Ben Bailey Smith, otherwise known as rapper Doc Brown, and Sav Akyuz have been friends for years. Their unlikely friendship led them to collaborate on a new picture book, I Am Bear. Walker Books won the rights to publish the children’s picture book after a bidding war.
Ben Bailey Smith is not new to writing. He has written all his raps including the very funny A Proper Tea. The difference is, this time his rap is for children. As the brother of award-winning novelist Zadie Smith he has good literary genes on his side.
As an actor, Smith has played roles in the acclaimed BBC series Rev and Miranda, as well as Channel 4’s The Inbetweeners. He currently plays DS Joe Hawkins in Law & Order UK.
Sav Akyuz, the illustrator behind I Am Bear, was penning a storyboard for department store John Lewis when the bear in a purple onesie first showed himself. Bear is a memorable character and follows in the footsteps of other great literary bears.
So, what’s the book about?
If there’s trouble, one thing is certain: Bear was there. In (and out) of his outrageous purple outfit, Bear can do anything - steal honey from the bees, do magic tricks, steal doughnuts from a police officer, and annoy a certain pesky squirrel.
You will be charmed by the funny word play and bold imagery. Buy the book here.
A Rodgers and Hammerstein biography will be released in 2018 to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of the opening of Oklahoma!, the pair’s first musical collaboration.
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