk (A Child’s Introduction to Jazz) and Avani Dwivedi (My Bollywood Dream) join Watkins in the first group of authors/illustrators assigned to the line, which targets four- to eight-year-olds and is part of Random House’s Beginner Books imprint (The Cat in the Hat).
Each book will include the original Geisel sketch that inspired it, along with a note from its modern-day creator explaining their interpretation and creative process.
Details and release dates for subsequent titles have yet to be announced. And the total number of books the line will ultimately include has also not yet been revealed.
RHCB’s EVP and publisher Mallory Loehr and VP and executive creative director Martha Rago are overseeing editorial and art direction for the line, in collaboration with associate editor Maria Correa and senior designer Michelle Kim.
All of the sketches for the book line have been cherry-picked from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego and curated by Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Random House Children’s Books.
The line serves as a tribute to Geisel’s commitment to supporting up-and-coming writers and artists through the Beginner Books imprint he co-founded at Random House in 1957.
As for the growth potential of Seuss Studios, Dr. Seuss Enterprises says it’s open to exploring consumer products and TV opportunities, but its first priority is launching the books.
The launch of Seuss Studios follows the 2013 unearthing of two “lost books” by Dr. Seuss—What Pet Should I Get? and Horse Museum—which were published in 2015 and 2019, respectively. What Pet Should I Get? went on to become the fastest-selling picture book in Random House Children’s Books history, while Horse Museum led to a successful consumer products line of arts & crafts products, school supplies, apparel, plush and accessories.
(pictured clockwise from top left: Avani Dwivedi, Lala Watkins, Jerrard K. Polk, Sarah Hwang)
