After the heart of Dr. Seuss’s Christmas curmudgeon expanded three sizes in How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, did he retain his newfound good-Grinch status? It’s a question that’s still unresolved—but perhaps not for long.
An answer may well emerge in How the Grinch Lost Christmas!, a sequel to the Seussian classic, whose publication was announced Thursday by Judith Haut, executive v-p and deputy publisher of Random House Children’s Books, and Susan Brandt, president and CEO, Dr. Seuss Enterprises.
Written by Alastair Heim and illustrated by Aristides Ruiz, the sequel will be released by Random House Children’s Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises on September 5 with a 300,000-copy first printing. Associate editor Maria Correa edited the book, which will be supported by a major marketing and publicity campaign that will include opportunities for fans to interact with the Grinch character around the country.
Heim is the author of 13 previous picture books, including three Dr. Seuss Beginner Books featuring the Cat in the Hat, as well as the board book version of I Am the Cat in the Hat. Ruiz has illustrated more than 100 books for children, among them 40-plus titles in the Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library series.
How the Grinch Lost Christmas! marks the first time that Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Random House Children’s Books have expanded Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The sequel features a fully original story, a foil-enhanced jacket, and full-color illustrations rendered in the iconic style of Seuss’s 1957 classic, which has sold nearly 10 million copies in North America alone.
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is one of the most beloved holiday celebration books of all time,” Brandt said. “Adding to that legacy with a sequel is a process we have carefully considered, and we love what the author and illustrator have created. We feel it will be yet another heartwarming piece of Seussian literature that will help families around the world grow their hearts three more sizes as they celebrate the holidays for decades to come.”
