Penguin Young Readers has partnered with Ford Motor Company to publish children’s books, starting this year with one picture book and three board books.
“It is one of America’s leading automotive companies with such a strong brand and heritage,” said Daniel Moreton, vice president and publisher of brands and licensing at Penguin Workshop, PW. What was particularly interesting to the Penguin team was Ford’s mission statement goal of improving lives through principles like accessibility and affordability. “That caught our eye. It seemed like her goals aligned well with Penguin’s own goals,” Moreton said.
The brand also offers a lot of room for creativity. “When we were brainstorming, we came up with a long list of formats and content,” he said. “There’s so much you can do with it. The options and storytelling possibilities seemed endless.”
The first picture book, The Goodnight Truckwritten by Charlie Moon, illustrated by Jen Taylor and translated by Isabel C. Mendoza, will be published in English and Spanish on August 27th. The story revolves around a slow drive through a small town in a family truck, rocking the baby to sleep as the day draws to a close. It features the Ford F-150, one of three brands that will form a mainstay of the publishing program alongside the Bronco and the Mustang.
November brings Ford: Road Trip!a molded board book with wheels, also centered on the F-150, written by Gabriella DeGennaro and illustrated by Yi-Hsuan Wu; and two concept board books, Ford: Colors And Ford: Numbersby DeGennaro, illustrated by Emilie Lapeyre.
More books are planned for 2025, including two more concept board books, Forms And Lettersin April. Other upcoming titles include a The first 100 words book, as well as offerings for a slightly older audience, including a search and find book, a sticker activity book and non-fiction books. The Ford programme will be housed in the Penguin Young Readers Licenses imprint, which is under the umbrella of the Penguin Workshop at Penguin Young Readers.
Children’s books represent a new product category for the Ford licensing program, which, according to a recent article in Detroit Free PressThe program includes everything from car parts to collectibles to lifestyle products such as Mustang Cologne.
