David Walliams has written an exclusive children’s picture book especially for Comic Relief, giving all of his proceeds from the book to the charity.
THE QUEEN’S ORANG-UTAN will be published on 26th February 2015, ahead of Red Nose Day on 13th March. As David’s global publisher, HarperCollins UK are delighted to support David and Comic Relief and will also donate all profits from the publishing of the book.
THE QUEEN’S ORANG-UTAN is a right royal mash-up of mischief and mayhem. A wickedly funny line-up of characters are brought energetically to life with illustrations by Tony Ross. Tony has worked with David on five of his bestselling novels and will waive his royalties from this book for the charity. His two previous picture book collaborations with David, The Slightly Annoying Elephant and The First Hippo on the Moon, both rocketed straight to Number One in the picture book chart in their first week of publication.
THE QUEEN’S ORANG-UTAN will be published in paperback at £4.99 with at least £3 from each copy sold going to Comic Relief. A brilliant audio version has also been created by David along with Miranda Hart and Rob Brydon – a starry collaboration which combines to create a highly comic rendition of the tale. On the eve of Red Nose Day – 12th March 2015 – the book will also be published as a special limited edition hardback with the CD of the audio included.
David Walliams is an honorary trustee of Comic Relief, a charity for which he has personally raised millions – most notably swimming the English Channel in 2006 and the River Thames in 2011. Since his debut children’s book in 2008 David has taken the literary world by storm and is the biggest British children’s author to debut this century. His most recent novel, Awful Auntie, was published in September 2014 and was the overall bestselling book in the UK for a sensational six weeks. UK sales have already surpassed half a million copies, making it the biggest selling book published in 2014. It is also the winner of both The National Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year and Audiobook of the Year. David’s books have now been translated into forty-two languages and have collectively sold over six million copies in the UK alone.
HarperCollins Children’s Books Executive Publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh said, “David Walliams is a genius storyteller – adored by millions of children worldwide. He has written this wonderfully irreverent and hilarious tale especially for Comic Relief – and what a wonderful gift it is! His inimitable storytelling is on top form and will delight young and old. We are privileged to publish David Walliams on the HarperCollins Children’s list and delighted to be working with him and Comic Relief on the publishing of this book.”
Comic Relief CEO Kevin Cahill, said, “David has been such a brilliant supporter of Comic Relief for such a long time. He’s clearly taken the easy way out this time by writing a book rather than swimming the Channel! We are eternally in his debt for his wonderful ongoing support.”
Money raised from the book will be spent by Comic Relief in the UK, and across Africa, helping vulnerable and disadvantaged people to turn their lives around.
