BabyLit & Little Leonardo Books to Be Adapted for TV

The ThinkTank Emporium has partnered with the publisher Gibbs Smith to develop its best-selling BabyLit and Little Leonardo kids’ book series into an animated show, as well as pursue licensing opportunities.

The BabyLit series, written by Jennifer Adams and illustrated by Alison Oliver, consists of 30 board books aimed at kids up to age 3 and teaches early concepts like counting, colors, opposites, sounds and shapes through classic literature. For instance, in Pride & Prejudice, readers count to ten with examples like one English village, four marriage proposals and nine ballgowns.

Quotes from the original classics are often included next to the concepts. The BabyLit classic series extends to gift merchandise as well, with totes, buttons, dolls, puzzles and a memory matching game. The BabyLit series has more than 50 titles in print and over 2 million copies in sales. Translation rights have been sold in over 15 countries.

The Little Leonardo series, meanwhile, teaches STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) concepts to kids ages 4 to 8, focusing on how STEAM affects everyday life and introducing real-life examples of STEAM heroes.

“People are realizing that it’s never too young to start putting things in front of toddlers that are a little more meaningful, that have more levels,” said Suzanne Gibbs Taylor, creator of the BabyLit series and publisher/chief creative officer at Gibbs Smith. “After the success of our books, the natural extension of the brand is to explore television opportunities. We are very excited to see what can be developed for BabyLit.”

“We are pleased to be working with Gibbs Smith to bring the BabyLit and Little Leonardo series to a global audience via media platforms and licensed product opportunities. The sheer potential in all these areas for these properties is a wonderful asset for ThinkTank and its strategic relationship with Gibbs Smith,” said ThinkTank’s David Wollos.