Macmillan Children’s Books to publish fiction and picture books by Sir Lenny Henry

After a career spanning over 40 years, Sir Lenny Henry is heading back to the world of children’s entertainment with his debut children’s book launching in Autumn 2021.

Sir Lenny Henry is a well-known name in British culture, from his stint in children’s entertainment on shows such as Alive and Kicking to his much-loved comedy sketch shows and his charitable work as a founding figure of Comic Relief. He has now turned his incomparable writing skills to a new challenge: writing children’s books.

Sir Lenny Henry’s debut fiction title will launch with Macmillan Children’s Books in hardback in Autumn 2021 and the first picture book, You Can Do Anything, Tyrone, the story of a little boy with big dreams, will publish in Spring 2022.

On writing these books, Sir Lenny Henry says, “This is an incredibly exciting moment of my life; I was a voracious reader throughout my childhood even though there were not that many books in our house. I joined Dudley Library at the behest of my Auntie Pearl and from that moment on I was a regular customer, immersing myself in the parallel universes of Just William, Enid Blyton and C.S. Lewis. When I thought about writing for children, all my favourite authors sprang to mind – big respect to all of them. To contribute to such a hallowed canon is the biggest thrill ever. I can’t wait to share my stories with you.”

Sir Lenny has written a surprise story so readers don’t have to wait to meet Tyrone. Watch the video below to hear him reading this exclusive story, Tyrone Claps for Mum.

We would love to know what you think Tyrone looks like. Macmillan Children’s Books and Sir Lenny Henry want you to send us your drawings of Tyrone. Send all entries to drawtyrone@macmillan.com.

A selection of these entries will then appear in the first picture book of Tyrone’s adventures, You Can Do Anything, Tyrone, publishing in Spring 2022, and successful entrants will receive four Macmillan Children’s Books. Full terms and conditions for entering the competition can be found here.