Tony Award-nominated songwriter Tim Minchin has signed a deal with Scholastic U.K. to adapt “When I Grow Up,” the standout anthem from his Broadway and West End musical Matilda, into a new children’s picture book.
Minchin will collaborate with illustrator Steve Anthony on the book that will imagine life from a child’s point of view. The news was revealed on Minchin’s official website. Minchin returns to Broadway this season with the new musical Groundhog Day.
“I feel incredibly lucky to be able to lend my lyrics to a children’s book,” Minchin said in a statement. “I adore Steve’s work, and it’s been a thrill to watch him develop his gorgeous illustrations. I can’t wait to hold a copy in my hands.”
The book is slated for an October 2017 U.K. release.
Based on Roald Dahl's beloved children's book about a precocious bookworm with magical powers, the musical adaptation of Matilda premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Courtyard Theatre in November 2010 and later transferred to the West End's Cambridge Theatre. It subsequently arrived on Broadway in 2013, where it ran for over 1,600 performances.