NEW YORK – David Sedaris is releasing his first children’s book, a collaboration with Ian Falconer conceived decades ago and completed just before the death of the ‘Olivia’ creator in March.
Toon Books, a publisher of Astra Publishing House, announced on Thursday that Pretty Ugly will be released on February 27 next year. Addressing the “age-old question” of what makes people attractive or unattractive, Pretty Ugly began 20 years ago as a contribution to the anthology Little Lit: Strange Stories for Strange Kids.
More recently, Toon publisher Françoise Mouly, who helped edit Little Lit, thought Pretty Ugly would work as a standalone book.
“Given the systematic attacks so-called conservatives direct on anyone they see as deviant or simply different, there was an urgent need to publish a story with such a clear moral core,” Mouly said in a statement. “David and Ian agreed and earlier this year we completed the editing and design and prepared it for release in Spring 2024. I sent Ian the doll a few weeks before he died and he commented – in true Ian fashion, ‘That looks great. Can’t wait to see him bound and gagged.'”
Sedaris’ previous books include humorous works such as Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. Falconer is best known for his children’s series Olivia, including Olivia and Olivia Saves the Circus.
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