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Nicholas Callaway, chairman and CEO of Callaway Arts and Entertainment, acknowledged that the idea of Madonna as a children's author was "somewhat counterintuitive at first "It isn't until you grow up that you realize what a waste of time those feelings are
Callaway Editions, based in New York, has licensed book rights to 32 publishing houses, including Gallimard Jeunesse in France and Hanser Verlag in Germany Madonna Publishes Her Children's Book
Sep 15, 7:11 AM EST
It's not the most likely formula for a children's book He mentioned the idea several times to Madonna â€â€? until one day last year he received five manuscripts in the mail
The next book in the series, "Mr "
But he told The Associated Press on Monday that the pop diva was "one of the most gifted children's storytellers of our time
"The English Roses" is about a friendship shared by four girls and their mutual envy of a beautiful classmate, with illustrations by fashion artist Jeffrey Fulvimari Lourdes, whom Madonna calls Lola, was a trusted adviser when it came to writing her debut book, the singer said
The initial print run of the 48-page book, about four 11-year-old girls in London, is 1 million copies worldwide, with more than 750,000 in the United States, publisher Callaway Editions said " The book is one of five that Madonna will release over the next year
She said she also reads to her daughter, Lourdes, 6, and son, Rocco, 3
Madonna, 45, said her teacher in Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, suggested she write children's books to share the spiritual wisdom she gained from studying the subject
"As soon as I read them, it confirmed everything that I felt from that first moment," he said, saying that the stories as she has written them required very little editing Each book in the series is set in a different time and place and features new characters and different illustrators The theme is envy, the characters dress like supermodels and the writer's best-known literary work until now was titled "Sex
"As a child, I experienced jealousy and envy toward other girls for any number of reasons: I was jealous they had mothers, jealous they were prettier and richer," she said in a statement
The early buzz was working: The book was already No "
Madonna's own mother died when she was young
Madonna has also kept the actual book under wraps Penguin Group is distributing the book in the United States, and Puffin will publish it in other English-language markets " "The messages are all ones of hope and encouragement for children and their parents "
Madonna's "The English Roses" was released worldwide on Monday, hitting the bookshelves in 30 languages â€â€? including Albanian and Chinese â€â€? and in 100 countries No early review copies were released, and no books were provided to guests at a launch party in London on Sunday
Callaway said the idea of Madonna as a writer of children's books came to him when he saw her read one to teens on MTV Peabody's Apples," will be out in November
"They have value for families," he said, calling the books "traditional com's sales list on Monday, only hours after becoming available , for the story John Lithgow's new "I'm a Manatee" is the actor's fourth children's book for Simon & Schuster, and Julie Andrews is heading up her own imprint at HarperCollins
Madonna, who published a photo essay titled "Sex" in 1992, said she drew on her own experiences growing up in Bay City, Mich
Callaway said the simultaneous publication across the world was unprecedented
"The English Roses" is the latest among a growing number of celebrity-written children's books 8 on Amazon
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Counterintuitive or not, the publicity build-up surrounding the release was worthy of a pop star
"Everything in these stories is appropriate for children of all ages â€â€? they are wholesome," said Callaway, in Paris for the book's release and a gathering later in the day of publishers and the writer herself |