Independent Australian publisher, Wise As Stories, has launched the third title in their popular children's book series, Willow the Wonderer. Entitled 'Space Odyssey', the Simplified Chinese rights to the highly anticipated book also sold to Beijing Reader & Thinker Culture Co pre-publication.
For Immediate Release : 11.10.23
Wise As Stories are pleased to announce that the third book in their ‘Willow the Wonderer’ children's picture book series was officially launched today.
Entitled Space Odyssey, the book continues the tradition of high adventure tales that are written in rhyme and brought to life with beautiful illustrations. The stories plant seeds of wisdom and support early childhood learning.
Reeta Dhar, Co-founder of Wise As Stories and Author of the Willow the Wonderer series said,
"In Space Odyssey we tackle the feelings of aloneness that can arise in our lives; moments where we feel different and disconnected from things around us. The seed of wisdom lies in realising that at the end of the day we all have a common origin and home, and with that comes an inherent connection to all things and beings. Willow realises this wisdom when, like many astronauts before him, he is awestruck by the beauty of the Earth as he beholds her from space for the very first time. This phenomenon is popularly known as the 'overview effect' and it really is the wisdom for our times."
In another first for the independent publisher, the foreign language rights for Space Odyssey also sold pre-publication with Beijing Reader and Thinker Culture Co acquiring the bi-lingual English and Simplified Chinese rights to the book on 29th of June this year. This follows their rights acquisition of the first two titles in the series.
Darren Pryce, Co-founder of Wise As Stories and Illustrator of the Willow the Wonderer series, said,
"From a creative standpoint, Space Odyssey is probably our richest work to-date, adding much depth to the narrative and providing a platform to incorporate techniques and approaches, traditionally reserved for fine art, into the folds of a children's book. We are grateful for our publishers in China for their ongoing support of the series and committing to bring the third book to their readers as well."
The rights sale was facilitated by Wise As Stories’ Chinese rights agency, CA-LINK International. CA-LINK continue to represent Wise As Stories foreign rights across China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
Space Odyssey is available to purchase from Wise As Stories and select bookstores from today.
About Wise As Stories
Wise As Stories is an independent publishing house co-founded in January 2021 by Australian author, Reeta Dhar, and internationally acclaimed illustrator, Darren Pryce. Our purpose is to create beautiful stories that plant seeds of wisdom. These are stories we wish we’d grown up with - stories that help our readers grow in wonder, wisdom and joy. Our books are also designed to make early childhood learning effortless, extending it into the education category. We are a creative owned and led enterprise, developing a novel approach to publishing. We market, distribute and retail our books and gifts through proprietary eCommerce channels, new media platforms and select independent stores around Australia.
About Beijing Reader and Thinker Culture Co
Beijng Reader and Thinker Culture Co is a wholly owned subsidiary of Beijing Golden Century Botu Culture Co, a cultural entity integrating book research and development, publishing, and distribution. The group employs about 200 people, and publishes books valued at approximately 1billion RMB annually. Established in 2017, Beijing Reader and Thinker Culture Co have developed a rich catalogue of books with a focus on teaching materials for colleges and specialised secondary schools, teaching aids for primary and secondary schools, family education, children’s literature, young adults and the humanities. The company has comprehensive marketing and distribution channels through Xinhua Bookstore, multiple e-commerce stores and new media platforms.
About Willow the Wonderer
Willow the Wonderer is a new picture book series from debut Australian author, Reeta Dhar, and internationally acclaimed illustrator, Darren Pryce. Conceived at the height of the COVID pandemic, it is a genre defying series of children's books about the search for happiness. Written in verse with beautifully crafted imagery, the stories plant seeds of wisdom and make early childhood learning effortless.
The first title in the series (Willow the Wonderer) was published in Australia in November 2021 and is now in third printing. The second title (Willow the Wonderer - Honey Time) was published in November 2022 and is now is second printing. Another two titles are planned for release by the end of 2025.
The books have sold all over Australia and been warmly embraced by readers, who consistently leave five-star ratings and reviews online.
Media enquiries:
Reeta Dhar
Co-Founder & Author
Wise As Stories
+61 405 447 362