Celebrations are underway at Macmillan Children’s Books to mark the 40th anniversary of Rod Campbell’s interactive picture book, Dear Zoo.
The publisher is marking the milestone with a year-long programme of activity, starting with the publication of a new golden board book edition.
A dedicated marketing and PR campaign will see a series of immersive events, national press coverage, experiential advertising and other surprise deliveries. A year-long digital advertising campaign will also run alongside trade and consumer promotions. An in-store competition is currently running with JoJo Maman Bébé across 88 UK and Irish stores.
A major partnership with ZSL London Zoo is due to launch in the spring. A Dear Zoo trail featuring all the animals from the book will feature through the zoo during the Easter holidays, launching on 2 April. ZSL will also be running an experiential activity based on Rod Campbell’s 2021 book, Look After Us.
The sell-out Dear Zoo Live stage production will also be returning for its third nationwide tour in 2022.
Further partnerships designed to bring the brand to an even wider audience will be launched through the anniversary year.
“With just eight animals, 16 pages and 115 words, Dear Zoo hits the spot every time,” commented Stephanie Barton, publisher at Macmillan Children’s Books. “Putting the child at its centre, Dear Zoo is a joyful, playful first book for little children everywhere, and is much loved by parents and grandparents who remember it fondly from their own childhood.
“Rod Campbell finished 2021 as the second bestselling author/illustrator in the UK’s preschool market and Dear Zoo was the number one bestselling preschool title by an author /illustrator in 2021. That’s quite an achievement over 40 years and we are so proud to work with Rod and on Dear Zoo.”
Kathryn England, chief operating officer at ZSL London Zoo, added: “We’re excited to be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Dear Zoo at London Zoo this Easter, when we’ll be inviting families to visit the real-life animals from the much-loved book – including monkeys, camels, lions and giraffes – on an exciting new trail across our historic 36 acres of nature.
“Rod Campbell’s story of a child who writes to the Zoo to ask for the perfect pet has delighted children for four decades; we’re sure that children and adults alike will now love delving beyond the pages of this classic tale to become part of the story.”
Rod Campbell continued: “I am absolutely delighted that so many generations of young children continue to love Dear Zoo. Their pleasure when interacting with the story is so pleasing to see, and for me is the greatest of compliments. Here’s to the anniversary activities bringing Dear Zoo to an even wider audience of families.”
Sales of Dear Zoo now exceed 13 million copies. In 2021 it appeared 38 times in the Preschool & Picture Books weekly Top 20. Rod Campbell’s titles had a record year in 2021, with sales across all of his titles growing 9% to total 1.5m copies across all markets. Internationally his sales grew by 59% in volume across all markets. Five new languages were sold, bringing the total to 31.
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