Brokered by London Entertainment Inc., in partnership with the UK’s number one publisher in children’s annuals, Little Brother Books, Rebekah and Jamie Vardy have embarked on their new venture with a series of storybooks aimed at children aged three and upwards.
The first release – Cedric The Little Sloth with a Big Dream – was unveiled at an exclusive event at The Dorchester Hotel, London on 8 March. It introduces the Be You Guardians, with each title having a different storyline and B.U.G support.
Cedric has a passion for football, bags of enthusiasm and dreams of joining his favourite football team, the Rainforest Rovers, but has had it engrained in him that sloths are too slow and too sleepy to be good footballers. The Be You Guardians step in to boost Cedric’s confidence and remind him that he can follow his dream and join the team.
Rebekah and Jamie wanted to develop stories based around a theme that they strongly believe in, and which will be reiterated in every title: inspiring children to be confident and happy, just by being themselves and never letting anyone tell you that you can’t achieve your dreams.
With six children between them – who range between two and 16 years in age – the couple have always guided their own children to follow their dreams, believe in their abilities and have the confidence to be themselves.
Having worked with licensing agent, London Entertainment Inc., for three years, one of Rebekah’s original objectives was to work on a project where she could share not only her personal learnings from being a parent, but also the values she believes in, with personal confidence being an important one of them.
“Working on this book together has been a dream for us,” commented Rebekah and Jamie. “We aren’t writers but we are experienced parents, and we know which messages we care most about instilling into our children; it isn’t about having to be the best or winning at everything, but is about trying your hardest, being happy and going after your dreams.
“Our dream is for the Be You Guardians (B.U.G.) to become identifiable characters that boost children’s confidence, ease their anxieties and help them to believe in themselves through these storybooks. LBB put us together with an amazing writer and illustrator to guide us through this process. We’ve shown the drafts and sketches to our children throughout, so it’s been a real family affair and we hope that readers love the first instalment.”
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