Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has secured the publishing rights for DreamWorks Animation’s Netflix-exclusive TV show, Dinotrux. The tie-in series joins Chris Gall’s original Dinotrux storybooks, which have been on Little, Brown’s list since 2009.
“It was important to us to keep the brand in the family,” says Kara Sargent, executive editorial director, brand, licensed, and media tie-in publishing. “And when we saw what DreamWorks was doing with it, we thought the animation was gorgeous, and we loved the appealing characters and the action-packed episodes. The show is really immersed in the world Chris created.”
The license includes readers, storybooks, board books, and sticker books for the U.S. and Canada, with the first five titles – a hardcover storybook, 6x9 level-one reader, two 8x8 storybooks, and a shaped board book – scheduled for April 2016. The show launched in August 2015 with 10 episodes.
All of the titles are tie-ins to the TV series. “The storytelling in the episodes is fantastic and it lends itself to book adaptations,” Sargent says. “And kids at this age never tire of hearing beloved stories again and again.”
Dinotrux is one of a growing number of digital-only licenses that are entering the publishing world without traditional TV or film backing. “Streaming content has become a really viable format,” Sargent explains. “We know kids are consuming content this way these days, so we are becoming acclimated to this new world. We see this as a big brand for us and we plan to make a big statement at launch.”
