Simon & Schuster’s Little Simon imprint has acquired the rights to incorporate the lyrics of two Beatles songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, All You Need Is Love and With a Little Help from My Friends, into picture books. The licensing agreement is with Sony/ATV Music Publishing via its global licensing agent, Epic Rights.
“When I was first approached with this opportunity, I couldn’t believe it had never been done before,” said Valerie Garfield, v-p and publisher of Little Simon. “We wanted to interpret the lyrics in a way that would show children that there is love in the world. This is a message that has special meaning now and that parents want their children to hear.”
Marc Rosenthal, illustrator of Small Walt by Elizabeth Verdick and The Straight Line Wonder by Mem Fox, among other titles, interpreted the lyrics. “Marc really understood how to illustrate these words in a way that would speak to people without being too glib, saccharine, or heavy-handed,” Garfield said.
The first title, All You Need Is Love, will be released in January 2019.
All You Need Is Love by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, illus. by Marc Rosenthal. Little Simon, $17.99 Jan. 2019 ISBN 978-1-5344-2981-9
