This November, Knopf Books for Young Readers will publish Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, a picture book by President Barack Obama, and illustrated by Loren Long. The book has a national laydown date of November 16, and will arrive with a 500,000-copy first printing. Random House has world rights, and the book will be available in English simultaneously around the world. The hardcover and e-book editions, available simultaneously, will both carry a retail price of $17.99.
Of Thee I Sing is a tribute to 13 Americans—including Georgia O’Keeffe, Jackie Robinson, and George Washington—and to “the ideals that have shaped our nation.” Executive editor Michelle Frey edited the book, which was acquired as part of a three-book deal from 2004 (one of the other books was The Audacity of Hope; the other, which will be a work of adult nonfiction, has yet to be published). According to Random House, the manuscript for Of Thee I Sing was finished prior to Obama taking office. Proceeds will be donated to a scholarship fund for the children of deceased and disabled soldiers.
“It is an honor to publish this extraordinary book, which is an inspiring marriage of words and images, history and story,” said Chip Gibson, president and publisher of Random House Children’s Books, in a statement. “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters celebrates the characteristics that unite all Americans—the potential to pursue our dreams and forge our own paths.”
