Kelly Rowland To Publish Debut Picture Book With Penguin Young Readers

Kelly Rowland To Publish Debut Picture Book With Penguin Young Readers

Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, will publish a debut picture book by Grammy Award–winning artist and TV producer Kelly Rowland and distinguished educator Jessica McKay on April 26, 2022. Always With You, Always With Me is a lyrical celebration of working moms everywhere that honors the work a mother does both inside and outside of the home. As a mother gets ready to go to work, first she works on building the world for her child. Because it can sometimes be hard to be separated during the day, Mom shares some words that she and her son can repeat whenever they are missing each other or feeling overwhelmed: Always with you, always with me, mommy and child, together we’ll be. Tamar Brazis, Associate Publisher, Viking Children’s Books, brokered the deal for North American rights with Jana Fleishman, EVP of Strategy and Communications at Roc Nation and Janine Kamouh of WME, on behalf of the authors. Roda Ahmed of Hightree Publishing, represented by attorney Eric Zohn, helped the authors craft their partnership and brought on illustrator Fanny Liem to bring the story to life. The book will have an announced first printing of 150,000 copies.

Kelly Rowland said, “Jessica, Roda and I are thrilled to announce our first children’s picture book which celebrates modern motherhood and all the incredible work that caregivers do.”

“Always with You, Always with Me provides much-needed comfort for children whose caregivers work outside the home,” says Tamar Brazis, Associate Publisher, Viking Children’s Books. “Kelly and Jessica’s loving words instill confidence in kids that they can thrive, no matter the distance from their loved ones.”

Kelly Rowland is a four-time Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, actress, and executive producer with over 40 million records sold. She’s known worldwide as a founding member of Destiny’s Child, one of the bestselling female groups of all time. Kelly is also the coauthor of Whoa, Baby!: A Guide for New Moms Who Feel Overwhelmed and Freaked Out (and Wonder What the #*$& Just Happened). She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. Please visit kellyrowland.com.

Jessica McKay is an educator living in Los Angeles with her husband and three children. While juggling work, family, and self, Jessica has always put aside time to read. As an English teacher, she shares her passion for literature with her students. As a mother, she shares her love of books with her children. And now, as an author, she is sharing her first book with the world.

Fanny Liem is an artist based in Jakarta, Indonesia. She has always loved to draw and to read comic books and children’s books. She studied digital art on her own and is grateful to do a job that she loves as an illustrator. Please visit fannywen.com.

Roda Ahmed is the bestselling author, founder, and CEO of Hightree Publishing, a boutique publishing house whose daily mission is to help connect authors and illustrators from around the world and make books that reflect the world we live in. Her purpose is to inspire children and to change the world one book at a time.