HarperCollins Children’s Books has secured exclusive world rights to publish the tie-in books for the BAFTA award-winning CBeebies hit show Tee and Mo. The deal was concluded by Juliet Matthews, Colour Publisher at HarperCollins Children’s Books, from Plug-In Media via Val Fry and Fryday Brands.

Exploring the relationship between Tee, a little monkey, and Mo, his first-time monkey mum, Tee and Mo is narrated and sung by Lauren Laverne, and is a multi-platform brand that has captured the hearts of parents and children worldwide. Featuring light-hearted storylines and catchy melodies, it has gained huge popularity since the show first aired in 2018. With an album of original music, animated original songs as well as a YouTube channel and apps, there are multiple ways for fans to engage with the brand. Series two launches in spring 2022.

The new range of colour publishing will launch in May 2022 with Are We Ready to Go?, the first in a series of paperback picture books with original stories based on BAFTA-winning animated music-video series Tee and Mo Song Time. This will be accompanied by simultaneous audio downloads of the story and the song.

“I was excited by Tee and Mo the very first time I saw it and have been following its development over the last few years,” says Juliet Matthews at HarperCollins. “Now, with a raft of creative accolades and global ambition, it’s the perfect time to launch a series of books and audio based on the original songs, sung so brilliantly by Lauren Laverne. Tee and Mo embody that wonderful and slightly overwhelming relationship between a first-time mum and her child in such a charming and funny way that you can’t help but fall in love with them.”

Dominic Minns at Plug-In Media says: “Tee and Mo has always been designed as a dual-audience brand, creating opportunities for children and their caregivers to see themselves reflected in the stories, and in doing so laugh and bond together. There has never been a more dual audience platform than picture books and it has always been our dream for Tee and Mo to find a home in print. HarperCollins has the most incredible track record in creating iconic stories that bring people together. We are incredibly honoured that they have chosen to bring Tee and Mo into their wider family of brands, and we look forward to a long relationship together.”