Royal baby spurs bounty of baby books, including ‘The Royal Nappy’

Picture this: The royal nappy.

The on-its-way Royal Baby has spurred a bounty of picture books, perfect for the little Royal Baby itself and other, non-royal babies of its generation.

In the Guardian, writer Imogen Russell Williams dives into the royal baby picture book boom. There’s “The Royal Nappy,� a goofy history of poop and the royal family (Nicholas Allen’s picture books appear to all be about bums, pants and knickers); “The Royal Baby,� a speculative look at what the baby may be like, that concludes that all babies are unique and we’ll just have to wait (a way to get around the fact that the future monarch is not quite born yet); “Shh! Don’t Wake the Royal Baby� riffs on the many amusing ways that princes and princesses can get to sleep; and, finally, “Baggy Brown and the Royal Baby� is a charming, royal-themed reissue of the 2007 kid’s book “Baggy Brown.� Baggy Brown is a very special stuffed bear that kids (and royal babies) can love.

The most biographical look at what led to this royal baby’s life is “A Royal Fairytale,� a picture-book version of the origin story of how Will and Kate met and fell in love. It’s available immediately as an e-book, complete with interactive scenes involving fireworks, and published in hardcover in the U.S. under the title “A Real Prince Is Hard to Find.�

Tie-in books are an important part of the royal-baby economy, ever since Diana was “Diana, The Fairy Tale Princess.�

According to the Royal Baby Blog, New York Mediaworks’ book “Bubblegum Princess� will go on sale once the baby is born. It’s a charming, pink-drenched book based on a real-life, gum-chewing incident in Kate Middleton’s life, reinterpreted for this special occasion. Kate’s gum-chewing leads to true love with Prince Willis, and romance leads to a baby.

The future King or Queen of England is the first royal baby to be born in the age of quick e-books, and whether that means an uptick in quick, self-published e-books that have the child’s name and gender correct remains to be seen.

But while the world waits to see how Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Pippa’s reaction to Will and Kate’s wonderful news, perhaps it’s time to see whether the Will and Kate tie-in books were any good. Ready to read “William and Kate: A Royal Love Story� by Christopher Andersen once again? Or perhaps Andrew Morton’s “William and Catherine: Their Story�? The options are endless.

By the time that Kate Middleton and Prince William’s child is born and introduced to the world, the U.K.’s economy will have received a boost of $367 million, the Hollywood Reporter writes. This baby economy boom hits all retail sectors, covering alcohol, party expenses, toys, bookies and betters, with a potential $115 million going to royal-related books, DVDs, and other media.

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