Ringo Starr to publish children's book inspired by Beatles hit

Simon and Schuster Children's Books today announced a worldwide publication agreement with Ringo Starr for a picture book edition of his famous Beatles hit, Octopus's Garden, 45 years after the song was first written.

The book will be published as a stunning hardback edition plus CD, with audio content to include an original, previously un-heard music track from Ringo and a reading of the story.

Ben Cort, the illustrator of Aliens Love Underpants and a life-long Beatles fan, has been signed up to illustrate the book. Cort made his name with the hugely successful Underpants series written by Claire Freedman, which has sold over a million copies across 19 languages.

Ringo Starr gave the following message for fans: "It gives me great pleasure to collaborate with Ben Cort and Simon & Schuster for the further adventures of Octopus's Garden. Peace and Love, Ringo."

Ingrid Selberg, Children's Publisher at Simon & Schuster UK said: "As an original Beatles fan, publishing this book is a dream come true for me. By bringing Ben Cort on board we have arranged the perfect marriage of a truly child-friendly text, based on Ringo's popular song, with illustrations that revel in the imaginative opportunities presented by the lyrics. This is a beautiful and funny book that children, parents and grandparents will love sharing."

Ingrid Selberg acquired World Rights from Alex Ianev, New Business Development Manager at Universal Music Publishing. Octopus's Garden will be published in the UK on 24th October as hardback and CD, followed by a paperback edition in 2014. North American publication is scheduled for January 2014.