Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Author-illustrator Loren Long, who has worked with Barack Obama among others, has 6-figure book deal

The illustrator of bestselling children’s books by former President Barack Obama, Madonna and poet Amanda Gorman has a six-figure deal with a Macmillan imprint for two of his own projects

Via AP news wire
Monday 14 August 2023 09:58 EDT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The illustrator of bestselling children's books by former President Barack Obama, Madonna and poet Amanda Gorman has a six-figure deal with a Macmillan imprint for two of his own projects. Loren Long's first book under his new contract is “The Yellow Bus," scheduled for June 2024.

“Noticing a rusted and abandoned school bus sitting in a field with goats climbing in and out of it got me thinking about purpose and the passage of time. I thought ‘Surely that yellow bus started it’s life in a grand fashion, bright and shiny, carrying children from one important place to another,’” Long said in a statement issued Monday through Roaring Brook Press.

“The Yellow Bus resulted from me contemplating and imagining what the life of that old bus might have been. And the feeling that comes from doing things for other people,” he said.

Besides working on Obama's “Of Thee I Sing,” Madonna's “Mr. Peabody's Apples” and Gorman's “Change Sings,” Long has written and illustrated the popular series about Otis the tractor, including “Otis and the Kittens,” “Otis and the Scarecrow” and “Otis and the Tornado.” Apple TV is planning an animated series based on the Otis books.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in