Child Proofs: In growing numbers, celebrities are writing books for kids

Kirk Baird

Monday, July 12, 2004 | 8:11 a.m.

Children's stories aren't what they used to be.

Then again, Shaquille O'Neal has never written a children's book before.

The NBA superstar, who released his only children's book, "Shaq and the Beanstalk and Other Very Tall Tales," nearly five years ago, was one of the first of a new wave of celebrities who are writing kid-friendly books.

While many of these books proved popular - Billy Crystal's recently released "I Already Know I Love You" ($16.99, HarperCollins), for example, is on the New York Times Bestseller List for Children's Picture Books - there's more to their success than having a famous name.

"If the book stinks, it will fail," said Byron Preiss, president and publisher of Byron Preiss Visual Publications Inc., a New York-based book producer that has helped several celebrity books get published, including Crystal's.

"Whoopi Goldberg did a retelling of 'Alice in Wonderland' and the book failed. Obviously, how well a book does is partly the strength of the name attached to it. But it's also the quality of the book, the wonderful artwork, good stories and a lot of careful editing and publishing," Preiss said.

Some of the famous figures who have written children's books include:

Paul Simon, Sting, Dolly Parton, Spike Lee, Bette Midler, Jamie Lee Curtis, Julie Andrews, Jerry Seinfeld, John Travolta, Jay Leno, Lynne Cheney (wife of Vice President Dick Cheney), Mario Cuomo, Maria Shriver, John Lithgow, LeAnn Rimes, Madonna, Barbara Bush, Bob Dylan, Katie Couric, Jerry Garcia, former President Jimmy Carter and his daughter, Amy, Jimmy Buffett, Deborah Norville and Will Smith. And Billy Joel and Mia Hamm have books due to be published this year.

In fact, with so many celeb-penned children's books available at the bookstore, it's borderline overkill, said Brenda Bowen, vice president and editor-in-chief of Hyperion Books for Children, which recently signed a deal with Goldberg to publish a children's book on manners.

"I think (the market is) a little bit glutted right now," she said. "You have to make sure the book is good to ensure that it will sell. It's not just enough to have a star name on it these days."

While a cynic might suggest writing a children's book is simply another way for a celebrity to make money or stroke his or her ego, Bowen insists the motives are pure.

"People who are already famous enough to be able to sign up a book without questions are not doing it for the money," Bowen said. "They get paid far much more just to show up to places. They're doing it because they want to give the book to their own children or their grandchildren. They're doing it because they have a favorite story as a child and they want to retell it.

"And in the best case, they're doing it because they can't stop themselves from writing because they really have something to say."

Few rival the often-controversial Madonna, who would seem an unlikely author of a children's book.

Still, the Material's Girl's first effort, "The English Roses" ($19.95, Callaway), debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Bestseller List for Children's Picture Books and remained in the top 10 for 18 weeks.

The book is part of a five-part series of children's books, with the fourth due in November.

"I've learned to be unselfish and have a greater understanding of the power of words -- for children and grown-ups," said the 45-year-old mother of two in an interview with People magazine last year. "I want to do good things for the world."

Despite her scandalous career, which includes the 1992 picture book "Sex" that featured the singer in erotic nude poses with models and celebrity friends, Madonna received generally favorable reviews for her children's books -- especially her first.

"The English Roses" tells the story of a popular group of girls, the English Roses, who are jealous of another girl, Binah.

"Haven't you ever been green with envy?" asks the book's narrator. "Or felt like you were about to explode if you didn't get what somebody else had? If you say no, you are telling a big, fat fib, and I am going to tell your mother."

As with most children's books, the English Roses learn their lesson -- in this case, through the magical intervention of a fairy godmother -- change their opinions of Binah and become best friends.

"First they invited Binah to a tea party, and then they started walking to school with her, and not long after that, they were doing homework together. Binah even taught them how to bake an apple pie. They soon found out that she was very likable indeed."

In a press release for the book, Madonna said: "('English Roses') deals with envy and jealousy -- and how these emotions cause so much unnecessary suffering in our lives.

"I only wish I had read about some of these subjects when I was a little kid."

Sherida Steffen, librarian for Lucille Rogers Elementary School, said "The English Roses" is a particular favorite among the students.

"The principal read that to the fifth graders and now they're always coming in and asking if we've got that book," Steffen said. "I don't know if they know Jamie Lee Curtis or John Lithgow but they know Madonna and Shaq."

While most of the celebrities' children's books tend to be more on the whimsical side -- some involving Dr. Seuss-patterned rhymes -- with easy-to-grasp morals, kid-friendly humor and colorful illustrations, others offer more compelling content.

"The Chimpanzees I Love: Saving Their World and Ours" ($17.95, Scholastic), by famed animal activist Jane Goodall, attempts to motivate children to save the chimpanzee. Curtis has penned several self-help books for children, including being adopted in "Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born" ($5.95, HarperTrophy).

And in the case of Shriver's books, the wife of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tackled such weighty issues as Alzheimer's disease and death, the latter a response to her questions and concerns her children had over the death of their great-grandmother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.

"I began jotting down their questions on little pieces of paper and also their answers," Shriver told the Boston Globe in a 1999 interview. "I had no intention of writing a book. But what made me first think about a book was that I didn't find anything out there for kids.

"I wanted to tell kids that it's OK to cry, that it's OK to feel all the emotions a death can story up. And the response to my book has been so satisfying to me. It seems to have unearthed a whole lot of things for a lot of people -- of all ages. It's still such an uncomfortable subject for people to talk about."

Debbie McGuire, youth services coordinator for the Las Vegas Clark County Library District, said in general celebrity books are popular with readers.

"A lot of marketing dollars are spent on these books. They enjoy more marketing dollars than many of children's books authors who are not celebrities," McGuire said. "It creates a tremendous amount of buzz."

Of course, the extra publicity means bookstores are more likely to purchase added copies of the books, which means less room for the traditional children's authors.

Which simply means it's up to the industry to police itself and be more selective about what is sold, Bowen said.

"I think it's incumbent on us as publishers not to be too opportunist and be selective and winnow down what we publish from celebs," she said. "But I know if I had Steve Martin knocking at my door, I wouldn't say no."

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