books

Celebrity authors take children’s literature by storm

October 05, 2015

Madonna's 'The English Roses', about four middle-school girls who are jealous of a young girl named Binah. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, October 5, 2015.On October 6, Pharrell Williams – the indisputable king of pop – will release "Happy", a children's book published by Putnam Books for Young Readers. The musician is only the latest star to join the ranks of celebrity-authors for kids.

Madonna

Music, cinema and fashion, the music world's queen of pop has explored almost every facet of the entertainment industry. In 2003, she added another feather to her cap by publishing "The English Roses".

The story is about four middle-school girls, all terribly jealous of Binah, a young girl who seems too perfect to their eyes. Madonna's tale is a morality story in which a good fairy helps the heroines realise that appearances are not always what they seem.

Prompted by the success of the book, the singer of "Like a Virgin" wrote several other stories around the English Roses and created other tales including "Lotsa de Casha" and "Mr Peabody's Apples".

Geri Halliwell

After having left the legendary girl band the Spice Girls, Geri Halliwell, also known as Ginger Spice, launched a solo career marked by the popular track "It's Raining Men" that featured on the soundtrack of "Bridget Jones's Diary" with Renée Zellweger.

In 2008, the artist underwent a radical career change with the publication of the first volume of the adventures of Ugenia Lavender by Panmacmillan publications. In the first novel, the little girl has a lot to do: start a new school, discover the meaning of the "lovely illness" and rescue celebrity chef, Uncle Harry, from a big mix-up.

Paul McCartney

For "High in the Clouds", the former Beatles star imagined a story set in a divided city called Megatropolis. On one side, animals live well whereas on the other, animals are miserable. Wirral, a squirrel that lives in the wealthy part of the city, adventures out to discover the deprived part of Megatropolis after his home is destroyed.

Ricky Martin

For his first literary attempt in 2013, Latino singer Ricky Martin based his novel on the adventures of Santiago, a young boy whose biggest dream is to perform on stage. In "Santiago the Dreamer in Land Among the Stars", the young boy loses his confidence when he doesn't get the lead role in his school play. Thanks to his father's encouraging words, Santiago rebuilds his confidence. The story is inspired by the singer's own childhood.

Spike Lee

Movie director Spike Lee and his wife Tonya Lewis Lee co-wrote the book "Please, Baby, Please" that expresses the roller coaster of strong feelings and emotions that are brought on by the arrival of a baby.

Jim Carrey

In "How Roland Rolls", a wave called Roland is afraid to find itself crashing one day on the beach. Roland's fear ends the day that he realises that his life will not end as he is both a wave and the entire ocean. Written by Jim Carrey of "The Mask" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", his novel was awarded the Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award in 2013. – AFP/Relaxnews, October 5, 2015.