Hachette Children’s Group, six-year-old Eric Cowell and his dad, Simon Cowell have announced a brand new children’s entertainment series: WISHFITS to benefit Together for Short Lives and Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.
Three picture-led children’s books, will begin to be published in spring 2021. Four more books will then follow the next year.
Together for Short Lives CEO, Andy Fletcher, said: ‘We are so happy to be benefitting from this fantastic series of books, along with our friends at Shooting Star Children’s Hospices. Together for Short Lives is here to help families facing the toughest of times make the most of every second they have together – and the love, creativity and sentiment that went into developing these books really reflects that. Families will get the chance to enjoy special moments together, meeting some magical characters along the way. I love that the books will be full of fun and wonder – just as every childhood should be! So thank you to Simon, our brilliant patron, and his talented co-author Eric, for supporting seriously ill children and their families through your new venture, helping them make precious memories with one-another.’
WISHFIT is a world where some of the most unusual animals exist. The WISHFITS are magical and unusual creatures which have evolved in a weird and wonderful way, combining two different species to form hybrid animals with very distinct characteristics. Some of them are part friendly, part fierce, others are both furry and scaly. They are all busy forming unusual friendships, learning life lessons, sharing adventures and having a fun and magical time together. And they’re all characters that children will wish they could meet in real life!
Just a few of the wonderful WISHFITS include the DAT (dog/cat) the COG (cat/dog), the SNOG (snail/dog – the enthusiasm of a dog at the speed of a snail), the PEEP (pig/sheep) the CHUG (cheetah/slug – the slowest cat in the world), the HIPPOROO (hippo/kangaroo), the CHIMPANPOO (chimpanzee/poodle), the POLARBAT (polarbear/bat), the CROCOPUSS (crocodile/cat), the SHIGER (sheep/tiger – the most nervous cat in the world), the SPIKEY (spider/donkey) and many, many more.
Simon Cowell said: “To be able to write a series of books with my son Eric has been magical. This idea was inspired 3 years ago by a very special friend of ours who runs a Children’s Hospice charity. I told her one evening about some of the funny animals my son Eric and I would invent, starting with the Cog and the Dat. And how every evening the two of us would think of the most unlikely animal we would like to have as a pet. We would come up with some very strange new animals and the naming of the animals was Eric’s favourite thing! She loved this idea so much she encouraged me to turn this into a book series… Two of the children’s charities I work closely with will benefit from profits of WISHFITS, Shooting Star Children’s Hospices and Together For Short Lives.”
Eric Cowell said ”My favourite WISHFITS right now are probably the Snog and Dat and Cog and the Chimpanpoo! I really hope that one day I can meet them all!”
I love that the books will be full of fun and wonder – just as every childhood should be! So thank you to Simon, our brilliant patron, and his talented co-author Eric, for supporting seriously ill children and their families through your new venture, helping them make precious memories with one-another.
Andy Fletcher