You can’t escape children’s books by A-list actors – but I’m happy to read them to my kids
In recent years it seems that more and more celebrities are writing books for kids – with a glut of new releases coming soon – but, wonders Charlotte Cripps, do they aim at something deeper or are they just vanity projects?
You know their name. You know their movies. But would you buy their children’s books? Elizabeth Olsen is the latest A-list actor to pen a bestseller for the younger generation. She is far better known for playing Wanda Maximoff in WandaVision and the Marvel Cinematic Universe than as a children’s author but her debut children’s book Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective is an instant New York Times bestseller this summer. Her child-friendly guide to processing anxiety, for four-to-eight-year-olds, was a team effort written with her musician husband Robbie Arnett.
“It all starts with kids,” Olsen tells me. “In early 2020, when the world was going into lockdown, we had a lot of conversations about culture and how to create something positive. Robbie was writing kid’s books, so we decided to collaborate, and Hattie was born. Having a character-driven story that addresses some of our worries felt timely but also timeless.”
The book centres on a worry-solving cat Hattie, who helps her animal friends with practical tools for coping on their first day of school, such as mindful yoga and meditation – activities that Olsen finds invaluable when she feels anxious.
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